In March, Reyna and his team successfully coordinated a translocation of 250 wild California Quail from Idaho to Texas in an effort to repopulate the area as quail native to Texas have declined by 80 percent since 1967.

https://news.tamuc.edu/am-commerce-...slocation-from-idaho-to-northeast-texas/

Quail numbers have gone down significantly in my life time for sure.

Lots of pieces to the puzzle. The decline of trappers due to the decline of fur prices in the 80’s due to pressure from anti-fur campaigns by the tree huggers leading to a rapid increase in predator populations. And E. TX and Central & S. TX being invaded by fire ants are my theory’s. Also prime quail habitat loss.

Not sure the Valley quail will do any better, but worth a try I guess. Fire ants are hard on them no doubt. Farms getting larger also hurts, as there is less edge effect when fields are larger in size.

1/2 a mil for 250 quail? I guess the cost is small if the economic benefits claimed play out.

California quail (we call them "valley quail" to distinguish them from Mountain Quail, a different species) need a consistent water source to survive. They can't make it on water in food like some species can. And yes, fire ants decimate them too. Hope they "take" in TX as they have in parts of South and Central America. I wonder if trying Gambel's Quail, their desert relative, wouldn't have been a better choice?

My first thought. Why not Gambel's?

It does seem a little pricey but I'm guessing most of that is for the radio tracking studies.

Gambel's are in the desert southwest. Northeast Texas is more lush farmland and looks more like Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana.

It will be interesting to see what happens.

Gambel’s quail are evil little conniving bastards.

That is all. 😐

(Gawd I love ‘em!)

Like chukars--a "love/HATE" relationship....

^^^Agree!^^^ Bastids make you earn 'em.

Quail depend on weather conditions more than most other species. Last year they had declined from previous years to below the 15 year average. However, from 2014-2017 they were at record numbers not seen since the 1970’s. Loss of habitat through human growth does play in to that, but from experience hunting South Texas in 2017 I couldn’t go more than 200 yards without flushing a new covey during dove season.

My dad always talked about hunting quail on our place in east Texas when he was a kid in the late 50s, early ‘60s. I’m 42 and in my lifetime I’ve only saw 2 coveys in that county. Just too much brush, fire ants and predators I guess