[Lynnappelman]

Bobwhite quail have a new long season from Mid October to Feb. 28th and 8 a day bag limit. This makes available a good pointing game bird to work our dogs on. Glad to see this change it certainly makes sense. If they do a wild quail release, they can just close that area. Might be building a quail pen. With grouse numbers falling it gives our dogs another option in the field.

 

[Marcus99]

I'm not trying to be a jerk but is there any huntable wild quail left in PA? Or are you just saying that you have a longer period to shoot birds that you stock yourself?

 

[dap]

I'm not trying to be a jerk but is there any huntable wild quail left in PA? Or are you just saying that you have a longer period to shoot birds that you stock yourself?

The latest studies show wild quail have been extirpated from PA. There are none left. These are for birds you stock yourself. You can kill up to 8 a day. If you release some and don't kill them, they are free game for anyone else.

I find it hard to believe that the PGC feels the need to close all State Gamelands to running dogs for the week between the youth season and the opening day of the regular pheasant season because they are afraid of pheasants being chased off areas where they are stocked, yet now allow quail hunting during that time frame.

It's as if they are making rules just to prove they can.

 

[Marcus99]

The latest studies show wild quail have been extirpated from PA. There are none left. These are for birds you stock yourself. You can kill up to 8 a day. If you release some and don't kill them, they are free game for anyone else.

I find it hard to believe that the PGC feels the need to close all State Gamelands to running dogs for the week between the youth season and the pening day of the regular pheasant season because they are afraid of pheasants being chased off areas where they are stocked, yet now allow quail hunting during that time frame.

It's as if they are making rules just to prove they can.

Thanks, I was sort of under the impression that if you stocked the bird yourself you could pretty much hunt/shoot whenever. I guess that's maybe only true of those commercial operations where you can shoot pheasants sept-april?

 

[dap]

If you go to a commercial game farm, you can shoot as many birds as you want. They should tag the birds to show they were taken from a game farm. If you stock your own birds on private land or state game lands that is not a licensed hunting preserve, you must follow the season and bag limits set up by the PGC.

This is one reason why many folks like chukar so much. They are not recognized as a gamebird in PA so there is no season or bag limit.

 

[Marcus99]

If you go to a commercial game farm, you can shoot as many birds as you want. They should tag the birds to show they were taken from a game farm. If you stock your own birds on private land or state game lands that is not a licensed hunting preserve, you must follow the season and bag limits set up by the PGC.

This is one reason why many folks like chukar so much. They are not recognized as a gamebird in PA so there is no season or bag limit.

I'm sorry I keep asking so many questions but I thought it was illegal to stock or release anything on game lands?

 

[dap]

I didn't watch all segments of the BOC meeting, but for what I did watch they didn't talk about changing when birds could be released on SGL for dog training purposes. As it currently stands

The release of captive bred or captive raised ringneck pheasants, bobwhite quail, chukar partridges and rock pigeons on state game lands for hunting and/or dog training purposes during the entire month of October remains expressly prohibited without a field dog trial permit.

Did the BOC intend the Oct 14-31 quail season to be private land only?

 

[dap]

I'm sorry I keep asking so many questions but I thought it was illegal to stock or release anything on game lands?

Here is Timberdoodle's post on http://www.huntingpa.com/forums/40-hunting-dog-forum/140918-sgl-training.html in the Hunting dog forum

 

[11bdickey]

I hope we don't have another "put and take" bird. Maybe the GC can charge a $25 fee for a dog training stamp. Then they could use that money towards developing grouse habitat instead of wasting my tax dollars on another put and take bird. Creating grouse habitat seems like to smart thing to do after all grouse are native to PA and not a species we are trying to force into marginal habitat just to sell licensees and drive up profits. Have to cut this short I think I just say mosquito if I can kill it maybe I can save a young grouse that will make until next fall.

 

[Mike M.]

No one said anything about the PGC raising & releasing bobwhites. this is for hunters that stock their own birds.

 

[USAF_SP]

Used to stock a farm we had permission to hunt on with Pheasant and Chukars the day before the opener. It let them scatter a bit. Can only shoot the legal limit of Pheasant. Chukars, since not a game bird in PA, there was no limit. We'd stock the Chukars to provide for extra dog work and shooting. Others had permission to hunt on the farm as well, but there was always hold overs for following weekends. Even the owner would see a few birds the next year during archery hunting. Happened to have a guy that trapped the property, so kept predation down a bit

 

[skookhunter17954]

As much as I like pheasant hunting I wouldn't mind the PGC switching over to bob whites for our put and take program.

 

[USAF_SP]

I like that idea. Did a bit of quail hunting while in MO. Well, was actually rabbit hunting, but a lot of the WMU's where I was had wild quail. Always fun to put those up. Also worked on a hunting preserve where we had quail. Can raise a lot of birds quick

 

[Marcus99]

As much as I like pheasant hunting I wouldn't mind the PGC switching over to bob whites for our put and take program.

I believe the commission briefly addressed this last meeting and they said that it would require the purchase of new equipment which would further drive up costs. I'm not familiar with raising game birds so I can't speak to this. Also their thinking was that while a pheasant or two can make a meal, it takes many times more quail to yield the same amount of table fare.

 

[skookhunter17954]

I can understand that being a concern. Quail need a different type of structure to thrive in. I also see it though it could be a once and done purchase then they could raise more quail then pheasants for the same cost and hunters would/ should see more birds to potentially harvest

 

[Dobsonknob]

No one said anything about the PGC raising & releasing bobwhites. this is for hunters that stock their own birds.

The PGC used to raise and stock quail years ago

 

[Mike M.]

The PGC used to raise and stock quail years ago

That is true but they also ended, raising & stocking quail, before I was 12 & old enough to hunt. I am now 51. So it has been many decades since the PGC stocked Bobwhites.

 

[Dobsonknob]

I know they were stocking them into the 1970s but when they exactly stopped I don't know.

 

[dap]

I know they were stocking them into the 1970s but when they exactly stopped I don't know.

The PGC propagation of bobwhite quail to supplement wild populations began in 1910. By the 1940’s, the Commission was raising and releasing 170,000 quail annually. By the mid 1970’s the number had been reduced to 30,000 annually. The last year of quail releases was 1982.

 

[Lyco Setter]

My dogs will be out running on SGL whenever I wish in the fall, that is to say when starlings are in season and we're after them. The first 3 weeks in October is actually one of the best opportunities for them - fall migration.