Then we got some good rains this spring and on into the summer. We're going to see a higher survival rate this fall as a result. Thick underbrush and abundant forage point to strong survival, even though the average wild quail does not live one full year. But the breakdown might surprise some people. The larger hawks such as redtails and Harris hawks lack the mobility and really are not a factor.
Predation is part of the cycle.
But, by fang or claw or smokeless powder, you can't hit what you can't find, and thick underbrush across most of South Texas should encourage a high survival rate into winter. Joe Doggett covers the outdoors for the Chronicle. His column appears on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.