The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1924-02-15

every community itA N"aNt o." $500
weather. The state game department;
furnishes feed free OF charge to all
those who will distribute It when quail
are in need Of assistance The writer
finds more sport in hunioing quail than
any game bird. there is no one more
jealous Of their propagation, and he
has set out tons OF wheat and corn,
much Of it at his own expense. 10 bring /
the quail thru severe winter.
Hawks and the farmers own house
cats are the quails worst enemies.
They know no closed season. Every I
day OF the year hawks take their
toll and eevry night OF the year the
cats make their kill upon the sleeping
quail While feeding quail in IN
orchard three years ago the writer
found on the snow the feathers OF SIX
quail that had been killed by cats the
night before.
To show that a closed season does
not increase the number OF quail we
need not took FAR from home. Dur
ing the long closed season IN this
county the birds did not increase The
season was opened for ten days in
1921 and 1922 Many experienced OBJ
servers state that there was a greater
increase in the two years IN which
hunting was permitted than during
The entire closed season. This sub y
stantiaies the result oil studies by the 81
American Game Protective Associa- II
ton that quail thrive under moderate 81
shooting kr
That organization points out that ca
a covey OF quail unmolesicd will con-
fine itself to a certain small area. that
Inc bird is naturally c,annish and keeps
to its own coveys. resulting in inien
sive inbreeding. Moreover the cocks
assist the hens in Matching the eggs
md by reason OF the larger number of
locks than hens. a great amount OF
lighting takes pace during the nesting
eason. which results in the distruc-
on OF many nests.
To show that the hunter plays W"
cry small part. il any. in reducing
he number OF quail. let us suppose
hat in the spring of 1912 there were
My one pair OF quail in Canyon p's
ounty; that this rair produced that '"'
even mated pairs or fourteen birds
nd that those seven pairs each pro- a''N
,csd se,on oro o,;rs N. ,o,,on.;,o the
.ason. In 1913 there would be ~ -.
HRS. Then suppose that each of these ''N
'oduced seven more pairs-in 1914
ere would be 343 pairs Then If
ch pair continued to produce seven
ore turnout the ten years OF closed ''''.
ason, in 1927 the original pair would ,
we produced 2S4.675.24o pairs OF
all. The above figures means very
tie. but they do show that natural
rces. hard winters, disease. lack OF N
I'd and natural enemies are response "eu'
for the lack OF increase Only
removal or checking of these causes "'al !
! we expect more quail and who IN
more willing than the sportsmen
do this'
Mr.. f. w. Nelson. chief of the q"
-eau OF Biological Survey, United ""'ii'
ties Department OF Agriculture ~
=. Abs
The matter OF whether the
nail should be placed on the -
protected list or not
Is been referred to this bureau
ON several states. and ! have in ~,
riably taken the stand that in the -"
Union OF the biological survey be OF
e quail should remain in the jokes
me-bird list with a reasonable "a,
4 an ocr.s;onai cios.d ,sas he ash
hen found necessary. NC
believe that reasonable Sophi.
ount of hunting in the fall does
interfere with the maintenance
4 normal supply in any locality If
CHI year under ordinary condi-
rs there should be a surplus OF wv
nj available for hunting in the III Am
which would perish during the M
ming winter. That. ! think is nm
ient from the fact that under nm
6 continued closeo seasons H
III Only attain Ccr'.lh abun- III II
&c. and then appear to remain
about an average number. !,
y by making special efforts to @1
ease the food supply and to W
rd protection from enemies can E&
average number of birds be M
eased IN any locality. Without Hy
attention given TO the restock- AZ
OF coveyS by sportsmen and C
e game commissions. due 10 a
value OF the quail as a game
fear that occasional severe
IS OF quail throughout hard ~
ers would be difficult to over
c"
: OF the best known authorize,
all in the United States. Mr.. II war
has this to say on the subject: will
Twenty-Five years spent in
family watching game birds -ol
changed my opinion on many
IS, especially the tremendous ineo
placed on the quail nv some iii