A Long Lost Game Bird: Quail in the Southeast Part 1

For the next few weeks we are going to be discussing a single subject in a more in depth manner than we have ever done in the history of this podcast.but First, let me pose a few questions that may make you think. Right now, while your listening to this podcast, whether you’re in driving down the road, sitting at your desk, got your headphones on at the gym- wherever you are- take a second to think about your favorite game species- this could be your favorite animal to hunt, your favorite animal to encounter in the woods, whatever. think about that animal and then think about why that animal is your favorite. 

Maybe you had a really memorable bow hunt for a whitetail buck that just has always stuck with you. Maybe it was duck hunt on picture perfect day with good buddies, and number of ducks that came in matched the amount of laughs and stories that were shared in the blind that day. Maybe It was your first turkey hunt with your dad. 
Whatever that reason may be, I think we could all agree, as outdoors men and women that the animals we pursue mean something to us. something that transcends a single hunt for that animal.
They mean so much to us that we form conservation organizations around them to ensure they’re preservation. We hang pictures of them in our house. We talk about them nonstop with our friends. and historically, hunter’s and anglers go above and beyond to protect these animals and the places they live by prettty much whatever means neccessary. 
That’s why, I was hit with a strong dillemma back in 2016. A good friend of mine introduced to me to upland bird hunting. I’ll never forget the first time I saw a pointing dog lock up on covey quail, followed up a flush of what was at least a dozen birds that were all but under my feet. After the shotgun blasts and the retrieval of the birds, I stood there in awe and completely hooked by this new type of hunting. 
Imagine the dissapointment when I realized that at one point, we had a huge population of quail at home in southeast. It was right around that time my wheels started to spin. 
where did all of them go?
How many quail were there actually?
Can we get them back?
That’s where we pick up today.