Disappearing Quail

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Boolywooger
Rank: Junior Hunter
Posts: 46
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2014 9:14 am
Location: Roswell, Ga

Disappearing Quail

Post by Boolywooger » Wed Sep 10, 2014 3:18 pm

I bought a dozen quail last week and due to operator error 5 of them escaped into the woods. The final 7 were successfully transferred into the johnny house below. Because of the ones that escaped I left the door over the recall funnel open. Over the course of the next 3 days the 7 in the johnny house disappeared. There weren't any feather piles inside or outside of the johnny house. The opening of the funnel is 3.5" in diameter and I think it's about 5" off of the floor. I've since gotten 10 more quail and placed them in the johnny house with the recall funnel door closed. There haven't been any further disappearances. Any ideas what could have happened?

http://s829.photobucket.com/user/boolyw ... 5.jpg.html

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Wind Dancer Kennels
Rank: Junior Hunter
Posts: 64
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 8:33 am
Location: Haslet, Texas

Re: Disappearing Quail

Post by Wind Dancer Kennels » Wed Sep 10, 2014 6:18 pm

They walked out your recall funnel. Sounds like you have a recall funnel for Chukar.
Remember quail are small.

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Karen
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Location: Analomink, PA

Re: Disappearing Quail

Post by Karen » Wed Sep 10, 2014 6:45 pm

Had the same thing happen to me....bought a lion country "better" quail recall funnel. They have forks hanging down on the inside so that quail can walk in but they can't walk out.

Neil
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Re: Disappearing Quail

Post by Neil » Wed Sep 10, 2014 9:49 pm

Karen wrote:Had the same thing happen to me....bought a lion country "better" quail recall funnel. They have forks hanging down on the inside so that quail can walk in but they can't walk out.
+1

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Boolywooger
Rank: Junior Hunter
Posts: 46
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2014 9:14 am
Location: Roswell, Ga

Re: Disappearing Quail

Post by Boolywooger » Thu Sep 11, 2014 9:17 am

Thanks for the feedback, I'm going to insert another funnel reducing the opening to between 2 3/4" and 3" and will have bobs to help prevent "going out the in door".

It's amazing how dangerous a place the woods behind my house must be. That makes a total of 24 quail that have disappeared within a couple of days of being released. I know I have barred owls and red shouldered hawks that live in the woods. One of the hawks landed on top of the johnny house day before yesterday. It was interesting to see how the quail flattened themselves as it flew in. I happened to be checking on them by looking through a pair of binoculars when it happened.

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