Raising bobwhite quail in a Surrogator doesn’t work – so say most of the experts out there. There is even quite a bit of bobwhite quail research from universities that have scads of data that confirms that raising wild quail in a surrogator doesn’t work. OK, so why do I keep doing it and where are those bobwhite quail on my ranch coming from? Let’s look at why it works for me but doesn’t seem to work for the researchers who study bobwhite quail.
First, let’s define “works”. If “works” means you are going to have a bunch of bobwhite quail to hunt this Fall then I tend to agree. I started with that expectation and was quickly disappointed. The math just doesn’t work very well. If “works” mean that you can restore and replenish the population of wild quail on your place then yes, it does work – but it depends on more than just the surrogator. If “works” means get’s the quail from 1 week to 6 weeks with a high survival rate and reasonably good chance of bobwhite quail survival in the wild then yes, it does work.
The Surrogator Works
The surrogator works just fine to raise bobwhite quail chicks from 1 week (or one day if you chose) to five or six weeks of age. I prefer to start with week old wild quail chicks and raise them to six weeks rather than day old chicks to five weeks. Starting quail this young does require some special attention, including supplemental heat in the quail surrogator. The surrogator is well designed, simple to operate and does it’s job quite well. I typically put in 125 chicks and release 90 to 100 at the end of 5 weeks. The surrogator works just fine for it’s intended purpose.
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Learn How to Raise Quail in a Well Tended Surrogator
The bobwhite quail chicks actually thrive in a surrogator that is well tended and maintained. The instructions that come with the surrogator are simple and easy to follow. But, like any generic instructions, a little tweaking can improve your results and decrease your efforts. Nevertheless, as designed, the surrogator, when well tended according to the instructions works just like a charm. Can you build your own? Sure you can – the surrogator is not that complicated. There is one part that is hard to find – the quail surrogator heating unit. However, there are a few design details and specialty parts that you will have some challenges. Also, if you want your surrogator to be easily portable and last for many years without a lot of maintenance, then I recommend buying one. See my video for more details on how the surrogator is designed and built.
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Predators Do Have an Impact on Bobwhite Quail
Nobody really knows the details of what happens in the brush at night – except the bobwhite quail and the predators that haunt those places. Do predators have an impact on the wild quail population? Sure they do. Will predator control make a difference? Probably but in my experience, the effort in predator control is fairly high for the results that you can actually produce. You do need to have a predator control program in place but I think the impact on the released quail is actually fairly low.
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Why Are You Raising Wild Bobwhite Quail?
Back to the definition of “works”. Your definition of “works” is going to be dependent on your “why”. Mine originally was to hunt wild quail that year. Well, after several months on not seeing or finding a single bobwhite quail that desire was crushed. It was 4 months into my first year before I ever saw a released quail. It was only in the Spring following the first year that I really understood the impact of my efforts and the long term value of what I was doing. The following Spring I did quail call counts – and man did I hear a bunch of birds! Why hadn’t my dog found those birds on my weekly surveys walking around the ranch? I’m not sure but I suspect that we easily over estimate the abilities of our dogs to find quail. I suspect, after doing this for several years, that even the best of bird dogs only find a small percentage of the available quail. In summary, I’m raising quail to hunt, but more importantly, so that I can hunt behind my dog, with my kids whenever the mood strikes me – all without the pain and time involved in getting and then going to an expensive lease where I have no control over what might be there. You might call it my own private huntable preserve. Once I got clear on my “why” then my “works” became much more achievable.
Raising Wild Quail Does Work
Yes, raising wild bobwhite quail does work – and here’s your proof. There was only a single cock bobwhite on the ranch when I started 3 years ago. After learning how to raise quail, I now have several findable coveys of wild quail and can harvest quail whenever I want. More importantly, I hear them in the Spring, see them with babies in the Summer and bust coveys in the Fall – with my children and friends – behind young and old dogs. Yes, the Surrogator does work!
Summary of How NOT To Raise Bobwhite Quail in a Surrogator
You should only believe the research if you want to hunt your released bobwhite quail this Fall. The surrogator does work as intended but your results and success will depend on how well you tend the surrogator, learning how to raise quail and what your goals are. The surrogator does work to increase wild, natural populations of bobwhite quail.
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