They mock me..

[gb6491]

Quail season has been over for a few months now, so my scratches and such acquired chasing after said noble bird are all healed. I do miss the chase and tasty prize, thinking both well worth the effort.:)
Anyway, I'm out sweeping a side walk when I hear a familiar cry. There, not 20 ft. away, poses my familiar adversary on a rock in my front yard. I'm sure he knows the season is over and sits there to mock me while I work. I take solace knowing that I'm armed well enough to make a head shot on him if this were a survival situation, but alas it's not, so I wish him and his well, then open the gates for my dogs :D Them little suckers can run fast!
http://i45.tinypic.com/2podt8l.jpg
http://i48.tinypic.com/347fbwi.jpg
http://i49.tinypic.com/1555so8.jpg
Said armament:
http://i48.tinypic.com/9ktnnm.jpg
Regards,
Greg

[TucsonMTB]

Yep! And they even bring their children along to enjoy the spectacle.

http://viewsfromtucson.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/stickingclosetomom.jpg

This picture of our "back yard" taken by my wife in 2010. The scene is repeated each year at about this time.

The yellow bits turning to orange are fallen Palo Verde blossoms.

[Tilos]

I often wondered why they run away from danger, and then it's, oh wait:eek:




I can FLY:o

Tilos

[Tinman507]

Greg,

Thank you for the wonderful photos.
Background: I am involved a lot in Boy Scouts. We have an advanced training program called Wood Badge. When a person enters Wood Badge they're assigned to a patrol. Patrol names are traditional and in the US they are Beaver, Bobwhite, Eagle, Fox, Owl, Bear, Buffalo and Antelope.

Once a person has gone through Wood Badge they are forevermore a Beaver, Bobwhite, etc. My patrol was the Bobwhite. So forevermore my critter is the noble Bobwhite or quail.

http://www.troop44bushkill.org/clipart/Patrol_Patches/bobwhite_patrol.gif

[Bawanna]

Did you finish and turn in your quail for a Eagle?

I made Eagle about 1971 give or take, memories a terrible thing to lose.

[Tinman507]

Nope didn't earn my Eagle. I was overcome by the 'fumes....Perfumes, Gas fumes at 16. Which is why I was determined to make sure kids I was responsible for did earn it. Since I've been involved as an adult I have had about 20 kids earn their Eagle rank. I became a Bobwhite as an adult. Wood Badge is adult leadership training.

Congratuations on your Eagle. It's one of my short list regrets.

[jocko]

Did you finish and turn in your quail for a Eagle?

I made Eagle about 1971 give or take, memories a terrible thing to lose.

but I was and still am a :biggrin1:member of the BEAVER PATROL: just sayin

[Tinman507]

A lot of us are honorary members of that patrol. :biggrin1:

[les strat]

We used to have a lot of quail around here, but the fire ants and coyotes have about wiped them out of this area.

[Tinman507]

Fire ants? What happens?

[jocko]

A lot of us are honorary members of that patrol. :biggrin1:

I have been a member of the beaver patrol for over 50 years,and a loyal oe to,,, never got any honorary degree, how do u do that?? Do u trap so many beavers or what. I was always told to watch beavers and not mess with them for they can get u into alot of troublle. Just sayin. I was told it takes years to figure out the differnec in the male beaver and the female beavers, so I always went along with a senior mentor beaver person. I didn't want to get caught with a male beaver as I knew thee guys would make fun of me.:banplease:

I kinda wanna be a honorary member to tinman, can u take care of that for me???Just sayin

[Tinman507]

For you Jocko

http://www.sandstonestickers.com/images/mature/2036_beaverpatrol.jpg

[yqtszhj]

Fire ants? What happens?

I guessing kills the chicks. Those fire ants are wicked boogers. They sting you today and tomorrow you have nasty blister looking sores that itch for a week.

[jocko]

would that b a bdge that I could wear with pride: Just sayin. Do they make declas for my harley helmet???? Just sayin.

[Tinman507]

I've been bitten while in the florida Keys but it never occured to me they'd have an impact like that on wildlife. I suppose it makes sense. Or perhaps the eggs?

[les strat]

Fire ants? What happens?

They attack the eggs/chicks.

[gb6491]

Thank you all for your comments:)
TucsonMTB,
Great photo of the chicks!
Tinman,
Thanks for the scouting info, I like that Bobwhite badge.

FWIW, I generally prefer my quail wrapped in bacon with a dab of butter and shot of Louisiana hot sauce (http://www.louisianapepper.com/), then wrapped in foil and cooked in the coals of a fire. That said I, saw these two fixin's the other day and liked what I saw:
From http://lizziee.wordpress.com/category/southern-california/vin-barvalentino/:
"Quail en Porchetta “stuffed” with Lamb Tenderloin, Kurobuta Pork Tenderloin on a bed of lentils with zucchini and carrots, Haricot verts wrapped in carrots, Heirloom cherry tomatoes, Potatoes steamed in saffron – what an extraordinary meat dish – every bit of incredible meat goodness in each bite with market fresh vegetables."
http://lizziee.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/vin-quail.jpg?w=500&h=375
From http://www.foodspotting.com/places/33244-nonna-dallas/items/425473-quail-in-porchetta-with-butternut-squash-puree-and-roasted-cauliflower:
"Quail In porchetta With Butternut Squash Puree And Roasted Cauliflower"
http://s3.amazonaws.com/foodspotting-ec2/reviews/1063269/thumb_600.jpg?1321844190?1337010746
Regards,
Greg

[Bawanna]

I'm hungry.

[MW surveyor]

I'm trying to maintain a diet here :hungry:

More off topic -
Those fire ant bites mess me up something fierce. Still have scars on my ankles where the last group of nasties bit me. No I did not scratch the bites.....

[Tinman507]

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Looks awesome!

[jocko]

I have a great photo of some chicks but JOhn, Bawanna and Justin won't let me post um. Just sayin

[jocko]

geez. GB is a doctor on guns now he is a guru at the stove. will it ever end??? Just sayin.

[cgo99]

Great now I'm hungry too, thanks for that gb6491.:hungry:

[Alfonse]

Those things are thick here. You could hunt them with rocks. They're everywhere in the yard and always crossing the roads in big bunches. They're not real good at crossing safety (theirs) either.

[gb6491]

Those things are thick here. You could hunt them with rocks. They're everywhere in the yard and always crossing the roads in big bunches. They're not real good at crossing safety (theirs) either.

Alfonse, I need to visit up your way:):hungry:
In regards to crossing roads, couple of years ago I was traveling a dusty, dirt road when a brood ran out in front of my truck. The adult male ran several feet towards my truck and stopped there right in front of me. He stayed that way until the the female and chicks were safe in the brush on the other side of the road. First and only time, I've ever seen that, but I did admire that bird's pluck.:)
Regards,
Greg

[jocko]

odd how we can stop to let birds go buy,,, when possably on our way to actully hunt them.

I used to se e this alot in the spring when I scouted my local waterholes for places to hunt it he fallw hen waterflowl season comes in . I see at that time many broods with their youngit eh water etc. They seem to have no fear of me at that time either, and the thought of shooting them never even crosses my mind, . It is not the time for eitherof us to fear each other. Our local dairy queen is about 100 yards off the wabash river and it seems every year a pair of geese nest right in their bushs. U can sit in the dq glassed aviary and even watch the geese on the nest. They don't fear us at that time but assure u get near their nest ad they get very preotective. Then they just dissappear around season, but somene in their clan seems to appear the following year.

[JFootin]

As a young man very many years ago, I went out to a hunter's club that my uncle belonged to called the Hoot Owl Club. It cosisted of a small house on many acres of wooded property with a long dirt road for access. As we were driving along the road, we came across a large herd of deer in a green grassy meadow. They showed no fear of us at all seeing as how it was not deer season.

We were shooting some .22 rifles on the range when a doe wnadered between us and our targets, munching grass! Uncle Ed said that, starting on the first day of bow hunting season, you won't see a deer anywhere. They know!

http://www.shutterpoint.com/photos/G/875476-One-Smart-Deer_view.jpg

[MW surveyor]

If you are wondering how the deer and other huntable critters know when the season is on or off........


................they have the dates marked on their calendars.

[Popeye]

As a young man very many years ago, I went out to a hunter's club that my uncle belonged to called the Hoot Owl Club. It cosisted of a small house on many acres of wooded property with a long dirt road for access. As we were driving along the road, we came across a large herd of deer in a green grassy meadow. They showed no fear of us at all seeing as how it was not deer season.

We were shooting some .22 rifles on the range when a doe wnadered between us and our targets, munching grass! Uncle Ed said that, starting on the first day of bow hunting season, you won't see a deer anywhere. They know!

http://www.shutterpoint.com/photos/G/875476-One-Smart-Deer_view.jpg
We kill more of these with our cars then we do with guns here in Pa..

[TucsonMTB]

Mr. Popeye's post reminds me of growing up in South Dakota. It was relatively easy to bag you limit going out after class. One of my college roommate's moms made some of the best Pheasant Under Glass in the entire universe! :hungry:

[Tinman507]

There's an area of the county I live in and I think Popeye does as well where the homes and land are super high priced. Lots of old farms and McMansions. Doctors, Lawyers and Indian Chiefs reside there.

The deer population is out of control. whole herds of them on the horse pastures. Dead deer all over. Wrecked Lexus' and Jags and Mercedes.

Every year they try to have "thinning" hunts to control the population. And every year the populace gets Bambi Syndrome and cries about it. And the deer keep reproducing and getting larger.

[mr surveyor]

the quail population went to near absolute zero in NE Texas by the early 80's. It took the fire ant invasion about 5-6 years to wipe them out, as well as the horned toads, much of the turtle/tortoise population, most of the snakes, a large percentage of the ticks, and about everything else that nests on the ground or lower vegetation. I remember as a small kid in the late 50's and early 60's the massive fight to hold the fire ant invasion off at the Southern border, and it was somewhat effective using DDT. Then in the mid 70's, our wonderful epa, using bogus science, banned DDT, the fire ant invasion was massive. By the early 80's a person had to be very careful where they stopped their feet just about anywhere there was dirt in my neck of the woods, and by the mid 80's we rarely saw a snake, never again saw a wild horned toad, and stopped buying sulphur and other tick repellent to powder the pants legs. I haven't heard a Bobwhite whistle since 1980, thanks to the ignorance of the epa, and I really miss that sound that can just lull you to sleep on a warm summer night.

[jocko]

ain't that the truth, I readone time over 90K a hear are killed in Pa by cages. unbelievabl;e I ride ever day 25miles for coffee on a dual lane road and it is just so common to see dead deer regualry, racoons, possum. Seen last week a hen turkey running downthe pull over lane even, I think the bird was to stupid to realize it could just fly over the guard rails but it was trying very hard to get through the guard rails to no luck . I don'tknbow wha tour kill ratio is here in Indiana bu tnothig like PA, as well killabout 120K legaly durring huting season. We have a giant feline (tigers and lions) center about 40 miles from here and I am told the statehighway when the pick up dead deer, they contact then and they have a truck on the road all the time picking up dead animals andhorse to feed the lions. it is totally nonprofit and Tony Stewart funds it also. all volnteer work. all lios and tigers are in giant fenced area,some an acre or so in size with no more than ever 4 tigers to a fenced area. they live their lives out there and are well taken care of. We were there one day and two vets from Purdue were there doig two root canals o a giant tiger, all free volunteer.

I know the owner of te site and he nbever sells any animals and most of them are animnals that are discard by there owners once they got big ad to har dto handle. unbelievablehow they takesuch good care of over 250 tigers (mostly) and lions and a few mt lions. ostly though giant tigers, some in their onw half acre size fenced area by themselves as they did not mix well with others, so they are sepoarated.

Their main food( areu ready ) is horses. They have agiantfood locker where when they get in a large horse they take sawall's and cut it upin section and throw it in their frreezer and then daily they just throw a junk of tha thorse meat or cow meat tothe animals.

They travel about a 50 mile radius and call on many animal famrs, alot of them amish and when it is timne to put a farm animal down the amish get ahold of these guys, they anestidcize it to put it away humanily and then bring it back to get cut up etc. It is a messy job and alot of the hvolunteer help are young gals to.

I ask them why they don'ty have dead hogs or pigs and theowner said pigs and hogs carry a desease that willkill tigers and lions.

They have alot of road kill deer but they claim there isn't alot of meat there though bu tthey still take um. Can u imagine 250 lions and giers ad homes no further than a quartermile away. Not for me .

they even have an area that no one is allowed in for special killer tigers that have killed their owners but was not ut under for some reason, and they just live their life out in solidarity buy again well taken care of. NONE ARE PETS PERIOD.

They have guided tours through the complex which is really out in the woods so there are big trees inside the fenced areas even. One day about 12 of us was walking on their path with one of the tournguides and a lady was carrying her maybe one year old or less child, and the tigers wold not take their eyes off of that kid, It was so so obvious thatit was scray eve.

well enough of this ramblings.
alittle video of this exotic center in Indianaa: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mRs3qrEf0I If u wana stick ur hand in the cage, that is fine with the owners, asu only do it one time.

[JFootin]

Their main food( areu ready ) is horses. They have agiantfood locker where when they get in a large horse they take sawall's and cut it upin section and throw it in their frreezer and then daily they just throw a junk of tha thorse meat or cow meat tothe animals.

Now we know where Jocko gets his horse heads! :w00t:

[jocko]

and u got that right,my friend.

[ilmbaba]

I'm a firm believer that deer, elk, quail, pheasants, and all other huntable creatures (except rabbits) are the first in line when the new Hunting Regulation Handbooks come out so they know when to start their vacations.

[Alfonse]

Greg, C'mon up! A pellet gun would be plenty of weaponry, or you could just pick them out of the grill of whatever you're driving. I suppose that might be something, to develop a catcher that lets the car cook them when they hit the grill...

[les strat]

Humans have killed off all the predators of deer, once again screwing up nature. We used to have red wolves in Alabama centuries ago, and more mountain lions, bears, and gators than we do now. But we have TONS of coyotes that do nothing good for anything around here.

[Alfonse]

We're thick with coyotes here too. But, you can hunt them anytime you like. Wolves are showing up around here too. They will probably thin out the deer and elk to no end, not to mention the big horn sheep, etc.

[ilmbaba]

Mr. Popeye's post reminds me of growing up in South Dakota. It was relatively easy to bag you limit going out after class. One of my college roommate's moms made some of the best Pheasant Under Glass in the entire universe! :hungry:


Where in SD are you from? I love Pheasant season. Funny thing is, I used to live in Tucson from '85 to '91. I loved it down there.

[TucsonMTB]

Where in SD are you from? I love Pheasant season. Funny thing is, I used to live in Tucson from '85 to '91. I loved it down there.
Yeah, Tucson is great.

I am not really "from" South Dakota. I was born in Philadelphia, but my parents moved to Colorado while I was an infant.

I have not been back to the Midwest since graduating from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. But, it was fun living in Wessington Springs, South Dakota, as a small child. We later moved to Milbank, South Dakota, and then to Rock Rapids, Iowa, where I attended high school. Hunting was great, especially with all the corn fields in northwestern Iowa and eastern South Dakota. You can keep the winters. http://home.mindspring.com/%7Ejustsomeguy/icon_lol.gif

[GROTMAN]

Yeah, Tucson is great.

I am not really "from" South Dakota. I was born in Philadelphia, but my parents moved to Colorado while I was an infant.

I have not been back to the Midwest since graduating from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. But, it was fun living in Wessington Springs, South Dakota, as a small child. We later moved to Milbank, South Dakota, and then to Rock Rapids, Iowa, where I attended high school. Hunting was great, especially with all the corn fields in northwestern Iowa and eastern South Dakota. You can keep the winters. http://home.mindspring.com/%7Ejustsomeguy/icon_lol.gif

I was raised in Ohio and did a lot of pheasant hunting there. Fun to shoot and very good eating. I also lived in tucson from around 81 to 84. Absolutely loved it ! Hope to get back out that way again someday for a visit and take the family on a tour of all the great sights in Az. Envy you :yo:

[ilmbaba]

Yeah, Tucson is great.

I am not really "from" South Dakota. I was born in Philadelphia, but my parents moved to Colorado while I was an infant.

How funny is that? I used to live in Philadelphia back in the 70's (at 'C' and the Boulevard). My wife graduated from USD. We used to hang out there a lot and over in Yankton.

Small world.

[TucsonMTB]

How funny is that? I used to live in Philadelphia back in the 70's (at 'C' and the Boulevard). My wife graduated from USD. We used to hang out there a lot and over in Yankton.

Small world.
Yep! :)

And something about the midwest seems to make the people great. We have a lot of people from that part of the country here in Tucson and they generally have a good influence locally.

Life is good!

[MrToad]

Quail hunting was the first game I hunted years ago. I was surprised how easy it was to clean and dress them for such a little thing.

I can readily appreciate the "they mock me" feelings of the OP. Last year I started hunting again for ducks and geese. It was a very poor year in this part of Ohio, weather just wasn't cooperating very much when I could make it out. Hardly saw anything flying.

Then, after the season was over, what do I see driving to work? Geese, and for the first time, loads of ducks. I have seen geese fly by my workplace every morning. I've seen several groups of ducks on my daily morning commutes...something I never saw before. They're all honking/quacking "Ha-ha! Try and shoot me now!" at me, curse those foul fowls!:D

[Barth]

I grew up in the in the Mojave desert, Southern California.
As a kid we had this bird that ran on the ground and mocked us.
They could fly but rarely did.
You could chase these bad boys, but catching one was always futile.
http://schools.bcsd.com/fremont/Graphics/Science/living%20things/desert/roadrunner.jpg

[TucsonMTB]

I think Road Runners are great! We have one who is confident our back yard belongs to him. And, when he comes around, that is correct. http://home.mindspring.com/%7Ejustsomeguy/icon_lol.gif

[Bawanna]

Beep, Beep my arse.............................................. ..................



Regards

Wiley

[jeepster09]

i grew up in the in the mojave desert, southern california.
As a kid we had this bird that ran on the ground and mocked us.
They could fly but rarely did.
You could chase these bad boys, but catching one was always futile.
http://schools.bcsd.com/fremont/graphics/science/living%20things/desert/roadrunner.jpg


beep beep.....

[gb6491]

Beep, Beep my arse.............................................. ..................



Regards

Wiley
http://i45.tinypic.com/18yjwk.jpg
http://i49.tinypic.com/ndvnr4.jpg:)

[Bawanna]

Looks like he's giving you the evil eye, do you tolerate that. Release them dogs!

[TheTman]

I have dove all over the place here at the farmhouse, UNTIL dove season opens, then I don't see a one. I could sit out in a lawn chair in my carport with a shotgun, and easily get a dozen or so daily UNTIL the season opens, then POOF! They're gone.

[TucsonMTB]

http://i45.tinypic.com/18yjwk.jpg

Great picture, sir! You really captured the imperious stare!

[Barth]

I keep looking at that roadrunner face and have to laughhttp://i45.tinypic.com/18yjwk.jpg