Quail Recall

[bmumph]

I just starting training my GSP pup. I live in the city, so I don't have room to build a big pigeon coop to keep homing pigeons. I have been able to find people selling pigeons for me to get and use on a per training session basis. But this method is unreliable, because they don't always have birds when I need them. It is also expensive at $5-$6 per pigeon. So I have been thinking about building a small coop for my back yard that would hold 12 - 15 quail. Then build or buy a small recall pen like the one at the link below. The plan would be to keep the quail in the coop. then when I wanted to have a training session, I would bring the quail to my training area (Nowhere near my house). Work my dog with them. Then hopefully recall them with the recall pen to bring back home. My question is do you think this will work. Will the quail recall the pen if they really don't live in it? If you think it will work, will the birds automatically recall to the pen if I leave a few birds in the pen? How long does it take for them to recall back to the pen?

http://www.ruralking.com/quail-recovery ... ApcM8P8HAQ


Thanks for you input,

[Neil]

I once left home with a dozen quail in the LCS wire recall pen, returned 5 weeks later with 5 birds, so it will work. Usually takes to after dark and sometimes into the next morning.

I think you would do better with carded or tethered pigeons. I use a 30' pvc May Pole with a 60' kite string.

[ezzy333]

I would build your small coop and put 3 or 4 pair of pigeons I n it. They will raise all of the birds you will need and they will recall to the coop. They will be home and in the coop by the tome you get home.

[bmumph]

I once left home with a dozen quail in the LCS wire recall pen, returned 5 weeks later with 5 birds, so it will work. Usually takes to after dark and sometimes into the next morning.

I think you would do better with carded or tethered pigeons. I use a 30' pvc May Pole with a 60' kite string.

So are you saying you returned 5 weeks later with the 5 bird and recalled your dozen or you returned 5 weeks later and there were 5 in the recall pen?

I would build your small coop and put 3 or 4 pair of pigeons I n it. They will raise all of the birds you will need and they will recall to the coop. They will be home and in the coop by the tome you get home.

The problem is I don't live near where I will be training. So I need to care for the birds at my house, bring them to my hunting lease, use them in a training session and recall them to bring them back home. Do you think this is even possible?

[ezzy333]

My pigeons are homing from 400 miles so I doubt if you would have problems from a few miles.

[Neil]

I don't understand your question.

I had 12 quail, I was on the road hitting trials on the East Coast, between trials I would release birds to train on. At the end of the trip I lost 7 birds, 2 killed by pups and the rest failed to recall. I lost the first one in Upstate NY and the last one in VA.

Good luck,

Neil

[Sharon]

[quote="bmumph
The problem is I don't live near where I will be training. So I need to care for the birds at my house, bring them to my hunting lease, use them in a training session and recall them to bring them back home. Do you think this is even possible?[/quote]

.........................

You said you didn't have space for a pen. I live in the city and kept the pen in my garage - very understanding husband. You have to clean up every day. Only problem in the city is that they often sit on the neighbor's roofs for a while:) My neighbours weren't happy but I did it anyways.

They aren't going to recall that fast to your cage ? in the training field to bring home I wouldn't think, if that's what you meant.

[gonehuntin']

You have to leave one male in the recall pen. He calls the rest back. It doesn't happen in one day. You would have to put food and water in the pen and leave them a day or two then they'd be there when you return.

[bmumph]

I don't understand your question.

I had 12 quail, I was on the road hitting trials on the East Coast, between trials I would release birds to train on. At the end of the trip I lost 7 birds, 2 killed by pups and the rest failed to recall. I lost the first one in Upstate NY and the last one in VA.

Good luck,

Neil

Neil,
I understand what you are saying now. The same 12 birds lasted you 5 weeks and at the end you had 5 left. How long did it take the birds to recall?

[Neil]

Usually takes to after dark and sometimes into the next morning.

Here I think I am writing in English, I don't know how to be clearer.

I have had some return 3 - 4 days later, and no system is 100%. You are going to lose some.

[bmumph]

Sorry Neil I missed that. I've been reading so much on this I forget where I got each piece of information.

So do you think I would have more success building a larger Johnny House and leaving it on my hunting lease near my training field? I could keep more quail in it and use them for training whenever I needed. My only concern with this approach would be how much care/up keep (ie feeding, watering, etc) would this require. Would the quail be ok on their own for weeks at a time? Are there feeding and watering systems that work well enough that the birds would be alright for a week or two period of time if I could get out there to check on them?

[Neil]

Sorry Neil I missed that. I've been reading so much on this I forget where I got each piece of information.

So do you think I would have more success building a larger Johnny House and leaving it on my hunting lease near my training field? I could keep more quail in it and use them for training whenever I needed. My only concern with this approach would be how much care/up keep (ie feeding, watering, etc) would this require. Would the quail be ok on their own for weeks at a time? Are there feeding and watering systems that work well enough that the birds would be alright for a week or two period of time if I could get out there to check on them?

Still think you would do better with tethered pigeons.

But yes you can buy a "no mess feeder" and water system that will do 25 - 30 for a couple weeks, do a Google. They also sell an electronic caller that is vital with some pen birds. Some just do not call much.

[bmumph]

Wouldnt the dog catch a tethered pigeon and i thought tour not supposed to let them catch them.

[h&t]

You have to leave one male in the recall pen. He calls the rest back. It doesn't happen in one day. You would have to put food and water in the pen and leave them a day or two then they'd be there when you return.

What about predators? coons etc?

Any particular kind of quail is better for that?

[Mills51]

I was in a similar situation and I started looking for a cage to hold birds. I eventually bought an old rabbit hutch for $5.00 off craigslist and fixed it up a little to hold quail or pigeons. I then bought a remote bird launcher, costly but has been worth it. I tethered the birds to be used again. I used a very small pet carrier to transport the birds to my field. The more I trained I saw the need to upgrade, so I bought a waterer and feeder through gundogsupply.com and plastic crate from Lion Country Supply to transport the birds. I also bought a game stewards bag. The rabbit hutch has worked great for me and upgrading to better equipment has been well worth it.

[DonF]

If your out on the road following trials, I would think quail and a recall pen would be best. But if your going out only a day or two, it's not hard to take along enough pigeon's and then re-stock the third or even fourth day. you'll lose a few quail but then your gonna lose a few pigeons too, hawks is what I assume happens to them. Of course some homer's just don't home as well as other's and may fall in with another flock. I have one with race bands on it now that has been here over a year and free fly's a lot. I don't usually pick it to train with but have a couple time's and it come's back.

Being charged five or six buck's for a pigeon is certainly not out of line. People that trials here use chukar to train with. They pat nine dollars a bird and anything not shot is left in the field! For three or four buck's less per bird you can accomplish the same training and the bird's fly home to use again tomorrow. If someone come's asking me for bird's I sell them unless it's friends. Five buck's for a feral and ten for a homer. If these people were smart, they would buy several pair's and put them in a loft of their own and let them multiply. My homer loft has 30 birds in it right now. I've had some hawk loss and I've shot some and I've sold some. I started with three pair about three years ago. So had I not laid out $60 or even $120 three, I'd still find myself in a situation where I had to buy bird's. That assume's I didn't have the loft of ferals I also have. I have had a few ferals come back from around 100 mi but have had most everything come back form 50 miles. I haven't had to buy or catch a feral in about 30 yrs now, I raise my own!

I have at time's kept quail around and only quail. They do recall better and they are cheaper than chukar. All the quail I have had I bought as day old's. Fairly local guy raise's them and has sold me day old's for 69 cent's each. Doesn't take to much to raise them to flying stage. If you can put in bird pen's, do it. The cost of bird's suddenly goes way down and you don't hit time's when you can't beg a few training birds. Pigeons are the best IMO for training. At some point you need game birds and there I like quail, much cheaper than chular of pheasant and accomplish the same end. If you happen to live where you can get into wild birds reliably, skip the pen raised bird's. Very few people with dog's have any reason at all for having to scrounge around to get training birds. Those people would live where there is an ordinance against raising birds.

[DonF]

I was in a similar situation and I started looking for a cage to hold birds. I eventually bought an old rabbit hutch for $5.00 off craigslist and fixed it up a little to hold quail or pigeons. I then bought a remote bird launcher, costly but has been worth it. I tethered the birds to be used again. I used a very small pet carrier to transport the birds to my field. The more I trained I saw the need to upgrade, so I bought a waterer and feeder through gundogsupply.com and plastic crate from Lion Country Supply to transport the birds. I also bought a game stewards bag. The rabbit hutch has worked great for me and upgrading to better equipment has been well worth it.

You have certainly gone the right way. One thing about rabbit cages is they don't have room for birds to fly enough to condition them selves. A friend in Alaska years ago built a setup to raise quail for his dogs, no flying room though. It worked but his birds did not fly well. My own thought on that is if you have the room, raise them in a johnny house. They condition themselves going up and down for food and to see out. And then even if you don't use them, turn them loose anyway, they learn to recall pretty good.

[Sharon]

Good point.
I've found after less that a week in a no fly crate , they will walk around in the field more than fly. Pathetic. With a launcher they go upppp and dowwwww. :roll:

I buy 4+ birds on Sat. for $2.00 a pigeon , use them for training early in the week and go back next Sat. to buy more. It is not as if I have to do this for years - hopefully. Not that inconvenient, and works fine, bmumph.

[bmumph]

If I could reliably get pigeons every weekend I wouldn't mind paying 5 or 6 a piece each weekend. The problem is I've only found one person in my area selling them and she doesn't always have them. I'm just trying to figure out my options. Thanks for all the suggestions. I have lots to think about.

[Neil]

Wouldnt the dog catch a tethered pigeon and i thought tour not supposed to let them catch them.

I let them catch a few a pups, as I steady them I use the Buddy Stick to staunch them. Pigeons are very tough, they can handle being mouthed.