Print PageAttempts to restore populations of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) using game-farm quail have been documented since the early 1900s. However, documented low success rates are likely due to low post-release survival rates of 8-15 Days (Buechner 1950, Roseberry et al. 1987), and long distance dispersal from release sites averaging 2331.72 meters (Baumgartner 1944). Claims have been made that the Surrogator® (hereafter, surrogator), a quail propagation tool, has increased success rates in both of these areas. Following steps outlined in the Wildlife Management Technologies 2009 Surrogator System Guide, we tested the effectiveness of the surrogator on quail survival and success by raising 250 bobwhite quail in 2 surrogators on a 989.5-ha ranch in Wilson County, TX. Twenty birds from each surrogator were fitted with a 3.5 g necklace transmitter 12 h before release. Standard radio telemetry equipment was used to locate each bird daily for 3 weeks, and then 3 times a week until 100% mortality was observed.
Results/Conclusions
Bart and Robson’s Maximum Likelihood Estimator of daily survival rates calculated for birds released from both surrogators A and B were low (0.873 and 0.962, respectively). The mean distances traveled by quail post-release were 401.3 m (Standard Deviation = 228.3 m) and 1416.5 m (Standard Deviation = 543.6 m) for Surrogators A and B, respectively. Our results do not support the use of surrogators as an effective means of restoring wild populations of northern bobwhite quail in southern Texas.
