Hobbies And Interests
Carnivorous Mammals
Mammals account for the largest share of bobwhite deaths during summer, the season when the population is at its lowest. As well as wild predators such as coyotes, foxes and bobcats, domestic cats and dogs are also likely to affect bobwhite numbers. Medium-sized wild mammals such as those mentioned, as well as skunks, badgers and raccoons that prey on quail eggs in the nest, can be legally controlled or managed should authorities need to take serious action to increase the bobwhite population.
Birds of Prey
Hawks and owls are the main bird species that will attack and consume bobwhite adults. Occasionally other raptors, such as the larger falcon species, are also a threat, while turkey vultures are known to prey on quail eggs. Aside from birds of prey, which are federally protected from harm and harassment, crows, ravens, roadrunners and even some woodpeckers have all been found to take eggs should they happen upon a nest.
Snakes
Large snakes, such as rat snakes and diamondback rattlesnakes, will target juvenile bobwhites and incubating adults as well as the contents of their nests. In fact the ground-dwelling quail are so easily ambushed that snakes may be responsible for up to 30 percent of all bobwhite nest predation. Snakes are also protected through state non-game laws.
Humans
Man has been an aggressive hunter of bobwhite for centuries. They were a staple food source for Native Americans before European colonization and then became a subsistence food for settlers. A quail market grew from the 1800s to early 1900s that brought about the hunting and trapping of bobwhites and a consequent decrease in population numbers. Quail hunting eventually became considered a gentleman's pursuit, with the fast, unpredictable flight of the bobwhite providing a shooting challenge.