Quail hunting wasn't too good on the western edge this year. By the looks of things, it won't be getting better in the forseeable future. We have had deep snow on the ground continuously for 6 weeks now with no end in sight. The pheasants and quail are really getting hammered by the hawks, owls' coyotes & foxes. And road traffic--because they prowl the edges of the highways looking for food. The birds are incredibly easy to spot on the snow---but then so are the coyotes....(bang!)

The people I deer hunt with went out bird hunting a few times this winter and got skunked both times they went. These hawks are getting out of control and they need to open up a short hawk season.

I've noticed all those hawks also. Seems to be a hawk every time you blink

I've got nothing against raptors. There are few things I enjoy more than watching them--which I do nearly every day. It's always a thrill to watch them hunt. Having said that, it's just a bad time to be a gamebird. Mother nature has stacked the odds this year. The birds of prey are finding huge numbers of rabbits to eat out here out west--so pheasants and quail aren't their only mealticket. I actually think the owls are gathering more birds than the hawks. They nail them in their roosts at night ---which the hawks don't do.

This would have been a great season if you were a falconer.