12/21 Di Lane Quail Quota

JPro148

New Member
Anyone else hunt Di Lane 12/21? Results?
6 hours, no coveys for us. Covered a lot of ground, many different covers.
 

coachdoug87

Senior Member
Was there 12/7. Found several Woodstock all in one little area. No quail. At least one group found a few. Based on everything I've heard, it is not a good year at Dilane.
 

GLS

Classic Southern Gentleman
9 hunts, 8 groups of 3 on 8100 acres per season. That's 216 hunters a season. No successful private wild bird plantation in the Red Hills would allow this unsustainable pressure on its courses. It is no wonder hearing of diminishing returns at DiLane. Gil
 
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coachdoug87

Senior Member
Not to mention one person can take as many as 6 of those birds. I can only speak for myself, but I would be more than willing to have a low limit just to be able to get the dogs in wild birds. I can kill released birds to eat. Shooting is fun, but is a small part of what makes the sport. Just my opinion
 

across the river

Senior Member
9 hunts, 8 groups of 3 on 8100 acres per season. That's 216 hunters a season. No successful private wild bird plantation in the Red Hills would allow this unsustainable pressure on its courses. It is no wonder hearing of diminishing returns at DiLane. Gil

It makes no sense for the state DNR to be in the business of trying to manage any kind of public small game bird hunting. Doves, ducks, quail, it doesn’t matter. There is too much demand for something that they do not have the resources to properly manage to a point that even a small percentage of the people who want to would be able to participate in the hunt. Even with quotas there are way too many people hunting di-lane, butler island, etc..... and people are waiting years in many cases to even have the opportunity to go to hunts that aren’t even remotely good for most that get drawn. I understand and appreciate the effort the state makes to provide some opportunity for these hunts but at some point the return isn’t worth the effort and money.
 

maker4life

Senior Member
9 hunts, 8 groups of 3 on 8100 acres per season. That's 216 hunters a season. No successful private wild bird plantation in the Red Hills would allow this unsustainable pressure on its courses. It is no wonder hearing of diminishing returns at DiLane. Gil
That's 1000 acres per group nine times during the season. Not much pressure at all.
 

GLS

Classic Southern Gentleman
Not all of DiLane is quail habitat. Not to split hairs, but close to 2000 acres is wet swamp which of course can offer refuge but birds have to come out to feed sometime. " If I don't shoot these singles someone else will" attitudes results in coveys being shot down to a size that can't survive. While anecdotal, last year three experienced friends took big running pointers and hunted hard on the first hunt and found a part of one covey and a single. One of these men has over 5,000 acres of managed wild quail property and shook his head at the group limit, the numbers of hunts and hunters allowed each year. Gil
 

trad bow

wooden stick slinging driveler
Some people are going to kill every bird in a covey if they can. They care less about respecting anything. If the DNR is going to manage it for quail then things cannot be done like it’s being done as far as hunting pressure goes.
There are too many people nowadays compared to fifty years ago. The resource cannot handle the pressures of today’s population. If the quail survive it will most likely be on private ground
 
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tucker80

Senior Member
Was there on 12/11. Had 2 coveys for about 25 birds combined, 3 singles and 2 woodcock within the first hour. Scent conditions were horrible and they were all wild flushes. After that, we had 3 more woodcock and nothing more. Again, it was hot and bad scent conditions. All of this was in one area.
 

Jerry Phillips

New Member
I quit applying for the quota hunts for several reasons! Back in the mid 90's when Di-lane started with the quota hunts, you would be assigned a compartment, and you could only hunt that compartment. Each compartment was roughly 1200-1500 acres per and you had it to yourself! We found more birds and there was less pressure on them doing the hunts this way! Ever since they did away with compartment hunts the #'s have dropped because of hunter pressure! The last several times I hunted there, I was either hunting behind somebody or somebody was hunting behind me & sometimes both at the same time! Also, to apply, you used to have to write a letter of application to get drawn, now people can just go on website and apply! So now you have people being drawn who aren't even bird hunters but are just looking for something to do! I could say a few more things but the reasons I have mentioned above are enough to keep me from having a desire to hunt there! It is very sad because it is truly a beautiful place, but poorly managed!
 

GLS

Classic Southern Gentleman
I can understand some of the problems may result from actual or anticipated political pressures from sources outside the DNR, but this is only conjecture on my part. I can see how it would be hard to justify the budget for it if public access was significantly reduced. Except for the numbers of hunts and hunters, the property is well managed and personnel are serious about maintaining it. Not much more can be done for the birds' benefit than is already being done. It adheres to a strict program of burning the woods off season. Not only are food plots planted, but sterile milo is food trailed throughout the property off season. It is an island of well managed quail property without the benefit of like minded owners surrounding it as would be in SW Georgia. However it is a Mecca for field trials the month of January. Half of the property is closed (north of Rocky Creek and Steiner Branch) for field trials and it is amazing to see the number of participants that show up from all over the SE with horsetrailers and large RV's. Gil
 
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across the river

Senior Member
That's 1000 acres per group nine times during the season. Not much pressure at all.
In great habitat in Texas you only have a bird every 2–3 acres. Di Lane would do good to have a bird every 8 or 10 acres, which means you have 800 to a 1000 birds tops on the whole place in a good year. By your math that is 80 to 100 birds being hunted by 9 groups every year. In realty there is less than 8000 acres of good habitat, so that is a lot of pressure when you break it down.
 

Beagle Stace

Senior Member
It has been interesting to see comments and opinions expressed here. But just to be clear I often notice when I have been drawn very seldom does all 8 parties actually show up to hunt. Only 5 groups the day I hunted this year . Some hunts only half show up and some parties never hunt a full day so pressure is not as intense as some believe.

Also I agree that DNR could never effectively manage on a large scale many WMA properties in state that could sustain public wild bird hunting like hunters would like. GA. is not Ks, Ok, Ne or Az. Dont have the resources or vast acreage. But I dont think we as bird hunters should discourage the efforts and progress that the DNR is making. And we def. Should not just throw in the towel so to speak. I am sure the deer hunting crowd would be glad to use this funding and resources dedicated to bird and small game projects to further their deer management. Be careful what gets complained about. Us as small game hunters need all the support that the DNR provides and should fully back.
 

maker4life

Senior Member
In great habitat in Texas you only have a bird every 2–3 acres. Di Lane would do good to have a bird every 8 or 10 acres, which means you have 800 to a 1000 birds tops on the whole place in a good year. By your math that is 80 to 100 birds being hunted by 9 groups every year. In realty there is less than 8000 acres of good habitat, so that is a lot of pressure when you break it down.
How many people are drawn and dont show up? How many show up but dont know what they're doing? I've never been on DiLane so I honestly cant speak about it with any knowledge. I have however been on most of the private places in South Ga and North Fl and those places are hunted harder than what Dilane is. Granted the bird numbers are apparently greater the pressure is also.
 

across the river

Senior Member
How many people are drawn and dont show up? How many show up but dont know what they're doing? I've never been on DiLane so I honestly cant speak about it with any knowledge. I have however been on most of the private places in South Ga and North Fl and those places are hunted harder than what Dilane is. Granted the bird numbers are apparently greater the pressure is also.

It is comparing apples and oranges. The few all wild bird plantations that I know of are all extremely high dollar, because they don't hunt all the time. Most that have wild birds, still supplement with raised birds. Regardless, there is a resource difference. They do try on Di-Lane, but there is only so much "quail habitat" on the place, and it gets pounded pretty good. Public anything will typically never be as good as private of the same for a variety of reasons, but this is especially true of private hunting very public hunting, especially when the private tract has plenty of money to put into it.
 

GLS

Classic Southern Gentleman
Real time telemetry study research with radio collared birds has shown that about half (if memory serves...) of wild coveys pursued aren't found by experienced dogs and will either fly off or run away from the first sign of approaching hunters or dogs without a hint left of being around. Sprinkle in pressure and I can't help but think it makes things worse. Not all pressure results in dead birds reducing availability. Gil
 

TurkeyH90

Senior Member
It has been interesting to see comments and opinions expressed here. But just to be clear I often notice when I have been drawn very seldom does all 8 parties actually show up to hunt. Only 5 groups the day I hunted this year . Some hunts only half show up and some parties never hunt a full day so pressure is not as intense as some believe.

Also I agree that DNR could never effectively manage on a large scale many WMA properties in state that could sustain public wild bird hunting like hunters would like. GA. is not Ks, Ok, Ne or Az. Dont have the resources or vast acreage. But I dont think we as bird hunters should discourage the efforts and progress that the DNR is making. And we def. Should not just throw in the towel so to speak. I am sure the deer hunting crowd would be glad to use this funding and resources dedicated to bird and small game projects to further their deer management. Be careful what gets complained about. Us as small game hunters need all the support that the DNR provides and should fully back.
Well spoken. I met you on the second hunt. We did not find a bird all day but I cant wait till next year.
 

across the river

Senior Member
Well spoken. I met you on the second hunt. We did not find a bird all day but I cant wait till next year.

And unfortunately that is the issue. There are plenty of people waiting years to accumulate enough quota points to get drawn for duck and quail hunts hunts where there is a greater chance they won't kill anything than there is that they do. it is supply and demand. There is way more demand for small game opportunities than there is supply. As someone else mentioned, this isn't Kansas or Nebraska in terms of land and opportunity, and there are more than twice as many people in the state as there are in those two states combined.
 

bigsweets008

Senior Member
I was on the dec 18 5th hunt at dilane, and yes it was a slow day, found 1 covey the first 45 min with about 20 birds, they wild flushed on us, we found two singles, killed one with radio collar. The rest of the day we found 1 wood cock, was i disappointed yes, but I will be applying again next year. This was my 3rd hunt there, 1st year found 3 coveys, 2nd year found 4 coveys and then this year only 1. Like one of the previous posters said, i've never gone when all 8 groups show up, last years hunt was only 1 other group besides us. I'm not much a believer in the birds are pressured, 8/9 hunts on that much land, and you have to walk it all, good luck trying to hunt 1/3 of the acreage of dilane. I think the DNR does a pretty good job out there, don't know much else they could do. It's a fun time, and a great place to just come and see some great looking quail habitat, are you gonna kill the limit (i never have) probably not, but just enjoy the time and the long long walks, and hope you run into a covey or two.
 
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