Whether there’s a direct relationship or not, the spread of fire ants into Texas in the 1980s coincided with the decline of quail in the state.

Thirty years ago, Central Texas was teeming with the tasty birds, but thanks to habitat destruction, parasites and other factors, the wild quail population has plummeted.

Not surprisingly, so has the number of people hunting them.

Dr. Dale Rollins, a Texas AgriLife Extension Service wildlife specialist in San Angelo, recently headed a survey of Texas quail hunters that found the number of resident quail hunters in our state has decreased by roughly 80 percent over the past 30 years.

Rollins says the drop in hunting parallels the quail’s decline.

“Today, bobwhite abundance is only a remnant of what it was just 30 years ago for most of the southeastern U.S.,” he said, adding that bobwhite and scaled quail, the two most popular of Texas’ four species of quails, fell to record lows in 2011.

But the thrill of flushing up a covey of quail is too much for some people to do without, and they’ll pay just about anything for the adrenaline-laced rush that follows the burst of quail wings propelling the birds into the air.

And according to Rollins, quail hunters pay, on average, $253 per bird. Hunting isn’t cheap, and when you factor in transportation, lodging, meals, licensing, ammunition, clothing, gear and other hunting-related costs on top of paying the outfitter or guide, it is downright expensive.

The survey showed that 97 percent of Texas quail hunters are white males with annual household incomes of over $100,000, and respondents said they quail-hunted an average of nearly nine days a year, spending roughly $1,000 per day.

This is just the latest example of a larger and growing trend in hunting — higher costs and fewer people getting opportunities to hunt. The hunting industry has turned an American tradition into a big business, and everyday people who are unable or unwilling to spend thousands of dollars on a hunting trip are finding other pastimes.

It’s ironic that the hunting industry is doing to itself what anti-hunting organizations like PETA have been trying to do for years.

Really Special event

The 25th annual Fishing Event for Really Special People was another rousing success Saturday at the Extraco Events Center.

Way more than just a fishing party, the event gives physically and mentally disabled people the chance to enjoy a day of music, food, drinks, dancing, carnival-style games, karaoke, trout fishing and more in a supportive and fun environment.

The annual party, organized by McLennan County Constable Travis Bailey, is inspirational in that it blurs, and often erases the differences between people, focusing instead on what they have in common. Thousands of volunteers make the whole thing go off smoothly.

This year, a new group of volunteers from literally just around the corner stepped up to join the cause. The Waco High School boys’ soccer team not only came out to assist participants in the fishing and carnival-style games, but also set up a soccer booth of their own.

Their coach, Kris Kahler, couldn’t be more proud, saying that his team has been involved with the school’s life skills program since it began this year.

“They’re doing a lot to make Waco High a better place,” he said.

Fishing nominations

Thanks to this being leap year, you’ve got an extra day to nominate a person or organization that has made a lasting contribution to freshwater fishing in Texas to the Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. Deadline for nominations is Feb. 29.

Brief biographies and videos of previous inductees along with nomination forms and instructions can be found on the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center website.

Central Texans in the Hall of Fame include former Tribune-Herald outdoor writer Earl Golding, fishing legend Floyd Mabry of Temple, and Waco’s own television personality and crappie-fishing guru, Charlie Pack.

 www.centexoutdoors.com

717-8907

Twitter            Facebook