Quail on the Westside

[Mulie87]

My buddy lives in Graham (Pierce county) and sent me this photo he took today on his one acre lot. Quail! I have never seen quail in this side of the state. Thinking someone raised them and they escaped or were set free. Do we have them on this side naturally ?

[bornhunter]

Lots of them in Thurston County years ago. Shot them in the Lacey area in the 60's.

[PolarBear]

We’ve had them for the 28 years that I’ve been in Thurston County. Even Bob White quail. I leave a few brush piles around my farm for them to nest in. Currently we have close to 60 California quail on our place.

[Mudman]

Yuppers.  We have many around.  Animals kill em including my cats but they always bounce back.  Some years I see 50-100 and others maybe 20.  Thurston.  Not sure species, on the smaller side.

[Mfowl]

I have seen them in King county quite a few times over the years and my sister used to have some around her place in Sequin. I have not seen any for quite some time though.

[Mulie87]

Wow, well I’ll be damned. Hmmm! I guess I’m so used to seeing them on the East side that I’ve either not paid attention, or I’m not in the woods on this side enough. Good to know.

[Dan-o]

I live in Auburn near the Federal Way border.

We get them periodically.

[Parasite]

I've seen them on JBLM recently.

[Mulie87]

I live in Auburn near the Federal Way border.

We get them periodically.

I definitely wouldn’t expect quail in your area. Very interesting and cool.

[RobinHoodlum]

Fidalgo Island and even Anacortes city limits has a small dispersed population

[Cylvertip]

Have them in Snohomish County too.

[Bullkllr]

Valley or California quail have always been around. More in farming, suburban, industrial or other areas with openings than timberland.

[metlhead]

South Thurston county has it all! Plenty of quail
 Pheasant have been long established as a wild population.  The occasional released chukar that survives a week. Turkeys and even  a few small coveys of huns near Tenino!

[NW SURVEYOR]

I've seen Quail in Ravensdale.
Not a lot of them, but they are indeed established.

[Widgeondeke]

I've heard them several times and seen them once around Lake Stevens 
not a ton, but a small covey of 6-8. i was pleasantly surprised to see them

[HikerHunter]

I live in Auburn near the Federal Way border.

We get them periodically.

Interesting, I live in Federal Way near the Auburn border and we see them periodically. 

[Wanttohuntmore]

I've seen them in Pierce county,  not much though.   Do we have woodcock in western wa?  I swear I've seen them in Lewis County.

[PolarBear]

South Thurston county has it all! Plenty of quail
 Pheasant have been long established as a wild population.  The occasional released chukar that survives a week. Turkeys and even  a few small coveys of huns near Tenino!

When I use to haul hay off South Bank Rd. near Oakville there were about a dozen chuckars that hung around for about 2 years. I’m surprised they lasted that long.

[Mfowl]

I've seen them in Pierce county,  not much though.   Do we have woodcock in western wa?  I swear I've seen them in Lewis County.

We have snipe but no woodcock. They look very similar.

[PatoLoco]

I often wonder what the west side quail population would be if DFW raised/released them instead of pheasants. Granted pen raised birds are dumb as a rock, and DFW is releasing pheasants for the hunting opportunity and not to establish populations, but it seems quail are more likely to reproduce in western WA than pheasants.

[CSherwood]

I saw quail in my Renton area neighborhood last summer for the first time.  I was walking the springer spaniels and the pup started going nuts.  I thought I was seeing things for a minute, but the wife said she saw the same. 

[Boss .300 winmag]

I wonder how bobwhites would do on the wetside?🤔

[JimmyHoffa]

I still see lots of them in the rainshadow on the peninsula.  Not quite as many with all the development, but in summer can see three or four dozen almost daily.

[PolarBear]

I wonder how bobwhites would do on the wetside?🤔

We have a few around here that are holdovers from dog training on JBLM land. Every spring I whistle up a couple.

[Remnar]

I wonder how bobwhites would do on the wetside?🤔

Not well, or they would be here and established . Same with pheasants . 

[Bullkllr]

I wonder how bobwhites would do on the wetside?🤔

We have a few around here that are holdovers from dog training on JBLM land. Every spring I whistle up a couple.

I saw a big flock of bobwhites -20 years+ ago- off 702 when the timber south of the hwy was still owned by Weyerhaueser. I was elk hunting during muzz season. Couldn't believe my eyes.

[Remnar]

  Exactly.

[Pete112288]

In the late 90s early 2000s we had a couple california quail show up on our 5 acres outside of La Center down here in SW WA. I always assumed they were random escapees. Within a couple miles of us I knew of 2 or 3 people that raised them. However what really surprised me one year while early muzzy elk hunting I saw a covey of 20+ bobwhites in a clearcut near the SW side of Yale lake. Never have seen them before or since. That day 8 of them ran across the logging road in front of me. 6 or so more took off flying from the spot those had come running from. Then 5 more as I came up closer to that spot. The first 8 took off and for the next 20 feet after that, each step I took, 2 or 3 or 4 more would bust out and take off from the edge of the road.

[Sundance]

Before the Amazon warehouse was build by the Bremerton airport I’d see mountain quail on that hillside. They’d run around the parking lot of the Defiance/Arima production facility. I’ve seen them in the hills above the watershed, but never more then a handful at a time. Cool looking critters.

[hunter_sean08]

Fair amount of California Quail in Port Angeles. Don’t always see them with all the vegetation but you can’t miss their calls. If you’re good at whistling it can be fun trying to call them in.


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[SeaRun1]

I see Mountain Quail frequently in Mason County.  They never seem to be in coveys of much size though. No more than 10.

SR1

[boneaddict]

Mountain Quail are your mainstay westside birds.   Only Bobwhite breeding population that I know of is on the Firing Center here in Yakima.

[Boss .300 winmag]

Mountain Quail are your mainstay westside birds.   Only Bobwhite breeding population that I know of is on the Firing Center here in Yakima.

I have never seen any in Washington, one time in Or.

I’ve been throwing around the idea of turning some type of quail loose on our property to see if they would get a foot hood and reproduce.

[85yota]

Early to mid 2000s would see them all the time between woodinville maltby area. Just rural suburban area that hasn't changed much since. Not sure what happened but they clearly died off and we havnt seen them in years

[Birdguy]

I see Mountain Quail frequently in Mason County.  They never seem to be in coveys of much size though. No more than 10.

SR1

Most of what you would see in Mason county are mountain quail. They are in smaller family groups so it would make a lot of sense to see them of groups smaller than10. Those groups of 10 would likely be in the late summer/fall and are likely that years hatch. Awesome birds!

[CasterlyRock]

My farm raised bobwhites and California quail have done really well on the West side. I know it's not the same as wild populations, but they do live outside all year in fairly sparse protection. The California quail were free range through the whole Winter before the fledgling hawks got to them. They're able to tolerate cold really well they just huddle together, as long as they have somewhere to stay dry they're fine. They are almost doing better than when I raised them in more temperate climates down south because the big heat waves really knocked them out.

Also I'm highly interested in partnering with someone to try and build some wild populations this year. I've contacted a lot of agencies and gotten a lot of shrugs.

[dub870]

We have a small covey here in Lake Stevens that is wild. Lives in the power line right of way by my house. awesome seeing them when the chicks are out.

[DIron]

My farm raised bobwhites and California quail have done really well on the West side. I know it's not the same as wild populations, but they do live outside all year in fairly sparse protection. The California quail were free range through the whole Winter before the fledgling hawks got to them. They're able to tolerate cold really well they just huddle together, as long as they have somewhere to stay dry they're fine. They are almost doing better than when I raised them in more temperate climates down south because the big heat waves really knocked them out.

Also I'm highly interested in partnering with someone to try and build some wild populations this year. I've contacted a lot of agencies and gotten a lot of shrugs.

I'd love to help. I've only been in Western Wash for 5 years and really wonder why there isn't more quail here.

[kball4]

I have seen a few at a time on the Kitsap Peninsula, but this year I jumped about 20 in a clear cut by Seabeck/Holly.

[acrocker]

We're out by Lake Roesiger (East of Lake Stevens) and I'll get California quail coming through the yard every so often - maybe see them once a year, if that. I'll hear them calling occasionally so I know they're around, but not in any big numbers...

[Birdguy]

I have a bit of experience raising quail and for the last 20 or so years been a licensed gamefarmer in Washington. If there are folks wanting info about what can be done I am glad to lend my knowledge and experience. I might be able to help with sourcing eggs or ?? WDFW is not pro-release of anything by private people. That said, I can offer information to meet minimum requirements for release of birds. Bobs and valley quail are the cheapest ranging from $1 to $4 an egg, sometimes cheaper in large quantities. Mountains will be $10 to $15 an egg if you can find them and in my experience the mountains do not ship as well.

[jagermiester]

My great grandfather farmed in Burien... yes I said Burien starting in the 1920's all the way until the late 80's. My grandfather told me that there used to be tons of quail in the salmon creek drainage going down to the sound. My mom is 73 and she remembers them as well.