Relationships of Fur Market Conditions to Texas Quail Populations
Quail are declining throughout much of their range in the southeastern United States. The reason for this decline is unknown. However, the decline of fur prices during the late 1980s fueled a hypothesis that furbearer harvest has decreased, which in turn led to an increase in furbearer abundance, and a subsequent decrease in quail numbers. To evaluate this hypothesis, we attempted to correlate raccoon (Procycon lotor) fur prices, furbearer and raccoon harvest, and furbearer and raccoon abundance with abundance of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and scaled quail (Callipepla squamata...
