I would agree with your thoughts, Frank, on the number of released birds in Georgia and respectfully acknowledge that this might be one thing that you do know. The commercial quail hunting biz is big here, and for most people is their only avenue to continue to hunt these special birds while enjoying the traditions that go with it. Wild birds simply can't handle a steady diet of hunting pressure, which is one of the many reasons that you noticed me mostly just shooting in the air in the training videos I posted earlier.
The year-round cost to manage a property for quail to anywhere near its peak, while substantially forgoing the economic returns that most landowners require, all but forces them to carefully limit hunting pressure to family and friends, which no doubt prevents so many of our fellow hunters from enjoying the same opportunity.
There are some well-managed wild bird public opportunities in Georgia but they, too, hold a very limited resource in their piney woods.
I'm pretty passionate about all this as the thrill of a covey rise is simply one of the greatest things an upland hunter can experience. I'm looking forward to helping other land owners improve their management techniques at a Field Day in few weeks before hosting a Southern Regional Wild Bird Field Trial in January. Not every landowner can copy the game plan of the many great plantations around me that are able to dismiss all economic aspirations and focus purely on maximizing Gentleman Bob, but the rest of us that have similar goals can find a balance, and by doing so, it's a thrill to enjoy the many victories you feel when your dogs lock up on a covey and you realize that it's not only your pups that tremble in excitement.