Tom Puchlerz

It’s not just people from California who are setting up shop in Montana. Non-native California quail are here now too.

After being illegally introduced, these birds are establishing themselves in small pockets of western Montana, frequenting backyard bird feeders and scurrying across roads. Montana’s Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks isn’t exactly sure when or how these birds were released in the area, or if that was done nefariously or even intentionally, but they’re here, and they’re not supposed to be.

This has led the Fish and Wildlife Commission to designate these non-native birds as prohibited species, meaning they are unprotected and can be hunted any time of the year, with no bag limits or method-of-take restrictions. Hunters don’t even need a license to chase them. It also means that the live birds are prohibited from possession, sale, purchase, exchange or transport. In other words, Fish, Wildlife and Parks doesn’t want them spreading into other parts of Montana, for good reason.

However, there’s apparently a few Montanans who want to change that so they can release quail, train their dogs with them, and hunt them more widely, wherever it’s convenient for them. Rep. Paul Fielder’s House Bill 57 would usurp the authority of the Commission and the biologists at FWP and take these birds from a prohibited status to a bona fide upland game bird, opening the door for them to be released all over the state.

The problem is, we don’t know what the impacts of establishing this bird would be on existing upland bird populations or native habitats. Quail are prone to carrying eyeworm, and avian flu is of growing concern for all birds. When pressed, FWP admitted they know nothing about the potential risks, or benefits, of releasing non-native quail on the landscape. They haven’t looked into it, and this bill hasn’t been supported or even vetted by FWP. That alone should be reason to pump the brakes.

We also need to acknowledge that FWP is understaffed and stretched thin already. Of the seven wildlife regions in Montana, only two—regions 6 and 7—have dedicated upland game bird biologists. Does FWP really need another game bird for them to manage, especially one that doesn’t even belong here, that they know little about?

For those who want to hunt quail in Montana, good news! You already can. But jeopardizing Montana’s native birds and habitats by enabling, and in some ways rewarding, what amounts to bucket biology, that sounds to us like a pretty birdbrained idea.

Please contact your Montana State Senator and ask them to vote NO on HB 57.