Quail have always been a favorite of mine to hunt. When I was a kid, they were found everywhere. I found it rewarding to get involved in a group that prompted Quail Hunting as a sport an also ensured the proper management of Quail habitat. In fact, I am a Charter Member of Quail Unlimited. Back in Oklahoma the quail was always a favorite of landowners and hunters. Not only are Quail a desirable prey, they also play a big role in the ecosystem. A Quail's main diet are plant, crop and weed seeds. They will also consume their fair share of insects. Working up the food chain, they will serve as a tasty meal for larger predators. Some say the common house cat is the worst enemy the quail have. You can usually tell how bountiful or stressful the ecosystem is, based on the health and numbers of the quail populations. The quail are such an important indicator of the health of the overall ecosystem.
Quail are found throughout the South. I have hunted them in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana. You can also find them throughout the Midwest states from Colorado to Indiana. Man pretty well controls the population levels of the quail at any given time. This is due to the way the land is used. Whether South. Modern farming is more intensive. The current cultivation practices are not good for quail habitats. Currently modern farmers make use of herbicides and insecticides, much more than 30 years ago. These farming methods encourage the removal of all of the edges and field borders, of course resulting in larger field sizes, but eliminating the much needed wildlife habitats.
On many farms, weedy and brushy fence lines simply don't exist. They have been replaced with smooth ground that will yield crops for the market. Farmers must remember that every action creates an equal reaction. Plating fence row to fence row will run off the wildlife. Every farmer needs the tree rows, grassy water ways, untouched creek beds and so on to maintain wildlife populations. Farming is our way of life, but if every farmer dedicated 20 acres to be untouched, the results would simply surprise you. if you have large expanses of dense woodlands on your property, you need to do some clearing of spots in those woods. Clearing of trees and letting some sunshine into that forest bed will do wonders for the wildlife.
As a landowner, you have the ability and resources to improve the bobwhite quail habitat on your property. You must understand the habitat needs for bobwhites, your local extension agent is probably the first place to start to get advice on the subject. This isn't going to work unless you commit to apply the appropriate management practices that will improve the habitat for bobwhite quail on your property.
Habitats will only be useful and rewarding to you if it fits the long term physical and protective needs of the quail. Providing habitats that are usable simply means creating and managing cover to which bobwhites can adapt to.
Food, water and cover need to be available throughout the cover area for this to work. Remember, quail rise in the morning, go to water and drink, then feed for about the next 2 hours. During mid-day to early evening they will rest, until watering again before heading to the roost to bed down. The proper arrangement of these habitat patches are important to meet the needs of the quail, or they will simply move on. I have read research that indicates a covey of quail uses an area no larger than 100 acres.
The quality and Quantity of habitat that you are able to maintain will directly affect your success at maintaining quail on your land. During winter and drought conditions, bobwhites will concentrate and stay closer to food and cover patches that are in close together. During the spring mating season and into the summer months, the quail will pair up to raise their young. Quail can have more than one hatch a year. Back home in western Oklahoma we were having a mild summer, and had plenty of water. Our home covey of quail had three hatches that year, conditions were right for multiple reproduction. On average, the quail covey population will run one covey for every 15 to 25 acres of good managed quail land. I have seen as many as 75 birds in a covey, but this is unusual. During a covey rise, the sky seems to turn black because of all the birds. Not all coveys are that big. Most will average 12 to 15 birds.
Open pastures and hayfields provide valuable nesting areas for quail. If you have mostly timber on your land, then you can still create stands of areas quail will stick to. Keep the underbrush cleaned out around the trees the best you can, Leave grasses that are in clumps. Quail are mostly ground animals that seldom fly. Quail like land, even in timber areas, where they can run around and play or flee danger in an instant. Clear several openings, one to two acres in size, that will allow sunlight into the forest floor. Quail are attracted to these types of areas. Pile the cleared wood in an out of the way place and leave it. This creates a natural area for the quail to get out of the elements and also escape danger, remember to make these clearing close to those water sources. Quail are pretty darn tough. With a little help from the landowner, areas can be made that will provide food, water, and shelter that will hold quail on the property.
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