The TeamQuail E-covey Newsletter is an ever so often update of quail happenings in west Texas. Feel free to forward to your quail-addict friends, or reply with their e-mail address and I'll add them to the e-covey. Comments, questions, or ideas for future topics? Please e-mail me at d-rollins@tamu.edu. See the TeamQuail website (http://teamquail.tamu.edu) for past issues of the E-covey and additional information about quail management.
1. Will 2004 be a benchmark for quail hunting in Texas?
I'm hearing lots of glowing reports of broods, pert near fully grown birds, and still abundant pairs from across most of the Rolling Plains and South Texas. Early rains, seasonal temperatures, opportune thunderstorms, and especially timely respites from July heat (as we've experienced over the past 3 days here in San Angelo) are causing an alignment in the quail moons. Dummy nest data being reported from Texas Quail Index cooperators has ranged from about average (30% success) to incredible (> 70% success). Most sites indicated a slight to moderate increase in the number of calling roosters (i.e., an index to breeding capital), and timely rains last year have the number of potential nest sites at a 3-year high. Cooperators will be conducting roadside counts in September, and then early morning covey call counts in October. TPWD will be conducting its roadside counts in August. I hope the roadside count and covey call count numbers, and trips afield in December, corroborate the chamber of commerce verbiage I'm hearing now. But I'm not convinced they will; maybe I'm just a pessimist. My prediction is that it will be comparable, but not better than last year, at least in the Rolling Plains. But hey, I'll take last year's effort any year, agreed? Please reply with quail happenings in your area. As the quail huntin' golfer Chuck Ribelin says "hope you have a 3-brood summer."
2. Quail Shooting Finest Sport in San Angelo (at least a hundred years ago). I saw this note in the San Angelo Standard-Times a while back in one of those "yesteryear" type columns.
"To the average man in the East, West Texas does not suggest anything in the way of sport except antelope, wolf, wild cat an deer. The truth of the matter is that the finest sport afforded in West Texas is quail shooting, and not the blue quail, but the true "Bob White" of the older states. I think the best country and cover is found in Tom Green, Concho, Menard, Schleicher, Sutton, and Kimble counties. Rolling country with short sage and gramma grass on the hills and curly mesquite in the draws, live oak thickets with now and then patches of sumac, all combine to make feed and cover for the birds. When undisturbed, the coveys average perhaps 15 birdsand with good dogs there is no difficulty in finding from 12 to 15 coveys in a day."
One surely doesn't think of Kimble, Menard, Schleicher, and Sutton counties as prime quail country anymore. I wonder if the writer above has photographs from his hunts that we might note vegetation changes in these areas. Some of you have hunting journals or other records that denote harvest figures and other quail-notes for 50 years or more. If you would consider sharing them, please send a photocopy of same to me. In return, I'll have one of my students type them up or put them in a spreadsheet for a permanent digital copy of the data.
3. Serpents and quail.
TAMU graduate student Jason Brooks is completing a 2-year telemetry study at the Aiken Ranch northwest of Sweetwater. One of the neat things about a telemetry study is seeing just what maladies befall quail. Over 2 years, and about 200 birds with radio transmitters, Brooks has recorded 3 mortalities by rattlesnakes. In the big picture this doesn't amount to much of a threat (less than 5% of the mortalities), but it sure puts the spring in the step of a graduate student to hear a "buzz" rather than a "beep" while homing in on one's bird. This makes a total of 9 quail of our radio-tagged quail (including 3 blue quail) recorded during studies over the past decade in west Texas. Reckon there would be any way to "snake-proof" a bobwhite like we do our pointers? Of note, last summer Brooks believes he found a hen bobwhite that had been killed by Mexican ground squirrels. He had a couple of birds attacked in quail traps by the ground squirrels, but the one mentioned here was found in the middle of the road. Following radio-marked quail around will make you wonder how we ever have enough quail to hunt. (Congratulations to the Aiken Ranch for being named one of TPW's Lone Star Land Stewards! They received the award back in May for the Rolling Plains Ecoregion.)
4. Texas Quail Study Group to Meet in Aspermont.
Mark your calendars for Oct. 6-8 for the 1st meeting of the Study Group. This year's theme is "Sustaining the Quail Wave in the Rolling Plains of Texas." Plans are to move the study group around the state on a 3-year rotation, with sites including the Rolling Plains, South Texas, and another site. Check out TeamQuail (http://teamquail.tamu.edu) for program updates beginning in August. This should be a great meeting and tour. Keynote speakers will include Dr. Fred Guthery and Dr. Fidel Henandez. Tour sites will include the Snipes' and Box P Ranches; both good quail sites, but with different soils and management strategies. The session will kick off on Wednesday night with a great steak dinner to showcase the economic impact that quail have on the Rolling Plains ("quail escargot" you might say). TPW Commissioner John Parker of Lufkin (but who hunts in Stonewall County) will give some welcoming comments.
5. Wildlife Management Workshops For Absentee Landowners.
Many Texas farms and ranches are owned by urbanites living in large metropolitan areas (poor devils). These landowners are often interested in learning more about managing their habitats for enhancing wildlife populations. Texas Cooperative Extension has planned a series of six wildlife management workshops to accommodate landowners living in our largest urban communities. Check http://wildlife.tamu.edu for dates, locations, agendas, and registration information. I will be addressing quail management at the Dallas, Ft. Worth, Austin, Amarillo, and San Antonio sites.
6. Quail Workshop Planned for Katy Prarie.
Texas Wildlife Association, Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas Audubon, TPWD, and other agencies and organizations will co-sponsor a quail field day at the Westside Sporting Grounds in Katy on Friday, Oct. 15. FMI call Katy Prairie Conservancy at 936/931-5564 or Tamara Trail at 800/839-9453, or see http://wildlife.tamu.edu.
7. Bobwhite Brigade Flying High.
This year marked the 13th year of the Bobwhite Brigade. Since the original concept of a quail-based leadership camp was initiated, it has been cloned both inside and outside of Texas. The Texas Brigades now includes 2 Bobwhite Brigades (Rolling Plains and South Texas), 2 Buckskin Brigades (North Texas and South Texas), Feathered Forces (turkey and quail held in East Texas), and the newest addition, a Bass Brigade (which spawned about a month ago). You can help support these efforts by (1) sending us your kids and grandkids, (2) volunteering a week of your time to serve as a "Covey Leader", and (3) monetary support. We seek ranches, organizations, or individuals who are willing to provide scholarship support for (a) tuition (costs are $300 per cadet) and (b) college scholarships for the top 6 cadets from each camp (these range from $500 to $1,000; we name the scholarship per your wishes; donations are tax-deductible). See www.texasbrigades.org FMI; I hope to see you at one next summer.
8. Win a Quail Hunt While Supporting Bobwhite Brigade.
The Rolling Plains Bobwhite Brigade is trying a new fundraising venture this summer. Our goal is to raise $20,000, and we're raffling off 2 great quail hunts. Grand prize will be a 2-day, 2-person guided hunt on the historic Lambshead Ranch in Shackelford County; 2nd place will be a 1-day, 2-person hunt on the Wild Wings Ranch in Scurry County. Lodging, meals, guides, and dogs are provided. I look forward to hunting with you. Only 100 tickets @ $200 each are being sold, so get yours soon. See www.texasbrigades.org for details; the drawing will be held August 20th.
9. Dove Symposia Planned.
Okay, so they're not quail, but they serve as a good warm-up, eh? A series of 3 2-day dove symposia are slated for Wichita Falls (Aug. 12-13), Coleman (Aug. 19-20), and Uvalde (Aug. 26-27). See TeamQuail for registration details and more information. Symposium proceedings will be available after the meetings for about $19 per copy.
10. Other meetings?
See TeamQuail website for a list of programs slated for the remainder of this summer and fall in the Rolling Plains region. Having a meeting? Let me know and we'll get it posted for you on TeamQuail.
11. Plant and Seed Books Available from Bobwhite Brigade.
Brenham veterinarian Dr. Bill Eikenhorst takes great pleasure in announcing to a group at a meeting that "Dale Rollins ruined my deer hunting." His gist is that after attending a "WILD about Deer" workshop several years ago, that he now takes as much pleasure in reading the landscape as watching for antlers. As I preach to landowners the sermon of reading one's landscape, it becomes painfully obvious that, if plant names were words, our conversations would be akin to Neanderthals. And when they ask if there are any good plant books for quail plants in west Texas, I have to admit there are not. But, you can have your own field guide prepared for your ranch or hunting lease. The Texas Brigade will build a custom photo collection complete with actual plant specimens, photographs, and seed photographs (if applicable). When you get it bound with a leather cover, it's quite the conversation (conservation?) piece for your guests. Price for a custom book is $1,000; place your orders for next spring by contacting me (d-rollins@tamu.edu). Custom deer-books are available at the same price for the learning impaired. More generic "Key Plants of Quail and Deer in North (or South) Texas" are available for minimum donations of $250.
FAQs
Starting with this issue, I'm including some questions that have arrived via cyberspace. I've made them anonymous. If you have questions, send them to me, and I'll feature them in an upcoming issue.
Q: We learned last week that the land owner on our 1200 acre quail lease has sprayed approximately 20%-25% of the mesquite trees. The spraying was performed during the last month. At this point all of the leaves are yellow
in color. Some of our questions are as follows:
A: My reply assumes that the mesquite was sprayed with either Remedy or Reclaim (or a mix of the 2), which are the standard foliar applications for mesquite control. First, these herbicides pose low toxicity to birds and mammals, so there won't be any direct toxicity effects to quail from the applications. You mention that 25% was sprayed; from an airplane, or via "individual plant treatment" using an ATV? Was this in 1 single block, stripped, or what? If only 25% was treated, it shouldn't have a harmful effect, and indeed could have been a positive depending on the density of the brush (i.e., did it open areas that were heretofore unhuntable?). Any potential impacts on seed availability or insect abundance (indirectly via changes in the plant community) are possible I guess, but if only 25% of the area was sprayed, I don't think the effects to quail would be noticeable. If you know what herbicide mix was sprayed, you might let me know, as the addition of Tordon (for prickly pear control) would likely have a more drastic effect on forbs than Remedy/Reclaim, at least in the short term. More information relative to rangeland herbicides and wildlife is available in a publication available at http://tcebookstore.org/pubinfo.cfm?pubid=605.
Q: I recently purchased 400 acres in Live Oak County. It is part brush, creek bottom, and improved grasses (klein, oats, wheat). I hear a lot of bobwhites but see very few. Where do I start with my development program? Websites? Seminars?
A: First, check the TeamQuail website (http://teamquail.tamu.edu) for background reading and information about upcoming meetings on quail in your area. There are links at TeamQuail to other quail programs (e.g., Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute's programs) that will be of interest. Next, drive your property and stop about every three-tenths of a mile, look right then left and take photographs perpendicular to the road. Having these available will help whoever makes a rough assessment of your property's quail potential. Local sources of expertise may include the TPWD biologist (see www.tpwd.state.tx.us for a directory), NRCS biologist, county Extension agent, or private consultant. I encourage you to learn your plants; start with the woody plants, then the grasses and forbs. One of my axioms for wildlife managers is 2-pronged: (1) know your plants, and (b) know how to manipulate them.
Q:Being an avid quail hunter I enjoy reading everything I can get my hands on about this great game bird. Every year since 1989 it's been my pleasure to quail hunt on the same ranch in Dickens, Texas. Almost every year we see a roadrunner in the same general area. At the cafes and other eating places we are always talking with ol' timers, farmers and ranchers about the current outlook for quail population numbers. We always ask questions about what's causing the numbers to go down. Most of the time they say the decline is a result of dry weather. However, the reason we are beginning to hear more frequently is that turkeys are eating the eggs as well as the baby chicks. Is there anything to the turkey theory or is this just an "ole wives tale"? I'd like to read more of your articles and or publications. Please tell me how to go about that. Do you have a web site?
A. Just as west Texas ranchers disdain roadrunners when it comes to quail, so do their brethren in Missouri and Kansas cast a jaundiced eye towards turkeys, for the reasons you mentioned. Biologists don't put much credence in the "expanding turkey population vs. shrinking quail population" theory. I've no doubt that turkey will find and depredate some nests, and wouldn't put it above a flock of foraging turkeys to snap up some quail chicks as opportunity presented itself. I know some serious quail hunters who go out of their way to dissuade turkeys from taking up residence on the ranch. To keep up with my ramblings, subscribe to Livestock Weekly (325-949-4611), The Farmer-Stockman ( ), or Quail Unlimited Magazine (www.qu.org); I write columns for each of them. About half deal with quail.
Q: I recently purchased 180 acres in eastern Mills county. It has more pear than we wanted and have signed up for a spraying program. I have learned this must be carefully done but we do not know exactly how to avoid harm to quail habitat. We hear the familiar "bob-white" frequently. I have read to leave plants no more than 100 yards apart and wonder if this is correct? Should the pear clumps be in one area of the ranch or spread out over the whole place? Is the mesa and ridge better than the lower elevations? We purchased a Kawasaki mule and a 25 gallon sprayer so we can selectively spray with a handheld wand.
A. I can't tell you the exact information on how much prickly pear to leave, and where. It's been my experience (and documented in several graduate research efforts) that quail that nest in prickly pear have higher nest survival than those in bunchgrasses. This is especially true on sites that have a low number of bunchgrasses (perhaps less than 250 acre, or about 1 every 15 feet). If treating from an airplane about the only thing you can do is spray strips; again I can't tell you minimum widths to leave unsprayed; we just don't know. Best deal would be to spray with a ground rig (ATV), either with "Individual Plant Treatments" or with a "boomless nozzle" (it sprays about an 18 foot swath); try to avoid your hackberry trees (at least 2 dripline-widths away from them). If you'll settle for an educated guess on my part, I'd leave every 3rd prickly pear; shoot for a clump at least as large as a hula hoop and having one left about every 50 feet. For more information on IPT brush control (including prickly pear) see http://texnat.tamu.edu.
Q: We have an issue on one of our quail leases that people want to work their dogs -8to 10 dogs-but not shoot many birds. I had a lease 20 years ago where a trainer ran his dogs on Tuesday and Thursday. After a couple weeks, there were no quail near fences and quail in middle were skiddish and had moved. Are there any studies on what quail do when they are disturbed on a regular basis??? I realize every time they are flushed they are exposed to predators until they get back to cover. By the way, the trainer herein never killed a quail-he shot a pistol in the air.
A: In response to your question, the following bullets come from a recent study at Ames Plantation in Tennessee; there may be other such studies conducted by Auburn or Tall Timbers. Jason Hardin, currently Texas Audubon's Quail Specialist, did his MS on the "hunter-covey" interface at TAMU-Kingsville recently, and likely has some pertinent info or at least an opinion. In my opinion, repeated flushing can be at best neutral, and most likely a liability, but I don't know to what degree. I'd wager it would be most benign during mid-day and most detrimental in late-afternoon. There has been research done by Auburn University to suggest that about 1/3 of the coveys get wise to the dog/hunting routine pretty quickly and skedaddle without being pointed. I believe some of the work that Jason Hardin did in South Texas found similar results.
Here's the poop from Ames Plantation:
Kreh, Christopher Donald. 1997. Movements, habitat selection, and survival of northern bobwhites in response to disturbance during field trials, M. S. Thesis. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee. This study evaluated the effects of field trial disturbance on northern bobwhite quail with respect to survival, movements, and habitat utilization on the Ames Plantation in western Tennessee. A total of 81 bobwhites in 20 coveys were monitored via radio-telemetry on 3 study areas in late winter (Jan 9 - Apr 1) during 1995 and 1996. Each year, bobwhites on the Morning Field Trial Area (MFTA) and the Evening Field Trial Area (EFTA) were subjected to 2 weeks of disturbance by bird dog field trials in mid-February. Bobwhites on the Control Area (CA) were not exposed to field trial activities.
Selected findings included:
1. Survival was higher in 1995 than in 1996.
2. Survival was unaffected by disturbance.
3. Hourly movements were as follows: CA, 29.5 m; EFTA, 35.3 m; and MFTA, 48.3.
4. On average, coveys on MFTA and EFTA retreated 62.3 m and 25.1 m, respectively, during periods of disturbance. Movements were not great enough to remove bobwhites from their home ranges.
5. Most (18 of 20) coveys made spatial adjustments within their home ranges during late winter. Disturbance was not the sole factor influencing bobwhites, as adjustments occurred on CA, as well as on MFTA and EFTA.
Q: I was given your name as a contact for some help in re-establishing quail habitat on 142 acres I bought in Coleman County. Since about 100 acres of the land was in cotton cultivation until I purchased it, I have plowed the field and will be drilling a number of native grasses and forbs including little and big bluestem, side oats grama, plains bristlegrass, Indiangrass, partridge peas, Illinois bundleflower, milo, Maximilian and native sunflowers and others. This was done as a stop-gap in order to try to bring the soil back to a more natural state (I intend to use no chemical fertilizers or pesticides on the property if at all possible) and to protect and enhance the native quail population (count of the 3 current resident coveys totals 39 birds). I intend to set up a supplemental feeding program and at some point add additional flight conditioned birds. I have read a number of the TP&W and TAMU documents available on the Internet and they seem mostly to be aimed at South Texas brush country habitat. Are there any special considerations for my particular area or are there other grasses that I need to add to the mix? The plan is to disc alternating strips over several seasons, to provide brush piles and woody plants (assuming I can find a source for these in the area) as well as feeders and sunflowers. This is my first project of this type and I would like to maximize the result and minimize the stops and starts that come with a lack of knowledge.
A: Before you spend a lot of money on reseeding, is there any (much) johnsongrass on it now? I suspect there is if it's a former cotton field. Several guys in Coleman Co. (specifically near Gouldbusk) have had good luck with just johnsongrass on those old fields, and all it takes to rejuvenate it is a chisel plow every 4 or 5 years. I wouldn't recommend releasing pen-reared birds if you've got a minimum of 3 wild coveys on 140 acres; you probably have plenty of wild breeding stock. Is there any existing rangeland on the property that may be managed to enhance nesting and loafing cover? What does your neighbor's property/landscape look like? Their management (e.g., grazing management) will impinge on your quail situation, as many (most?) of your quail are "shared capital" with the neighbors. See http://teamquail.tamu.edu for a good Internet portal on Texas quail management.
Dale Rollins
Professor & Extension Wildlife Specialist
Texas Cooperative Extension
San Angelo, TX
d-rollins@tamu.edu