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. A Quail of a Summer. "There's an old song "Age of Aquarius" by The Fifth Dimension whose lyrics stated that 'when the moon is in the seventh house, and Jupiter aligns with Mars, then peace will guide the planets, and love will steer the stars.' Such infrequent planetary alignments may be hinting at stellar quail year.
A lot of folks are in a quail frenzy right now from Spearman to Hebronville. The general consensus is that the upcoming quail season may be the best since 1987, and some are calling for this to be the best in memory. Until about mid-August I was a bit leery about making such chamber-of-commerce like projections. My take was that it will be about like last year's quail season, perhaps slightly better in some areas. The information that we're gleaning from the Texas Quail Index through this June's data suggested a mirror image of last season. And considering last year was a good one, I'd have been happy if we just meet that mark.
Now, push the button on that 8-track player from the 5th Dimension to the Little River Band's "Cool Change." There is one big, and somewhat un-be-lievable difference between 2003 and 2004, and that's the unseasonably wet, cool weather that has prevailed over much of Texas this summer. Such weather conditions have been ideal for quail nesting and survival. The cool temperatures permit a longer nesting season. And the flush of vegetation helps promote better nesting habitat, which parlays into greater nesting success.
Most of our TQI measures of quail abundance are conducted in May and June, but the wildcard this summer is what happened in July and August. The next TQI counts will begin in September when we do roadside surveys, and hopefully these data will reflect near-record quail abundance.
I have a research project winding down in Fisher County on the Aiken Ranch northwest of Sweetwater. While there recently (Aug. 17) my graduate student Jason Brooks went about recapturing radiomarked bobwhites. Three of the first four hens we pursued that afternoon were sitting on nests. If we're getting that kind of August nesting effort across other parts of Texas, and the weather would suggest we are, then we could be looking at a nice bloom to our quail numbers with a Labor Day hatch. The hatch rate at that site has been about 50 percent this year, whereas last year it was 35 percent.
I normally reason that what makes or breaks a good quail year is the hatch we get in June. Anything over and above that can make a good season into a great season. We had a good hatch in June, and the prospects of the late-summer hatch are enough to make even me giddy about what this year's quail season may be like.
As I travel west Texas, what a pleasure to flush coveys along the roadside. And for the chatter among non-quail hunters who are remarking about the "flush" of birds. I'm receiving phone calls and e-mails from quail hunters and landowners across Texas indicating that that the quail bloom is pretty widespread. Folks on the eastern front are calling to say they're hearing or seeing quail for the first time in years, and folks on the western front are remarking about how the blue quail have rebounded to their numbers from fifteen years ago.
Quail hunters are a bit like cattle ranchers; they're always seeking "replacement heifers" when the times are good. So there's a lot of quail hunters, me included, who have pups that will venture forth for the first time this year. There's no substitute for shooting lots of wild birds to fast-forward that pup into a valued colleague that will provide a decade of hunting enjoyment and camaraderie. "
2. And the Score is . . . In the spirit of the recently completed Olympic games, I've called a dozen or so quail hunters/managers to get their predictions of what the 2004-05 season looks like. If we throw out the high and low scores, it looks like a solid 9.5. Here are some of their comments:
Scott Lerich, Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area south of Alpine described the quail forecast in a word as "wow!" He predicts the best season on blue quail there in at least 10 years. "I would rate it as a ‘9'" he said, "but just because I don't give anything a ‘10."
Rick Snipes owns a quail ranch northwest of Aspermont. "If last year was a ‘6', and the year before that was a ‘7', then this year's a ‘10." Snipes stands about 6' 6" tall, and said he had his picture taken recently in some sand bluestem on the ranch that was taller than he is. Literally, that is big bluestem (note: big bluestem on sandy soils is generally a subspecies commonly referred to as "sand bluestem.")
Roy Wilson of Texas Best Outfitters and Krooked River Lodge at Lueders predictions range from "8" to "10" depending on the individual property. Wilson said his bookings for quail hunting for this fall are the best of his 18-year career in the hunting business.
Gene Naquin of La Bandera Ranch in Dimmitt County says emphatically it will be a "10" . . . on both the bobwhite and blue quail sides of the coin.
Howard Hornsby is a chiropractor in Big Spring during the off-season, but an avid quail hunter and guide during bird season. He rates this year's bird crop as a "10" at ranches were he hunts in Borden and Glasscock counties.
Alan Heirman is a NRCS biologist who lives in Albany, and guides on many of the large ranches in the Albany vicinity. He predicts an "8 or 9".
Dana Wright is the new assistant manager at the Matador WMA. She was more conservative with her prediction, giving the Matador a value of "7". Wright noted it's always safer to be on the low end of such predictions than to be too generous.
Paul Melton of Roby tends to keep a better pulse on quail in the southern Rolling Plains than anybody I know. He predicts this year to be a "9". Melton said his shredder had been broken down three times recently while mowing sequoia-like sunflowers in dove field hopefuls. He measured one sunflower "trunk" at 3.3 inches in diameter. Melton also works with a ranch in Scurry County and reports abundant blues and bobwhites there.
TPWD biologist Lee Miller of San Angelo has been flying several helicopter deer counts on country west of San Angelo. He counted 110 coveys flushed in one sortie.
Rocker b wildlife manager Jim Bob Hurst north of Barnhart said he'd intended to keep records of how many quail were flushed last month during helicopter surveys for antelope but "I don't think my palm pilot has that much memory."
Ernie Mayer of San Angelo just recently purchased a ranch west of Ballinger that he said was "infested with bobwhites." What a malady, eh? I know just which Doctor to call! :)
Mike Irons of Midland says he's hearing great reports of both bobs and blues around Midland.
Now, if we just don't drop the baton as we head into the last leg of the quail relay.
I didn't catch up with my contacts in eastern Panhandle, South Texas, the Victoria/Goliad area, and the Cross Timbers area. If you have a report/prediction, please let me know.
3. Texas Quail Study Group To Convene Oct. 6-8. Call it a homecoming party. We're going to celebrate the return of bobwhites to 1987 levels, and exhort those in attendance to take advantage of this situation to keep the quail wave alive in the Rolling Plains. The TQSG will be the quail educational event of the year in North Texas. The shindig kicks off on Wednesday evening with a ribeye steak dinner catered by Sharon Allen's Lytle Land and Cattle Co. Dr. Jason Johnson will trace the flow of dollars through the rural economy with his talk "Show Me the Money." Chip Ruthven, new manager at the Matador WMA, will follow up with economic impacts of quail hunting to the Cottle County area. After the steak dinner, John Parker, a new TPWD commissioner from Lufkin (who hunts in Stonewall County) will address the group with quail happenings at TPWD. Thursday morning's keynote speakers include Drs. Fred Guthery and Fidel Hernandez, neither of who need introduction to this group of e-pundits. A panel discussion of five landowners will close out the morning session on their recipes for growing quail in this region. After lunch, the group goes outdoors for the remainder of the day on the Snipes Ranch. This country is as good as it gets for quail, and Snipes is not one to rest on the country's laurels. We'll see results of prescribed burning, roller chopping, brush sculpting, and prescribed grazing. Then it's on to the Box P Ranch just north of there for some poster presentations and a pig in the ground, cooked by Johnnie Hudman of Stasney's Cook Ranch at Albany. The last morning (Friday) finds us back at Box P for a tour there to see more brush sculpting, water harvesting, and feed and water supplementation. This should be a GREAT tour. Attached here please find the brochure, or see http://teamquail.tamu.edu for more information. Pre-register by October 1 to save $35, and to help us hone our head counts for meal preparation.
4. Who Planted That?? Have you ever seen such sprays of annual sunflower and snow-on-the-mountain as this summer? I have not. Makes you wonder just how long some of those seeds have laid there just waiting on the right weather conditions. On a recent trip from Hollis, Oklahoma to Lubbock in late-July, I finally had to stop along U.S.. 62 between Paducah and Matador to snap a photograph of the sunflower bonanza there. In normal years, a loose 3-strand barbed-wire fence is all it takes to keep sunflowers restricted to the roadside ditches. But this year, either the country was totally de-stocked, or the cows were simply overwhelmed by sunflowers. Other plants that are rather spectacular in the understory include plains bristlegrass, doveweed, and buffalobur. If you didn't start your digital photo-collection of quail plants this year, you missed quite an opportunity. As you rummage through quail crops this fall, I encourage you to match the seeds you find with those listed at TeamQuail website. If you find some that don't match, send me a sample; I'll get them identified and added to our e-herbarium.
5. Kids Having Kids, Chicks Having Chicks? One of the saddest commentaries on our society today is the number of teenagers having babies; seems to be accelerating in my opinion. But, on the quail front, is it possible that chicks that were born earlier this spring are reproducing later in the summer? That question/speculation/theory has been espoused to me several times this summer. My opinion: probably not. Even though we got an early hatch (late-April) and a long nesting season (which may extend into October), I'd be surprised if any (and surely not many) "teenaged" quail reproduce in their hatch year. A hen has to be about 20 weeks old to be reproductive (maybe as young as 16 weeks in captivity where photoperiod can be manipulated). Thus, a chick hatched on May 1 wouldn't reach that age until October 1. This is speculation on my part; anybody out there with an opinion? Data? Quail have been documented on nests in South Texas every month of the year but January, so maybe some of you southerners have insight here.
5. And the Winner is . . . The Rolling Plains Bobwhite Brigade tried a new fundraiser this year: a quail hunt raffle. Our goal was to sell 100 tickets at $200; we didn't quite make that, but we were able to raise $10,400. Thanks to all who purchased tickets. The grand prize winner is Bailey Campbell of Lueders; he will hunt bobwhite and blue quail on the Wild Wings Ranch east of Snyder. Runner-up was Joe Rose of Dallas, who will hunt with his sons on the Lambshead Ranch north of Albany. Both parties should enjoy some great quail hunts.
6. Quail Spoken Here. Here's my calendar of speaking engagements for the next two months. See TeamQuail for additional details, or e-mail me.
Beginning September 7 through October: Absentee Landowner Workshop series in Dallas, Ft. Worth, San Antonio, Houston, Amarillo, and Austin. See http://wildlife.tamu.edu for more information.
Sept. 9 - Quail Hunter's Seminar for Texas Independent Birdhunters Association, TAMU Center on Coit Road, Dallas; 7 to 9 p.m.; see www.tibha for details.
Sept. 17 - Quail and Dove Management in the Edwards Plateau; Kimble County Courthouse, 10 a.m. to noon. Junction. Call Dale Brandenberger at 325-446-2620 FMI.
Sept. 21 - Quail Odyssey Tour, Billy Wright Ranch, Eastland County; FMI contact Bob Bailey at 254-629-2222;
Sept. 22 - Quail Appreciation Day, Baylor County, Hash Knife Ranch; FMI contact Mark Dorsey at 940-889-5581;
Sept. 23 - Quail Appreciation Day, Clay County, Lone Star Hereford Ranch, east of Henrietta; FMI contact Kyle Miller at 940-538-5042;
Sept. 30 - Range-Wildlife Tour, Hemphill County; FMI contact Kyle Barnett 806-323-9114;
Oct. 2 - Texas Outdoor Educators Association, HEB Foundation Camp near Leakey; FMI contact Betty Frederick at 361-573-5850;
Oct. 6-8 - Texas Quail Study Group (see Item #3 above);
Oct. 25 - Quail Technical Committee meeting, Austin;
Oct. 26 - Texas Quail Council meeting, Austin;
Oct. 27 - Quail Management Field Day, Victoria; FMI contact Joe Janak at 361-575-4581;
Oct. 30 - (OPENING DAY) Dances with Bird Dogs, at a site north of San Angelo; just me and the girls. Hope your opening weekend goes well.
Dale Rollins
Professor & Extension Wildlife Specialist
Texas Cooperative Extension
San Angelo, TX
d-rollins@tamu.edu