Little Bluestem monoculture

[armadillophil]

I have a 17 acre field that appears to be solid little bluestem on farm in Kansas. Ton of other projects going on right now but started looking at quail management and realize this field could use some help. Thoughts are to disc strips in it in February or possible burning it. I am leery of burning anything this year by myself, don't have the experience or equipment but certainly can by next year. There is local fire department that might help for donation. Any input would be appreciated.

 

[Telemark]

Do you already have quail there?

 

[armadillophil]

Yes, kicked up two coveys two weeks ago but not in this field. One covey was not far though.

 

[omicron1792]

You can get a lot done with strip discing. Rotate strips on three year basis. Could be awesome.

I wouldn’t expect 17 acres to make a meaningful difference in quail. Was reading an article yesterday that said 1000 acres was the minimum to start making a difference. But you gotta start somewhere.

 

[Telemark]

Perfect. I've read a lot about bobwhites habitat but never made any of my own. I used to hunt other types of quail in Arizona, so I've seen how they scurry from shrub to shrub. So my main priority would be establishing shrubs. You want something with a stemmy, but not densely stemmy form, and a dense canopy of leaves.

 

[armadillophil]

I have 300 acres so will also be edge feathering and planted 7 acres of switch screens and lite seeding for bedding-2 lbs switch with 3 lbs clover. I have miles of hard edge from farming right up to woods so pulling that back about 30-100 ft so that will also benefit the quail and pheasants.

 

[Telemark]

I think your idea of burning is good. It will remove thatch, increase soil pH, return nutrients to the soil, and add stable carbon to the soil. Then, when the field starts to grow again, stake off about a quarter acre and nuke it. Disc lightly, and plant a diverse mix of annuals and perennials, including a lot of native wildflowers.

Within that half acre, plant a bunch of diverse shrubs. Plums, sumac, hazelnut, dogwoods, and viburnums should be helpful. These will grow into thickets that will shelter and feed the quail. They also provide habitat for a lot of bugs, which should be beneficial.

In my search for giant ragweed seeds, I came across several websites that recommend it as an ideal plant for quail. It grows tall, leafy on top, but sparse and stemmy underneath. The seeds are extremely high in protein and perfect for quail. If you're not allergic to ragweed, and you can find the seeds, nuke another quarter acre and plant a pure stand of giant ragweed.

You can also plant some spruce and pines for the little birds to hide under. Maybe cedars too.

Do you have issues with the little bluestem lodging? If so, you might want to slowly break up the monoculture by spot spraying here and there.

I'm a big fan of diversity, so I think altering the habitat with a focus on quail but with a secondary thought to other species will have a synergistic effect on the entire ecosystem and further increase the quality of the habitat for everything that lives there.

 

[Turkey Creek]

Strip disk and put in some shrub plantings. Maybe a small grains sorghum/millet plot if you don't have much else around like that. If you have 2 coveys currently you will be setting pretty good with a little input.