Managing for quail

[ksgobbler]

I’ve had some discussions on other threads so thought we could get one going. I know most on here manage for deer. I am a bit of a rebel on this site as my primary management objective is quail. Kansas is also trying to reduce a declining trend in quail in the eastern half of the state so they are lending expertise.
I’ve had 3 different quail biologists out here with similar ideas. One of them is a high school classmate. When I bought the property it had numerous issues due to neglect. My primary 10 acre field was 50/50 native grass and cool season grasses with sericea and woody encroachment. The roads were lined with overgrown thick stands of cedar. The south field had been plowed but nothing else so it was rough, had numerous cedars, honey locust, elm, and Osage orange. I also have a ditch with large locust and elm trees that run 1/4 mile. I do have a good 5 acre patch of native grasses. I also have lots of plum and dogwood thickets.

When the first gentleman visited he gave me 3 areas to focus on. Tree removal, sericea control, and native grass restoration. Mind you the first year we owned the property I never saw a covey of quail.

The first thing I did was restore fire to the prairie. The tall grass prairie evolved with fire and the previous owner took it out removed it for 25 years. Fire torched out the scattered cedars and made fire control along the road difficult. I am a former wildland firefighter and worked on a prescribed fire crew. Putting fire in at the right time damages woody plants, encourages forbs, and sets back cool season grasses. Quail are known as the bird of fire.

I’ve also ran the heck out of a saw removing trees. I think I can safely say 1000s. An aerial photo from 1981 shows 2 trees along the creek. I’ve got more firewood than I can burn. I’ve created numerous brushpiles which the quail and rabbits seem to love. I burn a few every year but I am constantly making more. I currently have a contract to remove 75 yards of trees including some pecans. Raptors take a huge toll on quail so I want as few perches as possible.

 

[Catscratch]

Great thread (and describes some of my place to a t). What did they tell you about fall or winter burns? I have some pasture that hasn't been burned for a very long time and has plenty of locust and hedge encroaching. I wanted a spring burn this yr but conditions were never right so now I'm considering options.

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[ksgobbler]

Sericea lespedeza removal has proven difficult. With 25 years of seed bank I feel like I am playing whack a mole. Fire also scarifies the seed promoting germinating. Combine that with my neighbors not treating it I have come to the realization that I need to manage it but I will never eliminate it. When I first started it was so thick in areas it lifted my ATV off the ground. Once removed grasses exploded back.

My rough south field I had disked and it was drilled to native grass. To stabilize the soil I had a quail food plot mix from the state planted to stabilize it.

I’ve also taken to burning early every few years. A Feb-mar burn stimulates forbs. It also ensures native grass is dormant so when I get green up it’s easy to hit hit herbicide in April before NWSG break dormancy.

 

[MickT]

Don’t overlook a late summer-early fall burn. You won’t have winter cover on that field for a season, but growing after the trees have pushed all their energy into tops seems to hurt them pretty good. And August-September burns seem to favor forbs over grasses.


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[Catscratch]

Sericea is a pain! I've spent considerable time and money this summer spraying it. I know it will always be there but I would at least stop the seed production. Currently researching domestic animals that might prefer it over grass.

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[ksgobbler]

Don’t overlook a late summer-early fall burn. You won’t have winter cover on that field for a season, but growing after the trees have pushed all their energy into tops seems to hurt them pretty good. And August-September burns seem to favor forbs over grasses.


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This is good advice. When our goal was solely woody encroachment control we burned in the fall/winter. Biologist said it hurt the cambium layer as they are trying to transfer nutrients. He said if the fire didn’t get them winter would. It appeared to be successful.

I remember coming up to the road on a burn we were doing in December on an NWR. Guy stopped me and said we were dumb as stumps for burning in the fall.

 

[SwampCat]

One of our state biologists recommended a Feb burn one year and an Aug burn 18 months later in nwsg, followed by a Feb burn 18 months later - and so on. I dont burn, so I mow- which is not as effective for stimulation of forb and annual growth.

 

[ksgobbler]

Sericea is a pain! I've spent considerable time and money this summer spraying it. I know it will always be there but I would at least stop the seed production. Currently researching domestic animals that might prefer it over grass.

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Kansas Research and Extension has some videos as well as papers on a late August/Sept-1 burns for Sericea and it is promising.

 

[ksgobbler]

Another thing I do is foodplots. Milo is preferred but I am experimenting with millets.
This is on the backside of the pond. I created brushpiles back there and the dam and cover blocks a strong north wind.


This is the other half of the pond dam. I planted browntop millet. Rain has been scarce but you can see some breaking through


This is rather large patches. It’s near a tree stand so I can watch the birds while deer hunting. I’ll also mow some for deer. Mixture of forage and grain sorghum as well as millets. I’ll mow some for doves if it ever fills in. Mother Nature being stingy. I did 2 4 D the evening shade in the plots.

I’ve got a couple more not pictured. I try to stagger plant dates. Birds hammer jap millet.

I sit out on my front porch and listen to the birds call. Last year I had a 25-30 bird covey and a 10-12 bird covey. I took 3 out of the big one, and a single from the small one. Fishing the pond last night I had birds come down. Wife said the pup busted some from the yard.

I am very picky on hunting them. I don’t hunt on bitter cold days. I won’t hunt them past 3 pm. I also don’t shoot into a covey with less than 8 birds. Several times last year I didn’t shoot at all just letting the first year bird dog figure it out.

 

[MickT]

I’d mix some sunflowers into your food plot program too, as they will readily drop their seed, and it’s a large, high fat seed. That is, if those dang pine goats will leave them be. I mixed some in a pollinator planting I did a month ago and they are getting ready to open any day now.


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[Catscratch]

My strips of millet, sunflowers, and sorghum are just starting to show production.

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[ksgobbler]

I’m covered in wild sunflowers. I’ve got common sunflowers 6ft tall. Also have a pile of Maximillian sunflowers growing naturally.

Good flyer the state was putting out
https://ksoutdoors.com/content/download/30398/212287/file/Kansas Quail Initiative.pdf

 

[SwampCat]

Tall Timbers plantation has shown very positive results supplemental feeding sorghum/milo seed.

 

[Turkey Creek]

I am positive that one of the leading contributors to the decline of quail in our area is the lack of milo now a days. Used to be planted fairly regularly here. We have seen a nice up tick in the quail population here the last 2-3 years. Seems like this year should be a good one as well if the broods do well. I have seen and heard quite a few adults this summer.

Ragweed is a great quail food as well. Keep in mind that large brush piles also serve as homes for nest predators like skunks, coons and possums. I dont intentionally build brush piles that I cant see through.

 

[Catscratch]

I know its not milo but we see quail around bean fields a lot in the winter... It would be a pretty sight if every bean field had an edge strip of milo!

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[Boll Weevil]

Glad you started this thread. I also try manage for quail and have a few coveys that weren't on the farm when I bought it. I say "try to manage" because truth be told though, when compared to the habitat-related response from other critters quail just haven't expanded like I hoped or expected. It's a little difficult to reconcile considering the resident turkey and dove populations have absolutely exploded as they benefit from many of the same enhancements quail do. Strip disking, edge feathering, pounding nest predators, little patches of sorghum and millet, felling cedars in hedgerows...we've done alot over the years but still wouldn't say there's a huntable population.

Maybe it's the avian predators? I don't know what to think but considering all the improvements that should have encouraged quail expansion, just haven't seen the results.

 

[ksgobbler]

Avian predators are hell on quail hence them wanting me to remove trees aka raptor perches. Ive seen several good grabs myself.

Also forgot to add I also treated the turf forming grasses in plum thickets, with round up. Quail wont use them with the brome or fescue understory.

If I find a milo field with even moderate cover around there will be quail. A buddy’s father had a milo field that cut off access to his hayfield years ago. He bales a few rows of milo so he could get to the hay. Every time we hunted it the quail were on the backside of the bales out of the wind. Also there would be a minimum of 2 coveys.

 

[Baker]

I love quail. I took a semester off college to guide quail hunting in South Texas many years ago. Spent many years quail hunting the King Ranch. That was a blast!

All the advise above is good. The more food you can grow for the quail the better. The better the habitat the better the results. We have also have great results establishing a year round feeding program for quail similar to feeding deer. Quail populations can follow weather just like antler quality follows rain. A year round feeding program takes the variability out. There are several tricks to feeding quail including predator proofing etc and these are easily found on line

Among other things quail populations have been hurt by modern farming practices leaving no fencerows , changes in crops and better harvest equipment. Land fragmentation has hurt also. On property managed for quail these issues are easily addressed.Like many things quail require scale for best success. Fortunately in Kansas that may not be a problem .

Good luck

 

[j-bird]

So if I wanted to plant some shrubs and brush for quail......what would I be looking for?

I am cutting back on my annual corn/bean planting as the deer numbers do not warrant what I am currently planting. As such I am cutting back and will have small areas available near some plots and CRP areas that I can add some diversity to my place.

After hearing the above - it sounds like I may be planting a small annual plot specifically for the birds as well - maybe some sorghum/sunflower and millet.

 

[ksgobbler]

So far I have planted fragrant sumac, choke cherry, golden currant, American plum, service berry, sand plum. I am sure I am forgetting a couple.
Here is something to look at
http://www.kansasforests.org/conservation_trees/conservation_docs/Quail bundle 2015.pdf