Quail safe

Howboutthemdawgs said:
I’ve run cleth through one of my small quail areas before but I can’t swear it did much. I’m going to try it again this year. Any thoughts on that?

I said this in another thread but any time I just disc and walk away I end up with a rutted up mess. And in my observation my species composition stayed the exact same
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I think the disking needs to be light, and you also must have a seedbank built up with the species that you desire. If the desirable species don't have enough time to build up in the seedbank, you won't get the results you are looking for. In the early years I spent some time driving a pickup with spray tanks in the back, spot spraying plants I didn't want, which opened up more space for the ones I did want. As time went on, the seed bank changed for the better. Basically, I now have what I want except for too many blackberries.

I have successfully used Cleth on cool season grasses in food plots, but I have never sprayed it on NWSGs. In theory it should work, but when you consider the expansive root system of NWSGs (up to 14 feet deep) I'm thinking a stronger dose might be in order.
 
Howboutthemdawgs said:
I’ve run cleth through one of my small quail areas before but I can’t swear it did much. I’m going to try it again this year. Any thoughts on that?

I said this in another thread but any time I just disc and walk away I end up with a rutted up mess. And in my observation my species composition stayed the exact same
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Have you burned? My place is so hilly I burn instead of mow. And I only mow some lanes in September for hunting.
 
omicron1792 said:
Have you burned? My place is so hilly I burn instead of mow. And I only mow some lanes in September for hunting.
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I am with native on the briars. That is the mess I can’t stand.
 
I had a resident quail covey I saw pretty much every time I went to one particular spot on the farm and after I sprayed a rather large blackberry patch in that area I stopped seeing the quail there all the time so I suspect the quail use those thick blackberry patches as cover.
 
b116757 said:
I had a resident quail covey I saw pretty much every time I went to one particular spot on the farm and after I sprayed a rather large blackberry patch in that area I stopped seeing the quail there all the time so I suspect the quail use those thick blackberry patches as cover.
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I don’t like a choked out area but I agree that I think they use it. If you get down on their level it’s good cover from above. The bulk of the “mess” is at the level it destroys our legs. But it’s relatively open at ground level
 
Another overlooked habitat feature that quail use is large cedar trees. I'm talking trees that are at least 14 inches in diameter, but the bigger the better. Individual birds will set up in those trees and whistle like they own the world. You can walk around the trees looking, but you will never see them., and they don't fly away when you approach. Coveys also like using under cedar fence rows while on the ground.
 
Native Hunter said:
Another overlooked habitat feature that quail use is large cedar trees. I'm talking trees that are at least 14 inches in diameter, but the bigger the better. Individual birds will set up in those trees and whistle like they own the world. You can walk around the trees looking, but you will never see them., and they don't fly away when you approach. Coveys also like using under cedar fence rows while on the ground.
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Well in that same area I killed the blackberry patch I pushed out an old fence row over grown in cedars I never even considered the cedars as a quail habitat.
 
I am having the same trouble with too thick NWSG. I sprayed a field with cleth and it did thin it - about 50% as per the research - but no forbes came back in. I have two other areas that look promising - one I killed everything out for a pollinator planting. It was a two year process and this year there is no taller growth but it is covered with new forbes coming in - very little grass. I have another field I sprayed with gly but it is like it just released every manner of ash, persimmon, and honey locust seedling - so I killed it all - and it is now coming back with forbes. Actually thinking about spreading a light seeding of milo and millets in it see what that does. I have mowed mine and doesnt seem to help. I have disked - after mowing - and it takes a HEAVY disk to barely scratch the ground - and I do get some forb response - but it is labor intensive.

I, too, am by myself and no way am I lighting off a nwsg field. I only have about 15 acres and have no mis guided beliefs I will ever have a native quail since I havent seen one within 20 miles of my place in the last 20 years. My goal is to reduce the sterility of a pure nwsg field. NOTHING uses it at my place. It is a pure waste of acreage. I have had some areas where I have disturbed the nwsg and the deer and rabbits flock to the forbs - as do birds and pollinators.

Another problem I see - I dont want my open areas to become more labor intensive than a food plot - and it appears that may be the case to keep the nwsg beat back
 
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Native Hunter said:
Another overlooked habitat feature that quail use is large cedar trees. I'm talking trees that are at least 14 inches in diameter, but the bigger the better. Individual birds will set up in those trees and whistle like they own the world. You can walk around the trees looking, but you will never see them., and they don't fly away when you approach. Coveys also like using under cedar fence rows while on the ground.
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A favorite of mine for ice storms.
 
Serious idea.

I am getting my certified burn manager license this year. We should form a cooperative and help each other with burns. Most areas only need burning every 5-10 years. I would be up for some burn days.

I’ve been trying to get @Native Hunter to host us at his garden of Eden for years.
 
I agree on cedars. I have a lot that come up themselves. I only plant them at screening areas.

That said, do they not hurt y’all’s apple orchards?
 
omicron1792 said:
Serious idea.

I am getting my certified burn manager license this year. We should form a cooperative and help each other with burns. Most areas only need burning every 5-10 years. I would be up for some burn days.

I’ve been trying to get @Native Hunter to host us at his garden of Eden for years.
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Sounds like a WEED smoking event. 😱
 
omicron1792 said:
I agree on cedars. I have a lot that come up themselves. I only plant them at screening areas.

That said, do they not hurt y’all’s apple orchards?
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I have tons of cedars. There are quite a few apples that are cedar apple rust resistant. Cedars are the least of my problems
 
omicron1792 said:
I agree on cedars. I have a lot that come up themselves. I only plant them at screening areas.

That said, do they not hurt y’all’s apple orchards?
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They are not a problem if you choose CAR resistant varieties. But, if you don’t they are a real problem. For instance, Goldrush is eat up with CAR here, but apples like Priscilla and Enterprise are totally unaffected.
 
omicron1792 said:
Serious idea.

I am getting my certified burn manager license this year. We should form a cooperative and help each other with burns. Most areas only need burning every 5-10 years. I would be up for some burn days.

I’ve been trying to get @Native Hunter to host us at his garden of Eden for years.
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Our G&F has a 5000 acre black land prairie native area about 30 miles from my house. They recommend burning in Feb and Aug - every 18 months - to keep the prairie in prime shape
 
SwampCat said:
Our G&F has a 5000 acre black land prairie native area about 30 miles from my house. They recommend burning in Feb and Aug - every 18 months - to keep the prairie in prime shape
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How’s the quail population there?
 
Howboutthemdawgs said:
How’s the quail population there?
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Dang few. I dont hunt the place - have fished the lakes a few times. But, we drive over once or twice a year in the spring to look at the prairie flowers. Never heard or seen one.

They do not list an open season for quail but do list them as a present species. Before g&f bought the property, it was used for cattle and commercial shooting preserve

IMG_3834.png
 
SwampCat said:
Dang few. I dont hunt the place - have fished the lakes a few times. But, we drive over once or twice a year in the spring to look at the prairie flowers. Never heard or seen one.

They do not list an open season for quail but do list them as a present species. Before g&f bought the property, it was used for cattle and commercial shooting preserve

View attachment 75747
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Sad. One could theorize the strategy they employee for burning may not be conducive to promoting quail?
 
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