Heat and drought combine for lower quail numbers

Source: Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Consedrvation
Published: Nov. 02, 2006

Heading in to last spring biologists and hunters alike had high hopes of big coveys for the 2006 quail season, however many of those hopes dried up with the extended drought. Annual surveys conducted by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation show a statewide decrease of 40 percent over the previous 16-year average. ?There?s no sugar coating it, quail numbers are down and it looks like the main reason is the hot, dry weather,? said Doug Schoeling, upland game bird biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. ?Drought along with high temperatures can shorten the nesting season and decrease chick survival.? Early season production suffered as evidenced by a 33 percent decrease in the statewide August surveys. Biologists were hoping late summer rains would increase quail reproduction during a second hatch. But the rains either never came or did not help as much as was hoped. During the October surveys, biologists reported seeing fewer numbers of young birds in comparison to last year. According to Schoeling, during the first six weeks of their life, quail chicks feed exclusively on insects. ?When there is no rain, there is less green vegetation and when there is less vegetation there are fewer bugs and when there are fewer bugs there are fewer quail chicks that survive that crucial first month and half of life,? Schoeling said. The 2006 August and October statewide index decreased 55 percent from 2005. All regional indices were lower than the 2005 totals. The Northwest region was the hardest hit declining 83 percent from 2005. The decrease is reflected in all regions with the exception of the northcentral region reporting a slight increase of 8 percent over the 16-year average. The weather knows no state boundaries and biologists in northcentral Texas and the Texas Panhandle are also reporting a decrease in quail numbers due to the hot, dry conditions ?This looks like a lot of doom and gloom, but I?m sure there will be some hunters who have a good opening day and a good season as well, especially if we could get some cool, damp weather,? said Alan Peoples, chief of the wildlife division for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. ?I know I?ll be out there all season long. I love quail hunting too much to sit at home while the season is open. It may take a little more walking and a little more work this year, but I can?t wait for quail season to get here.? While weather patterns often dictate booms and busts in quail populations, no boom would be possible without habitat. ?There?s nothing we can do about the weather, but we can work hard to make sure that quality habitat is available for quail. Good habitat is like a buffer - it can lessen the impact of severe weather swings. In poor weather years, like this one, it is more important than ever, to include wildlife habitat as part of every land use decision,? said Schoeling. ?Bobwhite require a variety of plants for cover, nesting and for food and the more types of plants available the better? Managing for a variety of plant species, rather than emphasizing a single species, increases the probability that all the quail?s needs for food and cover will be met. Different plants produce seeds at different times during the growing season and different types of seeds provide different nutrients. Landowners can increase the plant diversity and quail cover on their property through a range of management techniques such as disking, prescribed fire and controlled grazing. Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation biologists have conducted roadside surveys during both August and October for the past 17 years. The surveys, which consist of 20-mile routes, give biologists an estimate of quail abundance. Observers count the number of quail seen to provide an index of quail abundance and reproductive success. There are 83 routes with at least one route in every county except for Tulsa and Oklahoma counties. Running Nov. 11 through Feb.15, quail season is much anticipated both by Oklahomans and non-residents. Oklahoma regularly ranks among the top three quail hunting states in terms of both quail populations and hunter success, and Oklahoma promises to be a major destination for bird hunters again this year. For more information about quail hunting log onto wildlifedepartment.com, to see the complete survey, log on to www.wildlifedepartment.com/2006quail.

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