Quail are a socially and economically important species. Texas statewide quail surveys were initiated in 1978 to monitor quail populations. This index uses randomly selected, 20-mile roadside survey lines to determine annual quail population trends by ecological region. This trend information helps determine relative quail populations among the regions of Texas from year to year.
Comparisons can be made between the mean (average) number of quail observed per route this year and the long term mean (LTM) for quail seen within an ecological region. The quail survey was not designed to predict relative abundance for any area smaller than the ecological region, so only generalities for large areas can be made.
Bobwhite quail hunting can be hit or miss in Texas considering these birds exist here on the very western edge of their distribution in the U. S. There are still vast expanses of suitable bobwhite habitat in the rangelands of South Texas and in the Rolling Plains, where in some years over 100,000 hunters flock to pursue these wary upland game birds. Bobwhite quail are limited in these regions by rainfall, or more specifically the lack thereof. Wet years, on the other hand, mean let’s go hunting.