Texas Hunting Times: Texas Hunting News

It’s been a tough run for quail over the past few years. Persistent drought has hammered many species, but bobwhite quail have really suffered due to poor nesting habitat across Texas. But quail respond readily to the addition of water, as was the case in 2014. Much-needed rainfall at the right times this year are helping to bolster bobwhite quail numbers and should lead to improved hunting compared to last season, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists.

Texas quail season opens statewide on October 25 and runs through February 20, 2015.The daily bag limit for quail is 15, with 45 in possession. Legal shooting hours for all non-migratory game birds are 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. The bag limit is the maximum number that may be killed during the legal shooting hours in one day.

Continued drought conditions over much of the core quail hunting areas in the spring and summer of 2013 resulted in below average production last year and many ranches opted to limit hunting last season in hopes to aid local recovery.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) quail surveys show modest recovery this year, thanks to adequate range conditions during the nesting season. Biologists stress that additional winter rains are needed to aid continued population recovery into next spring and summer.

One region indicative of a positive shift is the Gulf Prairies where TPWD quail surveys showed 19.9 bobwhites were observed per route compared to 11.3 last year and is a record high for this area.

“Bobwhite are less dependent on rainfall in this region, where there is usually enough moisture available for nesting,” said TPWD wildlife biologist Robert Perez. “Habitat conditions in areas of native rangeland are in good condition. Hunters should focus on the central and lower coast in native prairie habitats.”

Most of the quail country around the state saw similar improvement in quail numbers compared to last year, although still below the long term average since quail surveys began in 1978. In South Texas, for example, surveys showed 11.6 birds per route compared to 6 last year. This is below the long term average of 17.4 and is predictive of a below average hunting season for the region as a whole. However, field staff and ranch-level surveys on private and public lands are reporting above average numbers in many areas.

In the Rolling Plains, rangelands are in recovery and where grazing has been reduced, Perez said prime nesting habitat is definitely more available than last year. Field reports suggest that many areas have improved enough to support limited hunting and last year’s hot spots will likely improve this season.

“Although there are certainly areas within each region where some quail hunting opportunity remains, this survey is not designed to detect changes in localized populations, especially in fragmented landscapes,” Perez cautioned. “Looking forward, most of the core Texas quail hunting regions did get a flush of vegetation and insects and a corresponding increase in bobwhite reproductive efforts.”

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Bobwhite quail have taken it right on the nose in recent years. Hunters have noticed less quail, which means less quail hunting. Much of that can likely be attributed to low rainfall since quail tend to be a boom and bust species, highly levered to habitat conditions. But is that all that is happening with regard to quail? Texans concerned with the widespread decline of wild quail across the state can learn about measures to stop the loss by tuning in to three fall webinars starting September 11, 2014.

The webinars, also set for October 9 and November 13, are a collaborative effort of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The series is part of the Reversing the Quail Decline in Texas Initiative coordinated by Dr. Jim Cathey, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist at College Station, and Dr. Dale Rollins, retired AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist, San Angelo. Each of the webinars, all slated from noon-1 p.m., can be found on the Forestry Webinar portal at http://www.forestrywebinars.net/.

The September webinar will feature Rollins and Robert Perez, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department quail program leader, La Vernia, presenting “Reversing the Quail Decline in Texas.” The webinar will describe the overall project, and provide background for better understanding the situation and its ramifications. “Quail aren’t the only birds suffering a steep decline in numbers,” Cathey said. “Several species of grassland birds that share habitat with quail are also experiencing a dramatic drop in numbers.

“In our first webinar, we’ll provide an update on how our wild quail and their habitat neighbors are faring today. The webinar will then delve into the Reversing the Quail Decline Initiative’s funded research projects on quail biology and habitat management, as well as the widespread educational efforts that are currently being implemented. This first webinar is meant to serve as a barometer to indicate where wild quail populations are today and what the agencies are doing in support of this very important, legislatively supported initiative.”

Cathey said the Oct. 9 webinar will discuss successful quail habitat restoration efforts, while the Nov. 13 webinar will focus on the Texas Quail Index, a statewide monitoring effort by landowners, AgriLife Extension agents and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists to evaluate quail populations and the factors that affect them. For more information, contact Cathey at 979-845-7471, jccathey@tamu.edu

Bobwhite Quail and Habitat

Bobwhite quail depend a lot on Spring rainfall, but not because they require surface water, because they don’t. Rather, quail need rainfall to signal the “go nest” sign. Rainfall means quail foods as in important seed-producing plants will grow, insects will be abundant and relatively cooler temperatures. All of these factors are important for nesting hens and their resulting broods. Rain is important, but Texas has been quite low on rain over the past several years. So have quail numbers.

Even the Texas Legislature recognized that bobwhite quail populations were dropping. The quail decline was so extreme that, starting in 2002, Texas funded a program to reverse it. The Texas Quail Index, a partnership of public agencies, private conservation organizations, state university units and private landowners, began as a 12-county demonstration program. In 2014, it encompasses 41 counties and seven wildlife management areas, including one at Victoria County’s McFaddin Ranch.

Although Texas’ wild quail populations are in better shape than states to our east, bobwhite populations statewide have declined an average of 3.6 percent annually since 1978. That’s bad news, especially if you enjoy quail hunting, or worse yet, if you happen to be a quail. But don’t lose faith just yet.

Quail Management: Recovery is Important

Source: Quail are an ecologically- and economically-important resource. Ecologically, they are an indicator species, demonstrating the health of their prairies for wildlife in general. Healthy prairies benefit cattlemen, increasing property values for grazing and hunting use. Rural communities are benefited by hunter and ecotourism expenditures generated by birders traveling to prairies, viewing quail and wintering migratory songbirds.

Land fragmentation, division of rural lands into ever-smaller parcels, is a threat to quail. It, whether accidental or intentional, makes quail-habitat fragmentation almost inevitable. Research shows it disrupts animals’ movement and dispersal, making quail more prone to increased predation and nest parasitism. Equally important – it disturbs quail social structure and genetic diversity and diminishes habitat health because natural events such as cattle-grazing rotation and natural fires are prevented.

As holdings become smaller than 500 acres, native rangeland is usually converted to improved pasture through introduction of non-native grasses. Bermuda, in particular, is too dense to support quail movement. Why? In part, replacement’s done by recreational ranches wanting lowered ad-valorem valuations for acreage designated as “ag use”/open-space. But managing for wildlife, including quail, earns open-space valuation today.

Overcoming Land Fragmentation

Maintaining healthy quail populations requires managing and maintaining habitat size. It takes roughly 700 birds in a contiguous habitat to maintain healthy covies. Wildlife biologists figure, using historic quail densities for Texas, a good habitat would cover a minimum of 3,500 to 7,000 acres. A habitat that size could have one or many owners, as long as landscape-conservation practices are coordinated by landowners. That could be accomplished via wildlife management associations or cooperatives to prevent covey isolation and even improve (defragment) habitat.

The index demonstrations teach landowners to do that. Year-round, standardized-monitoring techniques documenting breeding populations, predation and harvestable population are taught. Training includes monitoring, testing habitat quality, and best practices for improving quail plants for food and cover.

Texas AgriLife agents and volunteers working with them do this “on the ground,” not in a classroom. Each demonstration site is monitored for two years. The objective – providing good habitat, an average 500 nesting sites in randomly selected one-eighth-mile walks. Large and small property owners are encouraged to contact AgriLife Agent Peter McGuill at the Victoria Office to find out about instruction and starting their own quail survey and management program. When managing acreage, Peter says, “Take off that cowboy hat and put on a camo-cap, think like a quail.”