| Bobwhite quail may be found from the tip of the Panhandle to the mouth of the Rio Grande in Texas, although their principal range is considered to be from the 101st meridian eastward. Within the broad scope of this area, bobwhite’s presence and abundance are dependent primarily upon the amount andquality of quail habitat that he can utilize.Texas has more than a million hunters, and the survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census in 1960 showed that 321,000 quail hunters bagged 98 million birds. Most of these were bobwhites, and certainly this number two small game bird in Texas supplies many hours of recreation and many pounds of meat for Texas outdoorsmen. Although climatic factors often determine the extent of bobwhite range in Texas, abnormal weather within the range may dictate the conditions upon which bob’s yearly survival is dependent. Drought, floods, and other natural causes can reap a heavy toll on bobwhite populations and prove to be devastating where quail habitat is of the marginal variety. Even in high quality areas, these factors may reduce quail populations to a dangerous low. However, bobwhite is a resilient game species and his potential for reproduction permits him to make a speedy recovery, if his basic habitat requirements are maintained. Food, water and cover are the keys to bobwhite survival. The plants providing these essentials may vary greatly from one portion of the quail range to another. Management requires that these key plants be recognized, protected, and perhaps encouraged, if bobwhites are to be produced in huntable numbers. The purpose of this brochure is to acquaint landowners, sportsmen and other bobwhite quail enthusiasts with some specific information, which may be used to improve bobwhite’s lot through management of quail habitat. Quail can be produced on land used for the production of timber, ranching or farming, if the land operator will keep in mind that bobwhite’s habitat needs must be met the year round. Bobwhite’s habitat requirements may be a simple matter of protection of woody cover on prairie range; shallow discing adjoining wide fencerows on an East Texas farm; or some inexpensive food and cover plantings, with protection from grazing, in a South Texas pasture. Knowledge of quail needs do not in itself insure bobwhite’s continued welfare. This knowledge, to be helpful in wildlife management, must be applied to land-use practices found throughout the quail’s range. The basic information contained in this brochure, properly utilized, can help insure to landowners and sportsmen a continued supply of bobwhite quail. Wildlife Biologists and State Wildlife Extension Biologists with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are available in each region of the state to assist landowners in preparing management plans for individual tracts of land which could result in increased bobwhite numbers. What is Bobwhite Quail Habitat? Throughout the vastness of Texas, bobwhite habitat varies in character with the differences in soils and climate. Always, whatever the make-up, quail habitat comes down to this: a piece of ground capable of providing at least one covey with all of its life needs, season after season. Bobwhite must have a year round adequate supply of food and reasonable protection from the hazards to his kind of living. This includes protection from enemies while feeding, resting, loafing, roosting, traveling, and nesting. Weeds Are All Important Sources of Fall and Winter Quail Food Bobwhite early always fares well during spring and summer months. Seeds are ripening then and food supply is supplemental by a wealth of insects and green plant material. However, from the time of the first killing frost, the supply of quail food begins to diminish. All fall and winter, other birds and rodents compete with bobwhite for the summer’s production of seeds. Weathering also depletes the supply. Some staple winter foods of bobwhite quail are listed below. These species have wide distribution throughout Texas. The sportsmen and landowner would do well to recognize the plants in the field and to determine which seeds are represented in the food of quail bagged during the hunting season. Seeds of some of these plants will almost always be found to predominate in the winter food of bobwhites in any part of Texas. Other Bobwhite Foods The list of plants contributing to the quail’s winter diet is a long one. The number of plants represented in a series of quail craws is generally greatest at times when food supplies are critically low. When food is abundant, bobwhites, as do people, tend to eat what they like best and have least trouble finding. A number of woody plants provide winter quail foods in the various regions of Texas. Quail readily eat the smaller acorns, such as those from post oak. To some degree, they are able to crack the larger acorns and break them into bites that can be swallowed. Mesquite beans, pine seeds, gum elastic berries, wild grapes, French mulberries, hackberry, sumac berries and other products of woody plants occasionally are eaten by bobwhites. Stockmen should note that grasses contribute little to food needs of bobwhites. This is because few grass seeds are large enough to provide worthwhile food. Paspalums and panic grasses are minor sources of quail food in the state as a whole, but may be important in some localities. All farm- grown grains, including corn, are acceptable to bobwhites. Where grain is left in the field, bobwhites can be expected to utilize it to an extent controlled by the cover pattern of fencerows and pasture edges. In general, however, it can be safely said that weeds are the most widely distributed source of quail food and weeds respond most reliably to management of quail habitat. Functions of Cover The bobwhite cannot live long without cover just as he cannot live without food. In a sense, the bobwhite’s need for cover is a specialized one. However, because the uses and functions of different types of quail cover overlap to some degree, and because external factors such as weather, predation and hunting pressure are variable, bobwhite can adjust somewhat better to cover deficiency than to a shortage of food. So far, no one has been able to draw an exact line where the habitat becomes immediately untenable because of too little or too much cover. On the other hand, bobwhites may endure a shortage of cover for a time, but the population trend will be downward unless cover deficiency is quickly corrected. The quail manager must aim not only at good cover; he must insure that the cover will not deteriorate under influence of winter storms or livestock use. As pointed out earlier, a month of cover failure can be as disastrous to a covey as can a 12-month lack. Bobwhites need these types of cover: screening overhead cover for security while feeding and traveling, woody “tangled” cover to which the bobwhite can resort for immediate escape from an enemy, a “living room” type of cover for dusting or resting, and nesting cover. Roosting cover is also needed; however, if the other types are present it is almost certain that roosting conditions will be no problem. Bobwhites roost on the ground, in grassy or weedy glades, in old reverting fields, on grassy hillsides and in openings in timbered areas. The location of roosts is partly a matter of weather and partly of choosing a site where food will be nearby for the early morning feeding period. * ALL INFORMATION COURTSEY OF TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE |
| BOB-WHITE QUAIL |
| October 28 - February 25 |