A while back, I had a poll on food plots. The survey question asked what’s your favorite type of food plot to plant for bobwhites.

The results are in, and there was a tie between milo and forage sorghum for the most popular food crops. I don’t think there was any election fraud or hanging chats. I hoped no one voted twice or let their bird dog vote.

Here are the results for favorite bobwhite food plots:

• 16 votes forage sorghum
• 16 votes milo
• 7 votes millet
• 1 vote corn
• 1 vote soybean
• 1 vote sunflower

I thought the clear winner would have been milo with forage sorghum coming in a distant second. Either way, both are excellent choices for bobwhites. I often mix the two together to get the best of both crops.

Forage sorghum grows 6 to 9 feet tall (picture below) and does well in a variety of soil types. Forage sorghum will lodge over in the the winter. The jumbled mess of stems is excellent cover and food for rabbits, quail and pheasants. Forage sorghum will last well into late winter and is an excellent emergency food source after heavy snow or ice. Egyptian wheat is very similar to forage sorghum and tends to stay upright during the winter. Forage sorghum will not produce as much seed as milo, but more than makes up for it by providing excellent winter cover and a late winter food source. I recommend forage sorghum in areas with high deer populations. Deer will devour milo seedheads in the doughy stage, but not forage sorghum.

The other top food plot crop was milo (picture below). Grain sorghum (milo) produces large seedheads and does well in a variety of soil types. The only real downfall for milo is deer relish the seedheads during the dough stage. I’ve seen small milo food plots striped clean by deer. To outsmart deer, try mixing forage sorghum and milo together to get the best of both crops. The taller forage sorghum will help hide the larger milo seedheads (at least in theory). They still seem to find some of it.

I was surprised to see millet in third place. Maybe that’s because I prefer milo and forage sorghum over millet. Generally, millets are good seed producers and are easy to establish. Millets can be broadcasted into July and still mature before the first frost (most varieties mature in 90 days). Whether it is proso, pearl, German or brown top, millet provides good brooding cover and food for bobwhites.

I thought sunflowers would get a few more votes since I frequently find coveys next to sunflower fields. I usually see coveys next to sunflower fields in the summer and early fall. I think quail like sunflower fields in the summer for loafing cover and brooding cover if left weedy. If left unmowed, sunflower plots can provide a good food source for bobwhites, pheasants and other wildlife. However, most sunflower fields are planted for dove hunting so by early August the fields are mowed or disked, leaving little food or cover for bobwhites. Any seed left on the ground will germinate in September leaving little food for the long winter ahead. Sunflower fields managed for doves are usually sprayed with herbicides a few times to control weeds (annual seedy plants) and to keep the fields “clean”. A weedy food plot is better for quail, but not for doves. If you want sunflowers for doves then be happy with providing some brooding and loafing cover for bobwhites in July and August. If you want the sunflower field to benefit bobwhites consider reducing the number of herbicide treatments and/or disk only the interior of the field while leaving a 30 to 60 foot strip of unmowed sunflowers around the edge.

I wasn’t surprised to see corn near the bottom of the list for bobwhite food plots. Generally, corn can only be grown in fertile soils and must be drilled with a planter. Most other grains can be broadcasted. Corn has high fertility requirements, especially compared to other food plot crops. Corn is a very good food and cover source for a variety of wildlife, especially deer and turkey and that might be one reason why corn wasn’t too popular on the quail food plot poll. I’ve learned over the years that corn food plots must be at least 1 acre in size to feed all the deer, turkey, squirrels and raccoons. On the plus side, corn is a high energy source and provides excellent cover for bobwhites. I like to plant corn in a succotash food plot (glyphosate resistant corn and soybeans mixed together). I normally idle the plot the second year. In fact, last year’s corn/soybean food plot on our farm still has quite a bit of corn left (picture below). I’ll leave this plot idle until next year to provide ideal brooding cover this summer.

Also at the bottom was soybeans. Soybeans are relished by most wildlife and that might be their downfall as a quail food plot. Small soybean plots are quickly overbrowsed by deer, groundhogs and rabbits. Experience has taught me that soybean food plots should be planted in large blocks and must be at least 1 acre (sometimes even large). Generally, we recommend long, linear food plots for bobwhites and that usually doesn’t work for soybean plots. Another problem with soybeans is the seeds often shatter on the ground and are inaccessible to quail after a heavy snow or ice storm. Soybeans aren’t my favorite food plot for quail, but I usually plant some each year. Cowpeas are similar to soybeans. Cowpeas are often planted in the southeast United States for deer browse or as a grain plot for bobwhites. Soybeans do well in a variety of soil types and don’t require much fertility. Quail will use soybean food plots for summer brooding cover and for roosting cover if left weedy (few herbicide treatments). I’ve shot a lot of quail out of weedy soybean food plots and in unharvested soybean fields. That’s one reason why I still plant beans.

Thanks to those who voted for their favorite food plot. I don’t think we need a recount or special election. Take a look at my new poll on what’s your favorite type of covey headquarters.

Take a look at some of my older blogs on food plots and the University of Tennessee Extension publication on food plots. All 168 pages are full of great information on food plots and so much more.

The Pros and Cons to Food Plots – Think Outside the Food Plot!
What else you should consider before planting food plots.

Flip Flop That Food Plot
Sometimes the best food plot hasn’t been planted.

Food Plot Management
Good information on when and where to plant food plots.

Habitat is the Key!

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The Northern bobwhite quail has declined in Missouri since the mid-1950s, by more than seventy percent in the last thirty years. The long-term decline resulted from changes in land management. The landscape has changed from a patchwork of small farms with small fields, brushy areas and open woodlands to fewer, larger farms with larger fields, clean fencerows and dense forests. Other factors leading to declining habitat quality are the increased use of densely-growing cool-season pasture grasses and the chemical control of insect and plant pests.

Quail need patchy habitats with a mix of bare ground and more dense cover, along with seed-bearing plants and insects. They must have suitable areas for nest sites and brood-rearing and cover to protect the birds from predators. Without suitable habitat available, the quail’s plight is made worse by extended periods of winter ice and snow. Unusually wet periods during spring and early summer, such as we had last year, also take a toll on young quail chicks.

Quail nesting in Missouri should be in full swing right now. After a 23-day incubation period for the eggs, young quail will be hatching later in May. The newly hatched chicks can easily succumb to exposure from frequent rains and cool temperatures. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for some warm and drier conditions during late May and June. We’ll need good habitat and a little luck with the weather to see good numbers of quail chicks fledged this year.

Today there are multiple efforts underway to reverse the long decline in the quail population. Quail respond well to certain habitat management practices . These practices are increasingly being implemented on public and private property in Missouri. “Habitat is the Key” is the slogan for the growing body of information on restoring quail populations. What we do to improve quail populations will, at the same time, help a host of other ground-nesting Missouri birds that share the same needs as quail.

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Quail Unlimited Private Land Radio Collar Project
Bill White, Private Land Program Supervisor, Jefferson City, MO

In 2008, the Missouri Department of Conservation teamed up with Quail Unlimited to conduct a radio collar project on three private land sites in central and western Missouri. Funding for the project was provided by Quail Unlimited. Radio receivers and antenna were provided by MDC. Quail were captured in areas where Farm Bill conservation program practices were installed in an attempt to observe quail use of those practices. After capture, birds were located by radio receiver at least one time per week.

ANDREW COUNTY

The Andrew County study site is a 160 acre native warm-season grass CRP planting managed specifically for quail with food plots, prescribed burning, shrub plantings and light disking. There were 9 known coveys on the farm and 11 birds were radio-collared from this site. Several birds had hatched in mid- September. The first birds were trapped in October, 2008. Radio tracking is being conducted by volunteer students from Missouri Western State University. Observations from the site include:

• All birds were trapped in plum thickets even though traps were located in grass cover and edge feathering.
• No useable shrubby cover is present in the majority of the field, especially in the center. During the winter observations, birds were only observed in association with woody cover along the perimeter of the site and bare ground. Birds did not use the center of the field and at any time were found within 50 yards of woody cover. The map below is a great example of how one collared quail stayed close to woody cover throughout most of the winter.
• Birds frequently exchanged between coveys during the winter months.
• In one observation instance birds moved on foot ahead of the tracker and did not flush for ¼ mile.

CASS COUNTY

The Cass County site is a mixture of CP33 associated with edge feathering and older CRP native warm-season grass plantings. Seven birds were trapped in and adjacent to edge feathering. The first birds were trapped in December, 2008. Radio tracking is being done by Quail Unlimited volunteers. Observations from the site include:

• All bird observations are within 25 yards of wooded fence lines or edge feathering. When weather is bad (snow or ice storms) the birds move into edge feathering as a front approaches and stay til weather moderates.
• Birds also frequently exchange between coveys during the winter months.
• Tracker reports birds commonly running ahead and never flushing. In one instance, tracker stood next to a hidden bird for several minutes before it flushed. In another instance, tracker reported that hunters with bird dogs passed over two coveys that had been located just minutes earlier in the CRP field.

OSAGE COUNTY

The Osage County site is an EQIP woodland restoration site and 11 acres of fescue conversion. The site is surrounded by unmanaged woodland and fescue pasture and hayland. Five birds were captured in mid-November and 4 of those birds had hatched in mid-September. All birds were captured in shrubby understory of the restored woodland. Trapping birds was suspended when house cats were found checking traps daily. Radio tracking is being done by a Quail Academy graduate and Quail Unlimited volunteer. Observations from this site include:

• 60% of flushes were from woodland, downed tree structures or shrubby cover.
• 40% of flushes were from a fescue conversion dominated by wildflowers. All documented winter roost sites were in wildflowers.
• Birds were visually observed to be feeding or gathering grit from a gravel lane located between the woodland and wildflower field on two occasions during midday.
• 100% of escape locations were associated with the woodland.
• Only one occurrence of bird use of fescue was observed. At all other times, birds avoided fescue. All birds were found within 25 yards of woodland shrubby cover during winter months.

Aaron’s Editorial

So what can we learn from this project? The research was right. Quail depend on good shrubby cover and lots of bare ground. Create these types of habitats and they will use them. If you ignore shrubby, nesting or brooding cover and the birds may not use the area or have a larger home range. Quail will also go to great lengths to avoid predators including hunters and they quickly wise up to hunters. Birds frequently shuffle from covey to covey. Some coveys have a very small home range while others like to explore. Once again collared birds have backed what research has told us for years – quail like bare ground (disturbed areas) and lots of low growing woody cover. I’ll keep you posted if there’s any new information.

Habitat is the Key!

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Having dense grass isn’t very smart if you want quail. To improve grasslands and old fields for bobwhites consider strip disking part of the field each year. Strip or light disking reduces residue, creates bare ground, and promotes desirable broadleaf plants that produce seed and attract insects, at a much lower cost than planting food plots. To be effective, complete light disking in grassland habitats next to areas of usable shrubby cover such as covey headquarters, downed tree structures, edge feathering or native shrub thickets.

I prefer strip disking in the fall, but early spring disking will work too. Fall disking promotes annual seed producing plants like ragweed and lespedeza. Spring disking can sometimes result in annual foxtail and crabgrass – still good quail habitat, but ragweed and annual lespedeza provide better structural habitat and food for bobwhites.

Always disk with the contour. Disked strips should be 25 to 75 feet wide with equally as wide undisked areas in between. Disk a third of the field each year. In future years disk the undisked areas (see diagram below). Don’t be gentle either. Go over the strips two or three times to really work up the ground. On CRP fields always check with your local USDA Service Center on mid-contract management dates and how much ground can be worked up each year.

In rank grass fields I like to first burn the field and then strip disk part of the field. The combination of two disturbances really setbacks the grass. Last weekend, I strip disked part of our CP-33 field border. We burned parts of the buffer in January so I went back and strip disked these parts of the buffer. I also like to disk around covey headquarters, brush piles and downed tree structures before burning to protect these areas from prescribed fire and to break up the plant structure in the field. One more hint. I rarely disk straight lines across the field. The disked strips meander across the field. Believe it or not, strip disking can be fun and is a great way to improve quail habitat on your property.

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There’s no doubt about it. Quail habitat is good for most other wildlife. Creating good nesting, brooding and shrubby cover for bobwhites can also provide good habitat for songbirds, rabbit, wild turkey and white-tailed deer. Even if your hunting place is big timber, grassland, or crop fields managing for bobwhites on all or part of your farm is a great way to enhance deer and turkey hunting on your property. Here are a couple ideas on how to manage for Bob, Tom and Buck.

Plant Native Warm-Season Grass

Waist high native grass (shown below) provides excellent habitat for wild turkey and quail. Native grass fields next to timbered areas provide excellent nesting cover and recently burned or disturbed fields provide good strutting areas. I often find a few turkey nests each year in native grass fields.

White-tailed deer will use native grass fields for fawning and winter bedding. Think about it. The grass is brown. The deer is brown. The grass is at least waist high. What a great place to hide. How many deer do you see in native grass fields during the hunting season? There’s a reason their out there.
Edge Feather Field Edges

Edge feathering is great for quail and rabbits. This practice can also be used to funnel deer or turkey to your favorite hunting spot. A couple years ago during the youth turkey season I took my nephew hunting. We hunted a field edge that was edge feathered. Nothing could walk through the edge feathering so we sat up at the very end of the edge feathering. That morning we had several deer walk by and finally a bunch of turkeys. The turkeys couldn’t walk through the edge feathering so they just walked around it. Right to where we were waiting.

Woodland Restoration

Overstocked woodlands are a hidden gem for woodland wildlife including bobwhite quail and wild turkey. Woodland restoration involves thinning out undesirable trees (opening up the canopy) and eventually re-introducing prescribed fire. The combination of fire and sun promotes the growth of native grasses, wild flowers and native legumes – food and cover for quail and turkey. The downed trees look rather messy, but this mess of trees provide ideal nesting cover for wild turkey. A couple years later you won’t even notice the downed trees.

Open up the Timber

I don’t recommend managing exclusively for bobwhites on big patches of timber. Big timber is and never will be good quail habitat. Instead incorporate quail friendly practices such as timber stand improvement, temporary forest openings and old field renovation into your wildlife management plan. You might never see a bobwhite on your place, but I guarantee you’ll improve habitat for deer and turkey.

Most oak hickory forest in Missouri are overstocked with trees. Thinning out undesirable and less productive trees (a.k.a. Forest Stand Improvement) will improve tree growth and stimulate the growth of young trees, shrubs and native legumes on the forest floor. The flush of new growth provides excellent deer browse and brooding cover for turkeys (see picture below).

Fifty years ago there were numerous small fields throughout Missouri’s landscape. Over time, these fields have been abandoned. Today, these “old fields” are choked full of undesirable trees such as locust, hedge, elm and eastern red cedar. Consider rejuvenating these old fields by clearing or cutting out the undesirable trees. You can use a chainsaw (the hard way), bulldozer, bullhog, or tree clipper. Plant the cleared area to a food plot or native grasses or letting the field grow up in seedy plants. Disturb the field every few years with disking or burning to stimulate even more seedy plants. The rejuvenated field will provide good browse for deer and an excellent strutting area for turkey.

On south or west facing slopes I like to establish 1/4 to 2 acre temporary forest openings. Before starting, make sure you work with a biologist or forester to pick out a suitable site. It may sound drastic but all you need to do is cut down all the trees. Yep, cut them all down or at least most of them. You can use the cut trees for firewood or just leave them. You can save a couple nice oaks or soft mast trees for food sources, but cut everything else down. Over the next five to ten years the opening will grow up in tree saplings, shrubs and herbaceous plants. These food and cover meccas are great places to deer hunt. Turkeys like forest openings too. The abundance of new sprouts and overhead cover provide ideal nesting and brooding cover.

The Proof is in the Picture

The past couple years I’ve been helping a friend with managing his farm for quail. We’ve planted native warm-season grasses, edge feathered, restored woodlands, cleared old fields and created forest openings. Quail have returned and the deer and turkey hunting has never been better!

Habitat is the Key!

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Last week the Department of Conservation released the Strategic Guidance for Northern Bobwhite Recovery 2008 Report. The report is a collection of private and public land success stories, habitat accomplishments, research results, and outreach efforts by the Department, landowners, and conservation partners to promote quail habitat management and outdoor recreation related to bobwhites.
The 60 page report highlights the Department’s public land management, Quail Emphasis Area, private land accomplishments, Farm Bill programs, private land Quail Focus Areas, grassland bird habitat management and special outreach efforts like the Missouri Quail Academy, youth quail hunts and the Bradford Research and Extension Center Bobwhite Quail Field Day. There’s a lot happening for bobwhites in Missouri and other states as the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative continues to grow into a nationwide effort to restore bobwhite habitat.

However, there’s still a lot of work to be done. Now isn’t the time to grow content with our early success. Existing quail habitat must be disturbed with prescribed fire, strip disking or managed grazing. Invasive weeds must be controlled. Pine and oak woodlands must be thinned and prescribed fire reintroduced. For other habitats patience is the key. It will take at least five years for new shrub plantings to become usable habitat. It will take two or three years for new CRP field borders to provide quality nesting cover for bobwhites. No matter what, get the kids involved.

Before you start on your next habitat project, take the time to look through the report. There’s a lot happening for bobwhites in Missouri.

Habitat is the Key!

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Jack Stanford (the Department’s quail biologist from the late 1950s to 1980) predicted the bobwhite decline we have seen the past 30 years. Jack didn’t have a crystal ball, but the writing was on the wall. Missouri’s landscape was changing for bobwhites.

Over the years, bobwhites have experienced a slow decline due to habitat degradation and destruction. The occasional ice storm, blizzard or flood helped speed up the decline or eventually wiped out isolated populations. Dr. Fred Guthery describes isolated populations in his book On Bobwhites as “zombie quail” which can result in “graveyard habitats”.

“Zombie quail” is an isolated population that is only one or two bad weather events away from being wiped out. These isolated coveys are usually restricted to small patches of good habitat which is surrounded by massive areas of poor habitat. For example, I have a “zombie quail” population on my family farm in Osage County. The farm is a 140 acre island of good quail habitat in the middle of a quail desert (overgrazed fescue pastures and big oak/hickory forests).

If the farms around us stay the same, our “zombie quail” population will always be one major weather event (ice, snow, rain, drought or flood) away from giving us “graveyard habitat”. In other words, if our quail population is completely wiped out by an ice storm there might not be any birds nearby to repopulate our island of good habitat Even though the habitat looks great, there are no birds, which gives us “graveyard habitat”.

The weather we have experienced in Missouri the past two years has probably created more “zombie quail” populations and “graveyard habitat” in places. Over the past five years our farm has gone from one, two, five, two and one covey, respectively. The drop off from five to two and then one is likely related to the hard winters and the fact that we have a “zombie quail” population.In the meantime we’ll keep on managing for quail. We still have an incredible rabbit population (proof in the picture below), deer hunting has never been better and we are starting to see wild turkeys around the farm even though we only have about 10 oak trees on the entire place. The turkeys really like the farm for nesting and brooding habitat and deer use the farm for bedding cover.

Fortunately today there are still good pockets of quail habitat scattered across Missouri and more being created every day. I think we’ll eventually see a recovery in these places. We just need a break from the weather and a good hatch.

These pockets of good habitat range in size from one or two farms to large private land Quail Focus Areas where several landowners in a defined geography are working to restore habitat for bobwhite quail. With help from conservation partners and landowners, Department biologists have identified 34 private land Quail Focus Areas in Missouri. Most focus areas are 30,000 to 40,000 acres in size but some are even larger because of widespread landowner interest. The purpose of Quail Focus Areas is to work with private landowners to improve habitat conditions in these targeted landscapes. Checkout out the Covey Headquarter Newsletter for details on Quail Focus Areas. We are highlighting two focus areas in each issue.

Does targeting habitat work make a difference? You bet. Last year Department biologists conducted fall whistle counts on farms located in two Quail Focus Areas and on farms outside the focus area. Within these focus areas landowners have established and maintained a considerable amount of habitat. Outside the focus area there’s been some habitat work, but the work isn’t as concentrated as in the focus area. To no surprise we found quail densities twice as high inside the focus area compared to farms outside the focus area. Concentrated habitat work makes a difference!Other good examples of concentrated habitat work have occurred in at least two Missouri counties. I hope you have heard about Cass and Scott County. These two counties were the first counties in the nation to achieve habitat goals identified in the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative. Since 2002, landowners in these counties have restored thousands of acres of habitat for bobwhites. Landowners in Scott County have restored over 7,000 acres of habitat while in Cass County over 15,000 acres have been created since 2002!

Think all that habitat work has made a difference? You bet. Back in December, a southeast Missouri quail hunter found seven coveys while hunting in Scott County. Not too bad if you ask me. We’ve been receiving several good stories from Scott County for the past three years.

We heard similar stories from Cass County before the 2007 and 2008 ice storms and summer floods. Cass County has been a bulllseye for bad weather. Take for example on June 30, 2007 most of Cass County received 20 inches of rain in a 24 hour period. I don’t have to tell you what that did to the quail. I recently talked with Andy Carmack, private land conservationist in Cass County, and it sounds like bird numbers are starting to recover. On some farms bird numbers have already recovered to 2006 levels.

The benefit of having large areas of suitable habitat, like in Cass and Scott County is quail are more likely to rebound from devastating weather events. Landowners outside of focus areas shouldn’t be discouraged. You can still provide excellent quail habitat and still have excellent results. Many of the success stories we receive come from Missouri landowners are from isolated patches of good habitat. Our hopes are more people will become interested and these small patches will grow into large ones. In the meantime, Department staff are going to concentrate their efforts on landowners in the 34 Quail Focus Areas. Landowners outside of focus areas need not worry, Department staff will be their to help you too.

Habitat is the Key!
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The 2008 – 2009 Missouri quail season has come to an end. Only 290 days unitl opening day.

The first hunt in Callaway County on private land revealed six coveys in less than three hours! That’s over two coveys an hour! Interestingly, my dad and I hunted the same place a week earlier and only found two coveys. This just goes to show you how hard quail can be sometimes. The farm is a mix of native grass CRP, crop fields and woods. For the past four years I’ve been helping my friend with summer prescribed burns on the warm-season grass fields, edge feathering and spraying out fescue along the edges of all the fields. To no surprise the six coveys were either in edge feathering, plum thickets or only a short distance from good woody cover. We finished the morning hunt with an early lunch at Cranes General Store in Williamsburg. A one dollar turkey sandwich on white bread! The second hunt was south of the Missouri River in Gasconade County on private land. The morning started with wind gusts over 50 miles per hour. Not the best day for bird hunting, but we still found three coveys in about four hours of hunting. The coveys were wild in the windy conditions and all three coveys flushed ahead of the dogs. We never fired a shot, but the day was still a blast. There’s likely more coveys there since the farmer still had all his crops in the field. The past four years the landowner has more than doubled his quail population by planting native grass field borders and improving shrubby cover around his crop field edges. It took a year or two but the landowner now realizes that having good shrubby cover is critical for bobwhites. This year he plans to plant some more wild plum and blackberry thickets.

This three day hunting adventure is something I will always remember. Not for my shooting abilities, I couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn, but for the constant action and satisfaction of finding the birds in the habitat we had created for them. Over three days we found 14 coveys and averaged about one covey per hour! I found the hunts rewarding because on each property the landowner is doing something for bobwhite and they are seeing results. Why?

While each farm was different, each landowner has created good nesting, brooding and woody cover for quail. Most notably has been the establishment of good woody cover by edge feathering, planting/managing native shrubs and thinning rank grass stands with prescribed fire or light disking. Each landowner has also gone back and nit picked their past work to make it even better.

During the holiday season dad and I went on a quail hunting marathon. We quail and pheasant hunted in Missouri 11 out of 12 days. By January 3rd we were exhausted. So were the dogs. The highlights of our Christmas hunts was hunting with some friends in northwest Missouri. We harvested a few roosters and found four coveys that day. All four coveys were close to edge feathering and shrub thickets. The roosters didn’t even have a chance.

In January I hunted the Callaway County farm one last time. I found four coveys in three hours of hunting. Three of the coveys were in the exact same spots where I found them in December – edge feathering and shrub thickets! The landowner said he hasn’t seen this many coveys on his farm in over 20 years. We estimate there’s 13 coveys on his farm. This summer we plan to do a little more edge feathering. We’ve done 30 acres of edge feathering the past four years.

The 2008-2009 season didn’t go down as one of our best season, but it will always be remembered.

Habitat is the Key!

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