Making (improving) quail habitat

[quail hound]

I almost got sick this morning when I was told I would be mowing our river this morning since its a spot I can go move a covey or two at if I only have a few hours to spare. All I could think about were those coveys who would have no cover left to call home and as soon as I got there I had a covey calling to me but then I thought about how over grown some spots had become and that maybe I'll actually be improving the habitat a year or two down the road. Thankfully Elderberry and cottonwoods are on the no cut list out here so I left a little cover for them before we get some new growth. Not the greatest pics but here is what I was up to today, improving quail habitat and getting paid to do it.:cheers:

Mowing willow scrub 15' tall and to dense to be any good for quail.

And a little cover I left for the birds and rabbits.

Sorry for the poor quality of the pics. I'll try to get some better ones tomorrow.

 

[quail hound]

And yes, that is a river. And no, it doesn't flow save for maybe once every 10 years if we get a very wet winter.

 

[oldandnew]

All upland bird habitat improvement looks like heck to begin with. I opened up hedgerows to get sunlight and annual weeds throughout, made brush piles, for winter cover, and watched the bare jagged roots, bare ground, till the weeds came on. Ruffed Grouse cover is decidedly better by clear cutting. Prairie needs burning, every third year or so. I watched conservation officer, bulldoze a 1/4 mile strip of cottonwoods down where in a span of ten years I shot at least 50 pheasants, Pheasants forever paid for the project! I am sorry to say upland habitat is a short term reality. If we don't improve it, it will cease to be productive. All of these recovered fairly quickly, but it makes us sorry to look at property expecting to see a tree or defining cover where the " old reliable covey could be found" or the place where I shot 3 pheasants in one spot. A little totty of bourbon helps a lot with the memories, as does the resurgence of the bird population later! But it's still hard to actually do the work. Even if we belief it's for the greater good.

 

[Prairie Drifter]

When it's time to beat up the habitat, it's probably time to start a pup. The coming 2-5 years should see a big jump in productivity. You can't grow quail on wood! They aren't woodpeckers, they need the diversity afforded by disturbance. Axe, cow, match and plow are the tools of the wildlife manager. You've just kicked a good can down the road. Follow it and see where you end up!

 

[quail hound]

Thanks guys, that is exactly what I wanted to hear. The lady over seeing us (biologist) is coming out tomorrow to make sure we are leaving everything we are supposed to intact and I'm wondering if I can put a bug in her ear about a few new plantings in the erodible areas. She has final say on the habitat side and I'm thinking a few rosa californica plantings might just add a touch of diversity needed in the area. The next stretch we are going to work on has a major arundo infestation and I hope we do something to eradicate the problem and not just drop them and leave them lay.

I've been a volunteer on a few native restorations on the big river just south of here but this is the first work I've got to do on an area where I actually hunt and it feels pretty good. I need to figure out how to get paid to do this kind of work full-time. :cheers:

 

[jmac]

When it's time to beat up the habitat, it's probably time to start a pup. The coming 2-5 years should see a big jump in productivity. You can't grow quail on wood! They aren't woodpeckers, they need the diversity afforded by disturbance. Axe, cow, match and plow are the tools of the wildlife manager. You've just kicked a good can down the road. Follow it and see where you end up!

This is spot on. PD love your posts.

QH Don't worry Opening up some areas will make it better four those Springers to springe a little. Kidding a side it will make things better in the long run for you and your dogs.:thumbsup: