OK/KS fires - pheasant impact?

C

cokid

Active member
Just wondering how much impact you think the fires will have on next year's birds. I assume the main impact will be loss of cover, but I'm wondering how many birds are actually killed in the fires - or possibly by smoke inhalation.
 
A bunch… fire is a great tool for habitat improvement but these types of fires are so hot and intense they damage wooded plants.. the smokehouse creek fire in Texas panhandle in 2024 is in my work route, coming off the best season in a decade I’ve seen 3-5 coveys off the railroad tracks inside the burn line since the fire, most were within spitting distance of the burn line. 50,000 ft view it may be a good thing but as for the next year or two it’s trouble. A good fire man made or nature leaves skips and edges, these rollers on a 70mph wind day are brutal, if cows and deer are being burnt what chance would a quail have imo.
 
The burn itself has plenty of variables. Where was it when they were roosting? Was there cover that didn't burn available to escape to or to use after the fire. Now, the predators will have some advantage as there is little to hide in. The distance to cover will also figure in as well as the distance to birds to repopulate. In the long run, it may turn positive, but that may well be some time ahead.
 
IMG_7039.jpeg
This was June, so 5 months after the fire. It really wouldn’t matter if a few survived the fire there was no where to go. Mind you this fire was very intense and a huge footprint, with very little rain after the fact.
 
matto said:
Pretty good info here about quail response to wildfire.

quailresearch.org

Quail Response to Large-Scale Wildfires in the TX Panhandle - Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation

Summarized by Dale Rollins Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation Quail hunters north of Interstate 40 in the Texas Panhandle enjoyed a good quail season this year. Most of that region had received above average rainfall over the past year, and range conditions were good to excellent...
quailresearch.org quailresearch.org
Click to expand...

That is interesting - thanks! Especially regarding soil types.

It's my understanding - both from reading and direct experience - that quail recover more quickly from adverse environmental conditions (drought, fire, ice and/or hail storms) than pheasants. Even though I didn't state at the beginning, I was really thinking more of them than quail in my original post. I wonder if PF has ever looked into it.
 
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