Where have all the Quail gone? - SE KS

[Prairie Drifter]

Thanks KB! I'll gladly accept your slightly exaggerated estimate of the value of my total work I figure the smarter we all are as hunters, the more benefit we can give the sport in the voting booth or while talking with landowners. Further, it makes us better hunters to know more about the critters we pursue. I turely believe that, if every kid in school had to take and excell at trapping, we'd be a more ecologically conscious nation! It is amazing how many hunters I talk to each year that don't even know what habitat to look for their targeted species in. Too many of them are satisfied to do that. It's hard for me to comprehend. As an example, I met some Wichita hunters on my wildlife area, asked them what they were hunting. They indicated pheasants. I asked, have you hunted pheasants here before? They said, yes, for 30 years. I asked how many pheasants he had killed on the area in 30 years. He answered 3. I told him that there were WIHA's within 8 miles that he might be able to kill 3 pheasants today on. He responde "we're comfortable here". If you just like walking with guns, join the army! I've had similar talks with folks with ducks, quail, deer, turkey, dove, rabbits, etc. Why here? Some Oklahoma quail hunters were asking why they weren't seeing more quail on the WIHA's. I asked them if they could see their feet in it. Pregnant pause. Spent an hour educating them on the ecological niche of bobwhite and why CRP that had some age on it was usually poor quail habitat. They'd hunted for decades and hadn't connected the dots. If we could get all the kids led by people with this limited understanding of habitat just 1 week of hunting with someone that can put them on their intended species, we'd not be hurting for license sales. My son doesn't know how lucky he has been! Made my daughter a heck of a brook trout fisherwoman too! Both liked to go trapping with me.

 

[cheesy]

PD-

So you're saying we need to be hunting in areas where our game is in order to see any?

No wonder I haven't shot a big mule deer at home in southeast Kansas.

 

[Prairie Drifter]

It's reallly quite amazing Cheesy! I've had duck hunters set decoys under tree canopy, deer hunters on a perfect trail that they parked their truck straddle of, quail hunters hunting fescue hay meadows, pheasant hunters walking grazed pasture, goose hunters set up on a 4 acre field, 1 bowhunter was dressed head to toe in orange smoking a cigarette and sitting in the wide open on a white bucket! The list goes on.

 

[M. R. Byrd]

. My son doesn't know how lucky he has been! Made my daughter a heck of a brook trout fisherwoman too! Both liked to go trapping with me.

That is fortunate.

My sons benefited from habitat work at the ranch. My father retired due to health issues and rented the ranch out. Eight years and two tenants later, it was back in his lap. Over that time period it had pretty much become public hunting and had been over hunted. It took two years to get the trespassing slowed down and after then end of the third year we had taken the bird numbers from one rooster pheasant and three quail to decent numbers. My sons got to see what it took to propagate upland birds. This work instilled a great appreciation for wildlife and the great outdoors and they remain, not only my best friends but also my hunting buddies. One son has a career in the hunting industry.

In my opinion, habitat work is a great teacher and person builder.

 

[OKIEGunner]

That is fortunate.

My sons benefited from habitat work at the ranch. My father retired due to health issues and rented the ranch out. Eight years and two tenants later, it was back in his lap. Over that time period it had pretty much become public hunting and had been over hunted. It took two years to get the trespassing slowed down and after then end of the third year we had taken the bird numbers from one rooster pheasant and three quail to decent numbers. My sons got to see what it took to propagate upland birds. This work instilled a great appreciation for wildlife and the great outdoors and they remain, not only my best friends but also my hunting buddies. One son has a career in the hunting industry.

In my opinion, habitat work is a great teacher and person builder.

Maynard

It is always great to hear of small success stories such as what you just described. I am convinced that in order to restore quail populations to sustainable numbers there needs to be thousands of small success stories just like yours.

Let’s face the real facts; in order to restore the population of quail the “private landowner” is the key. Kansas has one of the highest percentages of privately owned land in the entire USA. Less than 2% of lands in Kansas are Government owned. Habitat management for Quail on Government and or State owned lands is a start, however in the end it will take Private owners to join in the cause.

Your habitat restoration project could be the beginning of returning to the days when the “land-management practices” were developed as the early settlers carved out the farms in large expanses of the West. :cheers:

Educating and encouraging your adjoining neighbors to make these same habitat improvements will only benefit your management efforts by extending the home range of your birds.

Thanks for taking the time to share your success story.

 

[M. R. Byrd]

Thanks for taking the time to share your success story.

I have not done enough. I just hope the projects I have planned over the next five years will get me to the point where I feel I have made a real difference.

 

[Prairie Drifter]

I believe that it will be important for producers to idle acres they farm that are currently not profitable. This will require that they map their harvest with a GPS productivity mapping. To make the economics fit wildlife management, we must make the ledger balance. By idling those unproductive acres and putting those into bobwhite cover while receiving payments from the federal programs, operators can make a living and still maintain/improve the hunting heritage. If we do a better job managing our grassland habitats, we could reasonable increase our bobwhite populations by a factor of 2-3X easily. If you've driven anywhere in the eastern half of Kansas or Oklahoma, the cedar, hedge, and Russian Olive invasion of our grassland habitats bespeak of our poor management. If we can find the answer that would help these landowners make those acres more productive for both cattle and game, we'll have a winner.

 

[Shadow]

I believe that it will be important for producers to idle acres they farm that are currently not profitable. This will require that they map their harvest with a GPS productivity mapping. To make the economics fit wildlife management, we must make the ledger balance. By idling those unproductive acres and putting those into bobwhite cover while receiving payments from the federal programs, operators can make a living and still maintain/improve the hunting heritage. If we do a better job managing our grassland habitats, we could reasonable increase our bobwhite populations by a factor of 2-3X easily. If you've driven anywhere in the eastern half of Kansas or Oklahoma, the cedar, hedge, and Russian Olive invasion of our grassland habitats bespeak of our poor management. If we can find the answer that would help these landowners make those acres more productive for both cattle and game, we'll have a winner.

wow- you really have nailed it

I sit on a rather large farm- till, plant, then disc under without any thought to birds- really is no cover for pheasants or quail out here- no cover or anything such for deer- within 4 miles- nobody cares

actualy hard to understand how we have any wildlife arround here

 

[OKIEGunner]

I believe that it will be important for producers to idle acres they farm that are currently not profitable. This will require that they map their harvest with a GPS productivity mapping. To make the economics fit wildlife management, we must make the ledger balance. By idling those unproductive acres and putting those into bobwhite cover while receiving payments from the federal programs, operators can make a living and still maintain/improve the hunting heritage. If we do a better job managing our grassland habitats, we could reasonable increase our bobwhite populations by a factor of 2-3X easily. If you've driven anywhere in the eastern half of Kansas or Oklahoma, the cedar, hedge, and Russian Olive invasion of our grassland habitats bespeak of our poor management. If we can find the answer that would help these landowners make those acres more productive for both cattle and game, we'll have a winner.

PD

I think your idea would be viable if the Corporate Farming Industry openly embraces these management practices. Reasoning; as the cost of crop production rises, and crop income falls, only the larger business entities (Corporate Farmers), with the ability to profit from outside of the immediate farming activities can afford to remain in the game. It's becoming harder and harder for Family farms to remain in business. More important than all is changing the mindset of constantly trying to improve production efficiency for every square inch on every acre is a must.

Interesting fact (Corporate Farming/ Family Farms): 50% of food production comes from the biggest 2% of all farms. In 1900, it was 17% of all farms.

 

[Shadow]

I can name 3 farmers who decided that they could make more money and do less work by letting a big timer disc., spray, put the crop in- and take the percentage, yet while sitting at their table bitching

family farms of the old days gave way to greed

 

[M. R. Byrd]

The farm bill biologist program that Kansas Pheasants Forever/ Quail Forever is putting on the ground has just that in mind. Lengthy read.

QUOTE:

PHEASANTS FOREVER UNVEILS KANSAS CONSERVATION CAMPAIGN
Landowner program's goal to improve one million acres of Kansas wildlife habitat

OTTAWA — Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever have unveiled a new program called the Kansas Grassroots Conservation Campaign. The campaign is a partnership among the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP), 41 Kansas Pheasants Forever chapters, 11 Kansas Quail Forever chapters, corporations, foundations, and individuals. Its goal: to improve one million acres of Kansas wildlife habitat, benefiting pheasants, quail, and a variety of other game, as well as many nongame species.

Using newly-hired Farm Bill biologists, the program provides customized wildlife conservation plans that are compatible with the production goals of landowners. These new positions were created in partnership with NRCS and KDWP.

Specifically, the campaign is designed with the following goals:

provide every Kansas landowner with the opportunity to have an individual wildlife conservation plan drafted for their property;
educate the public on the economic benefits of conservation programs and estate planning; and
help reverse Kansas' declining upland hunter trend by providing young Kansans with positive outdoor experiences and conservation education.
In the past six months, the Kansas Grassroots Conservation Campaign has raised $2 million towards the campaign's goal of $10 million. The campaign has helped launch PF's Farm Bill biologist program in Kansas. The Farm Bill biologist program is designed to educate farmers and landowners — through one-on-one consulting — about the benefits of conservation programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program and Environmental Quality Incentives Program, and to help farmers and landowners implement their plans.

The program has provided Kansas with three new Farm Bill biologists at the following locations:

Beloit — Tyson Seirer joins PF with previous experience with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and KDWP. Seirer earned a degree in environmental biology at Emporia State University. He can be emailed at tseirer@pheasantsforever.org;
Medicine Lodge — Caleb Papenhausen joins PF with previous experience at the Minnesota Conservation Corps, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and most recently the Missouri Department of Conservation. Papenhausen earned a degree in fisheries and wildlife from the University of Minnesota. He can be emailed at cpapenhausen@pheasantsforever.org; and
Seneca — Toni Larson joins PF with previous experience at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. She earned degrees in wildlife ecology and biology from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She can be emailed at tlarson@pheasantsforever.org.
For more information about the Kansas Grassroots Conservation Campaign and Pheasants Forever's Farm Bill Biologist Program, phone Jordan Martincich at 785-242-3175 or email jmartincich@pheasantsforever.org.

http://www.kdwp.state.ks.us/news/KD...-FOREVER-UNVEILS-KANSAS-CONSERVATION-CAMPAIGN

END QUOTE

QUOTE

Pair of New Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Wildlife Biologists in Kansas
Biologists will help improve pheasant, quail and lesser prairie chicken habitat

Pheasants Forever is "The Habitat Organization."
Kan. - May 18 -
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever announce the addition of two new Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist positions in Kansas. Kirby Calhoun will cover Dickenson, Clay, Ottawa and nearby counties, while Mark Witecha will be covering Ness, Lane, Hodgeman and nearby counties. The positions were created in partnership with the Kansas division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.

Pheasants Forever's Farm Bill Biologists provide on the ground technical assistance to farmers putting into practice the benefits of federal Farm Bill conservation programs (such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Reserve Program). They also assist farmers in implementing various programs and practices recommended by Pheasants Forever and partner organizations. Pheasants Forever has more than 60 Farm Bill Biologists working from Pennsylvania to Idaho.

"I am really excited about the additions to the growing Kansas Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever team," said Steve Riley, Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist Manager with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, "They come with some great experiences, and both are just finishing up their Master's degrees. They will be able to immediately help us achieve our habitat goals."

Kirby Calhoun – Abilene, Kan. Kirby Calhoun will complete his Masters degree in Wildlife from Texas A&M this year. Previous to this, Calhoun spent 2010 working for the U.S. Forest Service as a Wildlife Biologist. Kirby has four years of military experience in the Army, during which he was well decorated. Kirby is based out of the NRCS Service Center in Abilene and can be reached at (785) 263-1351 / KCalhoun@pheasantsforever.org.

Mark Witecha – Ness City, Kan. Not new to conservation organizations, Witecha previously interned at the Aldo Leopold Foundation near his home in south central Wisconsin. Witecha will join Pheasants Forever in early June after finishing his Master's of Science at Texas A&M - Kingsville, where he has been studying the effects of wildfire and drought on the abundance, movement and species richness of small mammals. Witecha will be based out of the Ness City Service Center and can be reached at (785) 263-1351 / MWitecha@pheasantsforever.org.

Pheasants Forever, including its quail conservation division, Quail Forever, is the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 135,000 members and 700 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Chapters are empowered to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds are spent, the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure.

-30-

http://www.pheasantsforever.org/page/1/PressReleaseViewer.jsp?pressReleaseId=116904

END QUOTE

 

[Prairie Drifter]

I did turn 50 this year, so I grabbed On Bobwhite off of the shelf to check my figures. I missed the acreage figure by several fold. It takes 10,000-30,000 acres to a population to persist, not 3,000. That raises the stakes considerably.

 

[M. R. Byrd]

I did turn 50 this year, so I grabbed On Bobwhite off of the shelf to check my figures. I missed the acreage figure by several fold. It takes 10,000-30,000 acres to a population to persist, not 3,000. That raises the stakes considerably.

My little ranch certainly falls short, but now that lease I would love to have fits right in there.

 

[M. R. Byrd]

Prairie Drifter,

My oldest grandson turns eight this month. I would love to have a lot of quail for him to hunt when he turns thirteen in five years. Now if I could add about five coveys a year for the next five years I would be a happy camper.:thumbsup:

 

[KsHusker]

wow- you really have nailed it

I sit on a rather large farm- till, plant, then disc under without any thought to birds- really is no cover for pheasants or quail out here- no cover or anything such for deer- within 4 miles- nobody cares

actualy hard to understand how we have any wildlife arround here

You live in the Southwest, lots of pockets of cover. CRP corners on the irrigation circles, weedy corn stubble, pockets of CRP. Not as conducive to quail as it should be but in areas it works, especially where the sprinklers run 24/7 all summer and you have some occasional cattle activity.

 

[KsHusker]

Shane, a couple of points. In their range, scaled quail are suffering the same habitat and population problems that the bobwhite are. Stocking them where they aren't currently is just like stocking bobwhite where they can't currently support a population. The limiting factor has to be increased to move the population upward. This leads me to the second point. If we think that cropland will cure the problems we are having with quail, we will never recover. Everyone wants to think adding quail artificially or adding an unnatural food source will fix the problems we are seeing. ........

Troy I agree with you in theory, however in todays world I dont believe it will ever work as long as the powers that be are in control. Common sense doesnt rule the day.


I think the point I was trying to make is that if you can have some sort of compromise and meet somewhere in the middle, we could definitely improve from where we are today. The rising cost of fuel and inputs such as fertilizer that you mention could be in our favor. I think if modern farming practices are changed a little it could increase the carrying capacity of birds. Definitely not to the point we had years ago but surely with a marked sign of improvement. The only way to get the farmers to change how they do things is if you show an improvement to their bottom line. Like it or not we're in the minority as far as wanting to support wildlife and the farm is a business. We'd need to show them how small changes that would benefit birds would also benefit their profits.

I personally hate the food/seed companies and hope to someday get to the point where I dont buy much from the store if not at all. The point you make about the crops/bugs is a good one. I just dont see how that is anywhere close to natural or healthy in the long run.

However farmers reliance on those types of technologies is unlikely to wane. But I think where we could potentially win is if we get them to disturb/work the fields less (this may only be more feasible in more western/drier environments in the great plains) which may help to increase the bird populations a little bit. Other things such as leaving stubble higher, not spraying the stubble to kill everything until they plant the next year etc.

Id really like to see more farmers not farm fence post to fence post...leaving a small buffer zone would surely help, that and loosening up the restrictions or changing the management practices of CRP. Most of the CRP is garbage and absolutely no good for quail. Its too old and too thick.

Im sure theres some sort of solution out there, but if we ever get there will be the question. Till then Im giving up on ever having any sort of good quail hunting in our state for the rest of my lifetime unless I fork over some serious $$$$$$$$$$$$ for a couple of the primo areas we are still lucky enough to have which unfortunately happen to have some rather large deer roaming them too.

Im still pissed about how the state or whoever is in charge has handled the habitat transformation of the Wheatland Water Ranch. I havent been down there in 2 years and after this summer expect that place to look like a damn desert. Much of it was starting to look that way 2 years ago. Shutting down the agriculture there and trying to plant native grasses without any help of moisture was the dumbest thing they ever did. They ruined some excellent hunting.

 

[Shadow]

You live in the Southwest, lots of pockets of cover. CRP corners on the irrigation circles, weedy corn stubble, pockets of CRP. Not as conducive to quail as it should be but in areas it works, especially where the sprinklers run 24/7 all summer and you have some occasional cattle activity.

I can see 4 miles all arround- nice that you say there is plenty of cover

had a farmer down the road stop in- he'd like some quail- "the wife would like some so she can go out and sprinkle feed arround so they stick arround"- seems their farm covey went the way ours did

 

[kansasbrittany]

I can see 4 miles all arround- nice that you say there is plenty of cover

had a farmer down the road stop in- he'd like some quail- "the wife would like some so she can go out and sprinkle feed arround so they stick arround"- seems their farm covey went the way ours did

She should ask the predators how they like their quail seasoned

Reminds me of my Aunt that used to live by Americus. She had a nice covey of quail in her yard every year. They managed the 15 acres surrounding their property in a way that would keep 'em around year after year. She would open her window each morning and evening and throw feed out to them. Sorry, I know that's off topic, but it's been awhile since that memory crossed my mind. I hope that you and your "farmer down the road" can once again look out your windows and see a wild covey of quail someday.

 

[Shadow]

He wanted to buy 15 quail- 1st thing I asked was do you have cats- he said nope- you have owls- not in the past 2 years- you let hunters on your property- he said just one guy from OK who comes up with his dog and likes to shoot a couple roosters and 1 quail- feels that's a good hunt

said pick the ones you want
when you combine drop of some of your milo

there is a covey that lives I mile away- farm site- they don't allow hunters
I'll try to get a picture of him in flight-(got to be real quick) 8:20pm two evenings a single male Bob sailed in and hung arround for 10-20 min-
think I might let a couple quail loose this evening-

 

[kansasbrittany]

Very cool Shadow! Don't forget to post a pic if you do get one.