Quail are primarily birds of open country interspersed with plenty of shrubby cover.
of all ages consists of daytime activities that include traveling, feeding, dusting to clean feathers and loaf- ing. In about October, the fall shuffl e begins again and the quail’s life cycle continues.
Habitat needs Quail require a variety of cover types interspersed
in a way that provides areas for nesting, brood-rearing, feeding, roosting and loafi ng, as well as for escaping predators. They are primarily birds of open country interspersed with plenty of shrubby cover. “One of the goals of the UNT Quail program is to
merge the rancher’s production goals with the quail’s needs,” says Reyna. “During the nesting season, ranch- ers can enclose selected areas of mature bluestem with electric fencing while grazing other areas where habi- tat is less suitable. After the nesting season, they can rotate the cattle into the enclosed areas. This practice requires development of a grazing plan, through site evaluation and study, 6 to 12 months in advance of its execution.” “We also try to provide connectivity of quail cover
for the spring and fall migration,” Reyna continues. “During covey break-up in the spring, quail may travel long distances looking for a mate. After brooding, they covey back up in the fall, requiring additional travel. If travel corridors of cover can be established between existing habitat sites, quail vulnerability to predators can be reduced, resulting in population increases.” UNT Quail initiated a new research and landowner
Extension program in 2011 with the goal of uniting enough landowners to form a 50,000-acre corridor. When Reyna talked to groups about his plan, land- owners became intrigued by the idea of a quail resto- ration effort that tapped the synergy between habitat, wildlife and livestock. To date, Reyna has signed up 110 landowners with 1,500,000 acres, or about 2,344 square miles. He is in discussion with ranchers who own an additional 100,000 acres. Ultimately, Reyna
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envisions a North Texas Corridor of 2.2 million acres, stretching from Archer County in West Texas east through Clay, Montague and Cooke counties along the Red River; south through Wise, Parker and Hood; and then southeast through parts of Johnson, Ellis and Navarro counties. Two examples of how Reyna has successfully merged
the landowner’s production goals with the quail’s life cycle are in Clay and Parker counties. Deborah Clark and Emry Birdwell manage the Birdwell and Clark Ranch east of Henrietta in Clay County. They use ho- listic management practices which include sustainable grazing. “We intensely graze stockers and move the cattle to
a fresh pasture every day, sometimes multiple times a day,” Clark says. “Because of our interest in quail, we have monitored quail populations for a number of years.” “Grazing is deferred from critical quail nesting habi-
tat in the spring and early summer,” says Birdwell. “We defer many of the same paddocks during the winter for quail protection and enjoyment of our bird dogs.” Clark and Birdwell were the fi rst landowners to
join the “grazing for quail initiative” and in the fall of 2013, they observed a 452 percent improvement in quail numbers. This feat earned them the 2014 UNT Quail Keystone Ranch Award. The second success is on Bear Creek Ranch in Parker
County, which is owned by the Dixon Water Founda- tion. The 4 ranches managed by Dixon are focused on education, outreach and research, but they also must earn an annual profi t from their livestock and hunt- ing operations. All 4 ranches are managed holistically. “Even in the third year of the drought, the Bear
Creek Ranch was covered with a thick blanket of na- tive grasses, kept healthy by rotating cattle and sheep between pastures,” says Danny Parker, foreman. “If the pastures are in good shape for cattle, then they’re good quail habitat. Managing for one animal helps the other. If you overgraze pastures, you won’t have any quail.” Reyna says, “You don’t necessarily have to practice
holistic management grazing to have quail. However, you do need to provide for the needs of bobwhites year round. This is done best with deferred grazing from needed areas of cover, while rotational grazing other areas. Holistic management helps set priorities and plan quail-friendly grazing systems. To maximize quail populations, it is also important to plan grazing in a manner that provides travel corridors between quail habitat areas to connect the populations during seasonal movement.”
February 2015 The Cattleman 97
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