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Bringing Back the Bobwhite BY JASON L. JENKINS There are many thrills in the life of an outdoorsman. For the deer hunter, it is that moment when a trophy whitetail moves into a clearing, providing an unobstructed shot. For the turkey hunter, it is that moment when, after hours of practice on a box call, a fat tom comes strutting into range. For the duck hunter, it is that moment when strategically placed decoys convince a passing flock to delay a trip south. But for the upland game hunter, there is no thrill more exhilarating than that moment when a covey of bobwhite quail is flushed from the brush. However, in the last 50 years, the chances for the upland game hunter to experience that thrill have dwindled. Though populations of deer, turkey and waterfowl have all increased, quail populations have been on a downward slide throughout most of their range in the Midwest and Southeast. According to Department of Natural Resources' hunter harvest data, the number of quail harvested in the state has dropped from 2.5 million birds in the mid-1950s to just over 540,000 last year. What has caused this trend? And what can be done to reverse it? To answer these questions, one needs to look no further than the changes in land use in Illinois. "Many factors have contributed to the decline in quail populations," says John Roseberry, senior wildlife scientist at Southern Illinois University's Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory. "But the main factor has been loss of suitable habitat." Roseberry has spent his entire professional career at the CWRL, focusing on the population ecology, population dynamics and habitat relationships of the bobwhite. "I like to hunt and have always been interested in population dynamics," he says. "Because quail are not migratory, they make an excellent species to study." Roseberry says that quail thrived in Illinois up to the 1950s. The game bird's habitat requirements were being met in most areas and food sources were available. However, from the 1950s to the 1970s, the landscape began to be transformed. "During that time, we began to see habitat loss due to urban sprawl," he explains. "But the largest losses were due to the advent of modern agriculture."
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Wildlife scientist/researcher John Roseberry has spent most of his career studying quail and their habitat. Looking to increase production, farmers began changing the way they worked the land. They increased their use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, which allowed them to increase their planted acreage and crop yields. But these changes had a noticeable effect on quail. "Quail had their best times when fields were still left fallow to replace nutrients. Healthy populations were a byproduct of farming," adds Roseberry. Then in the mid-1970s, major landscape changes intensified. Producers cleared woodlots so more crops could be planted. They removed hedge rows and fence rows to create larger fields that could be worked more efficiently. They converted native pastures and hayfields to fescue. What resulted was "cleaner" farming, with fewer weeds, fewer insects and fewer quail. "The negative effects of lost habitat were then worsened at the end of the 1970s," Roseberry says. "We had three straight extremely bitter winters with heavy snowfall, which caused the quail populations to crash." Home is where the habitat is Though quail populations have recovered somewhat during the 1980s and 1990s, their numbers are still below historic levels. And today, the limiting factor continues to be habitat. According to Roseberry, quail require a variety of cover types during different seasons of the year. This cover must be well interspersed with a high degree of connectivity that allows access on a daily basis. Before changes in land-use patterns, the Illinois landscape was a mosaic of these cover types, connected with fence and hedge rows. Quail also are a species heavily reliant on edge habitat, those areas where one cover type converges with another. In particular, the species prefers a "soft" edge, where grasslands or cropland give way to early successional plants (weeds), and in turn give way to brushy, woody areas. "Not only have we lost the interspersed cover and the connectivity, but we've lost that intermediate transition," Roseberry explains. "We have "hard" edges where there's either too much cover or none at all." During the nesting period, quail build their nests at ground level in standing clumps of dead grass. Nests typically are located near an edge. The standing grass provides quail with protection from predators while allowing movement. Once quail begin brooding their chicks, the habitat requirements change to include more bare ground beneath a cover of grass. The bare ground permits chicks mobility and provides room for legumes, forbs and other broadleaf plants to grow. These plants are critical to chick development because they attract insects, which are the chicks' primary protein source. Finally, during the late fall and winter, quail require brushy, woody cover. This cover provides both shelter and protection from predators. Understory vegetation must be thick, and the cover needs to be in close proximity to a food source such as waste grain. "For quail, suitable habitat is a necessity, not a luxury," says Roseberry. "Just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, quail habitat is only as good as its poorest component." Managing land for quail Because it would require drastic change in the current agricultural system, Roseberry does not believe quail will ever return to their population levels of the 1950s. However, he feels that today's conservation January 2000 15
practices are encouraging. "We've got to strive to maintain a stable population," he says. "But it will require management on the part of the private landowner." And according to John Cole, upland wildlife program manager for DNR's Division of Wildlife Resources, that is the goal the department is striving to promote. "Approximately 85 percent of Illinois is farmland, and we've lost diversity in the farming system," says Cole. "So we are looking at farms for habitat addition opportunities." Cole says the most difficult aspect of encouraging landowners to manage their property for quail is making them understand that habitat is the problem. "They (landowners) know that years ago quail were abundant without any effort on their part," he explains. "But today, quail aren't abundant, so they ask 'why should I do something special now when I didn't before?' They forget that agriculture has changed." One of Cole's primary responsibilities is to identify missing upland habitat components with the aid of researchers such as John Roseberry. Then, he works to develop pro grams that facilitate their re-establishment on the landscape through the efforts of 35 district wildlife habitat biologists. Cole also keeps informed on current research studies and finds ways to incorporate this new information. "It's not hard to know what's wrong, and it doesn't take a lot of acres to improve the habitat," he says. "The hard part is encouraging the cooperation necessary to fix it." In recent years, state and federal cost-share programs have provided the economic incentive many landowners need to manage habitat for quail, as well as other species. USDA programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program, Continuous CRP and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program have provided funds for the restoration and improvement of wildlife habitat in Illinois and across the United States. "In the beginning, CRP was specifically designed to reduce soil erosion," says Cole. "But it was realized that wildlife habitat could be increased while still meeting the original objective." Cole admits that benefits to quail were minimal when CRP first began in 1985. A majority of acreage enrolled in the program was seeded with a grass monoculture that did not provide suitable nest cover. However, that changed when communication increased between state and federal agencies. "By working together, we've made the program more advantageous for wildlife. In fact, in Illinois we changed the seeding requirement for CRP lands," he says. In addition to federal programs, number of state cost-share program also have been established. These
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The moment of truth-a dog on point waiting for a covey of bobwhite quail to explode from the brush. programs provide free plant materials such as trees, shrubs and native grass seed, as well as the equipment necessary to plant these materials. For quail habitat, the most consequential program is the Illinois Wildlife Enhancement Bonus Program sponsored by DNR's Division of Wildlife Resources, the Illinois State Habitat Stamp Fund and Illinois Quail Unlimited. Though mostly for landowners in CRP, the program also allows for payments for fescue eradication on lands not enrolled in CRP. Another outlet for anyone interested in quail habitat management is the annual Illinois Quail Management Workshop. During the one-day event, a number of options for improving quail habitat are presented, including how to access state, federal and private programs. Cover improvement is discussed, as are many management practices such as prescribed burning, food plots and strip discing. "If a landowner is interested in improving quail habitat on their property, the first step is to contact their district wildlife habitat biologist," says Cole. "They can provide all the necessary information and direct landowners to the proper agencies." Cole and Roseberry both agree that there is no exact formula for increasing quail numbers. However, by providing the necessary cover types and food sources and by ensuring that the habitat remains accessible, landowners can have an impact. "Landowners must be certain not to provide habitat and then let it deteriorate. Quail can't tolerate heavy growth," Roseberry says. "Only through continual habitat management will quail benefit." Roseberry suggests that landowners consider three levels of management: • Landscape—This level encompasses several square miles around a landowner's property. By taking into account the land-use patterns of the surrounding area, attainable goals can be set. Otherwise, the benefits to quail may be less than satisfactory. • Farm—This level encompasses anywhere from 40 to several hundred acres. On this level, provide all the quail's needs. Remember, quail habitat is only as good as its poorest component. • Field—This level encompasses just what its name implies, an individual field. On this level, make sure edges are "soft." Remember that weeds and insects are both quail requirements.
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