Quail Habitat

Conduct prescribed burns on cool-season grass fields (fescue) to reduce the density of grass composition.

Do not conduct prescribed burns on native warm-season grass fields after March. The grass will be stimulated by the fire and become too dense for quail to maneuver.

Take soil samples in areas where spring food plots will be located. Prepare areas by applying fertilizer and lime according to soil test results. Disk area to incorporate materials into soil.

Spray fescue and other non-native grasses to prepare pastures for conversion to native warm-season grasses.

Conduct breeding bird counts each year to gauge relative abundance of quail on your property. Male bobwhites ramp up calling during May and June.

Avoid mowing established fields until August, as quail are sitting on nests. On average nest success is only about 33 percent.

Monitor recent native grass and forb plantings for issues. Invasive species like Johnson grass, Bermuda and sericea lespedeza can be treated with spot herbicide application before they take over.

Conduct non-commercial thinning in the woods while trees are easily identified, but before summer heat sets in. Cedars can be cut or double girdled with a chainsaw and do not need herbicide, because they do not resprout. Undesirable hardwoods like elm, sweetgum and hickory can be killed with hack and squirt methods or cut with a chainsaw, followed by herbicide application to the stump.

Avoid mowing this month as quail are still nesting. Male bobwhites incubate a quarter of all nest attempts and are more likely to sit on eggs later in the nesting season.

If you must hay or mow, set the mower high so that you leave at least 6-8 inches of height on vegetation. This will leave some cover for quail and their chicks. Another good practice is to leave a 100-foot wide border unmowed around the edge of your hayfield to keep some cover for nesting and brood-rearing.

Fruits such as blackberries, raspberries and pokeberries begin to ripen this month and provide a good food source and excellent overhead cover for quail. Resist the temptation to spray these species often labeled “weeds” or “brush.”

Temperatures reach over 100 degrees this month and can remain constant until fall. Leave and/or create thickets of shrubby vegetation, such as plum, elderberry, sumac, hazelnut, chokecherry, witch hazel, gray/rough leaf dogwood, or false indigo bush. The thickets should be at least 315 square feet. These species grow in such a way that a large amount of leafy canopy provides essential shade and protection from precipitation. The combined overhead cover and high stem count of these thickets creates a near impenetrable barrier for quail to elude predation.

Second broods from breeding quail will hatch this month. Continue to give your mower a rest and save a nest.

If you’re itching to do some habitat improvement work, it’s a good time to spray sericea lespedeza. See your local AGFC private lands biologist for help identifying this exotic, invasive species and offer suggestions on chemical applications.

Properly timed prescribed burns during this month can set back woody vegetation and grasses to favor wildflowers and legumes. Contact your local AGFC private lands biologist for more information on how to conduct a safe and successful prescribed burn.

Birds are settling into their respective covey for the winter and begin using dense, shrubby, woody vegetation more, since leaves are dropping and grasses are bending over.

Burn and/or spray fescue to eradicate it from native warm-season grass fields or to begin prepping fields you want to convert to native warm-season grasses and wildflowers.

Conduct fall covey counts during the last two weeks of October to assess how many coveys are present on your land.

Ragweed seed begins to drop during this month which supplies critical seed source during a time when food is limited.

Small acorns from post, blackjack, chinquapin and willow oaks provide a good source of energy and fat that can mean the difference between surviving a harsh winter. Pine seeds are also a favorite winter food. Identify these areas near open fields and consider opening them up to allow quail to access this important food source. Removing cedar, elm, hickory and smaller oaks can encourage the same grasses and forbs found in nearby fields. Upland timber stands with at least 50% open canopy make great quail habitat.

Disk fields dominated by grasses during November through February to encourage growth of native wildflowers, legumes, and other broadleaf plants critical to attracting insects and providing a seed source for quail.

November is typically the start of cooler weather which lends itself well to completing chainsaw projects. Instant escape cover can be created by feathering the edges where fields meet woodlands, or by hinging or dropping trees that are over 15 feet tall in brushy draws, fencerows and wood lines.

December is a harsh time of year for quail, as most cover and food are scarce.

Create instant escape cover by dropping eastern red cedars in loose groupings to ensure areas 300 square feet or larger are created. Brush piles that are pushed together to burn are often too thick for quail to use. Keep downed trees loose enough for quail to maneuver.

Seed native wildflowers this month through February to ensure the seed goes through a frost to break open the seed coat and start germination. Milkweeds are a good flower to plant this time of year. It attracts many insects, including the declining monarch butterfly.

After leaf fall is completed, start preparing firebreaks with a leaf blower or disk.

As much as 75 percent of a population of quail can die without adequate cover during harsh winters. Locate areas on your property lacking dense escape cover and create loose brush piles by sawing small trees. Start at the edge of where a field meets a timberline and heavily thin a 30-foot x 50-foot area. Forbs, grasses and shrubs will fill the open spaces with dense cover for future winters.

Increase diversity in your fields dominated by native grasses by conducting prescribed burns this month.

It’s a good time to plant bare-root shrubs to create dense cover quail can use to escape predators, defend against overheating in summer and withstand freezing temperatures and rain in winter.

Continue cutting areas to thin timber and create downed tree structures to serve as escape cover from predators and the elements.

Conduct prescribed burns and disk this month to diversify grass-dominated fields.

Broadcast native wildflower seed to create excellent brood-rearing cover for quail and turkey.

It’s a good time to plant bare-root shrubs to create dense cover quail can use to escape predators, defend against overheating in summer and withstand freezing temperatures and rain in winter.