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Are y'all burning these properties every year or is there a break in between? I am trying to get rid of dog fennel and wondered if frequent fire would help.

Checked on some of my summer plots this afternoon and saw two adult quail and about 8-10 chicks in one. The babies were only a couple inches tall but able to fly pretty good. This particular plot had a lot more Egyptian wheat mixed in than I normally like but after seeing how it helps to shade out the other vegetation better than just sorghum I may start to add more in my mix.

Jumped about 10 to 12 babies today. That's the second brood I've jumped this year. What kind of numbers is everyone else seeing?

Slim. Doing some massive habitat improvement this fall to help in spring

I bet with all the ag around your place, those habitat improvements will be a game changer. Good luck and keep us posted!

I haven't seen any broods yet, but the last 2 times I have been out checking on trees I have heard 3 or more different birds calling. I've never seen more than a pair on my place, so hoping that some coveys will start forming with the habitat work I've been doing.

I bet with you already having some in the area you will see a good increase as the habit improves. What’s the habit like on the surrounding properties? Good luck and keep us posted

Saw a pair with 10 little ones yesterday. Thats 4 different groups on 225 acres that I for sure know about.

That’s encouraging! What’s the habitat like on your place and the surrounding properties?

I've got about 60 acres of mixed hardwood bottom with a decent sized creek going thru it, 80 acres of 5 year old planted pines, 1o acres of powerline (2) and 75 acres of 17 year old pine plantation. Mixed in there is about 5 acres or food plots, 2 garden spots, and I've cut lanes with a mulcher of 2-300 yards long in several locations. Good road structure thru it. I keep the roads, lanes and powerlines mowed. Rolling hills.

Nice, sounds like a good bit of diversity. Do you do any burning?

Yes. I do burn.

Do ya'll do any planting for quail? I haven't yet, but I think this year I'm going to spread a couple lbs per acre of ragweed and partridge pea in my old field winter strip disking. Nothing crazy, just try to add a little diversity. There is very little of either on my place.


I'm not really set up to burn yet, but hope to start implementing that down the road.

With my summer plots I have switched over to a mix of Egyptian wheat, sorghum, sun hemp and iron and clay peas throw and mowed into my fall plots that already have some chicory and clover in them. Adding the Egyptian wheat this year has been a game changer as it seems to provide more shade than just straight sorghum and both times I have seen the clutches have been in these areas.

I didn't have much ragweed or partridge pea around my property until I stated fall disking and burning. If I just fall disk, I am dominated by common ragweed in most areas which I am not mad about, but the areas I burn I do get more diversity with a lot of partridge pea mixed in.

I’m sure what I do helps, but the surrounding 1,000 or so acres is a buffalo ranch with great quail habitat. The owner leaves it all pretty natural, mostly just setting it back using a roller chopper pulled behind a skidder every couple years.

Sunlight reaching the ground, burn rotation and enough cover for protection and they usually get enough of what they need as far as food goes. Cover has to be enough to protect them but needs to be open enough underneath for them to move through.