Prescribed burns

[hillhunter]

Did some burning this week when the wind got right. We try and burn half of it every year where we have long term grassland. Seems to help I guess plus it helps clear out the understory in the grasses better than bush hogging, which over time leaves a thick matt of old grass which makes it harder for hatchling birds and baby rabbits to get through. Turkey's love burned off ground as well when it greens back up, I guess since bugs flock to the fresh green out there. Will post pics of it after green up as well.

[Wingman]

Nice!

I went to a quail and turkey seminar last week. They recommended burning every two years like you are doing. Three years was too long and woody stuff started to take over. One year was too often. I love fire. Gonna buy a drip torch this fall for my stuff.

[hillhunter]

We really hoped this would help with quail populations but has not over the years. There are too many other outside influences that apparently have decimated the population. We had huntable pops up until 96 or so. Since then you pretty much brag to my grandad about seeing a covey ( quail was all he ever hunted). Not sure if it's the predators like coons, possums and raptors or fireants or ag practices or all of the above. Wish they were thick like in the 70s and 80s. Would quit duck and deer hunting in a heartbeat to hunt wild quail again. Would really like to transplant some here if I thought they would survive and repopulate... The tame ones wouldn't have a chance, but maybe wild ones from other areas, don't know the answer, just know it is a dead tradition in the south.

Turkey's however LOVE any field we have ever burned.

[Wingman]

Yep. The guys at the seminar were saying it is a habitat thing. Pine plantations and wide open farming aren't the quail habitat like we had 60 years ago.

They also did a study on released birds. 0% survival after two years. 3/4 were gone after the first year. A plantation in Georgia is rearing some with wild hens to release. More success than any previously tried method

[hillhunter]

I'm not sure I agree with them whole heartedly on the habitat thing. This particular tract of land has been unchanged for the last 80 years atleast. My grandad killed atleast one bird out of the same covey for 52 years, then they just started to decline. This land is very erodible and my grandad who is 83 this year said it looks pretty much the same now as it did when he was a youngster. The biologist who have come says there is no reason for the birds not to be there. The habitat has not changed, so something else did.

I sure hope they can come up with something soon with wild survival rates. If they need any test sites tell them to come on, we are open to any ideas at this point.

[SWAG]

IMO...there are more quail in the Delta than I have ever seen in my lifetime...maybe not the #s from the 1930s-1950s...but the most since 1975. I can drive to several coveys most any day during the fall/winter and quail whistles are a common sound through out the summer these days.

[hillhunter]

I have heard that as well, I guess it's from the increased CRP acres? If I were you I would get me a bird dog puppy haha. Would make for some fun afternoons, even if for only a few days per year.

[Wingman]

Sky Lake WMA seemed to have more quail 6-7 years ago than it does now. I think reforested crp acreage passes its "quail prime" after about 5-6 years. Some of this 15-20 year old stuff is not good for quail like it used to be, in my opinion.

[hillhunter]

Yeah I could see that with the reduced understory, making less cover from predators and less nesting area.

[SWAG]

Have never quail hunted although I do like to keep tabs on where they are and how many. Think quail and turkey populations are a good gauge of the diversity/quality of habitat in an area.

For sure the CRP and WRP programs have had a positive influence, but like Wingman mentioned, it is only for a period of time that these acres are "prime" quail habitat. This time frame is the "blooming" period of these acres before the trees get to be of shading size. Bluestem is dominant early and gets shaded out later. You have the forbs for a few years in there too.

One interesting thing to me is that people want to describe the quail populations of the mid 1900s as the level to get back to. This was a scenario that favored quail increases. Clearing mature forest 40 acres at a time, lots of tree lines and even some early succession behind clearing, small farms with as mush pasture as there was cropland (mules), smaller predator populations, etc, etc. What we do see is that quail will respond quickly to some positive habitat changes. We can mimic these with NWSG plantings and prescribed burning and so on and so on. I think if the goal is to have pockets of good populations then goals can be reached. If the goal is to achieve populations over a very broad area like in the pre 1970 era, then goals will not be met.