Thursday, October 11, 2001

South Texas quail season is looking like a winner

Quail outfits B Bar B Ranch — (361) 296-3331 John Johnson — (361) 729-9320 Woody Touchstone — (361) 318-0993 Hugo Ford — 949-2040 Jim Atkins — 851-1962 John Witte — (361) 729-1051 Scott Carter — (361) 543-4039

Any number of critters could cause a rustling in the brush.
   But this fall, more likely than in recent years, that rustling could be quail.
   The blue quail outlook for West Texas this season is an unmitigated boom, while bobwhite numbers in South Texas are being described as enviable.
   Thank the weather.
   We got rain early and late during the bobwhite nesting season, which generally begins in early May, peaks in June, then runs through late July or beyond, depending on range conditions. Optimum habitat can result in a third or even fourth bonus hatch.
   On the King Ranch, the bobwhite hatch was somewhat delayed. Quail outfitter Luther Young said the birds are sitting on nests now and prospects look good for a late crop of huntable birds. So December and January hunts on the King Ranch would be a good bet.
   Survival of quail hatched during a normal nesting season hinges on late-summer and early-fall weather, cover and food availability, which are linked. Recent rains should take care of that.
   Meanwhile, the cover might make hunting difficult to flush birds during early season. In some cases it might even be hard to see your dogs unless we get a frost soon.
   As always, range management can offset weather. This works both ways, to a point. Ranches where bunch grass is abundant, livestock grazing is controlled and predators are kept in check should produce enough quail to keep dogs and hunters busy this season.
   Either way, about 70 percent of quail in a given population die annually. They're low on the food chain and sensitive to extreme conditions, both of which come into play in South Texas, perhaps more so than in other areas.
   Although Texas is one of the few remaining strongholds for bobwhite quail, the state lies on the western edge of the birds' natural and historic distribution range, where conditions are closer to ideal, according to Robert Perez, a Texas Parks and Wildlife biologist.
   This year's bobwhite hotspots include the counties of Live Oak, Bee, McMullen, southern Refugio, Brooks and Kenedy. I'm sure there are others, but I haven't gotten reports from them. The Hebbronville area and parts of the eastern half of South Texas are looking good too, Perez said.
   Quail outfitter John Johnson tells me bobwhite populations also are good in southern Kleberg County. He agrees with reports of late latches. Recent rains should provide for good survival rates for late-season hunts, he said.
   A repeat of last year's early cold snap would hurt quail populations.
   But if the weather holds, quail outfitter Woody Touchstone said he expects to flush an average of 15 coveys a day, with some areas south of Kingsville yielding fewer and others yielding 20-plus coveys.
   For blues, populations in western counties haven't been this abundant since TPW began collecting quail data in 1978. Look for excellent scale quail numbers in Demmit, Webb, LaSalle counties and in the Laredo area.
   The last boom year for bobwhites occurred during the 1991-92 season. Before that, 1987 was a good year. Since the early 1990s, South Texas has seen several average seasons.
   Quail require two years of good weather to produce an above-average hatch. Last year was an average year in South Texas and the coastal plains. But keep in mind that average in South Texas is better than a good year in other states.
   So while the coming season is expected to be slightly below average for bobwhites, it's still going to be darned good.
   Look for native bunch grass and lots of cover when choosing a quail field. You should see patches of bunch grass such as little bluestem about every 20 feet.
   Good hunting. Take a youth along.
  
  
  
  

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