Small Properties and Big Hearts

Here's a few questions from a dedicated landowner.

Aaron:Thanks for the info.

Can you give us some guidelines for those of us with smaller parcels,say 40-80 acres? I know in the overall scheme of things,that's not much. But, we all have to work with what we have.

Food plots are pretty simple, but in regards to grass or weeds how small is too small? Is a long but narrow--30-50-feet--grass edge wide enough if beside good escape cover? Or are we just making it easy for predators.

In one photo a guy had strips of grass/wildflowers and food plots. How wide should those be?I have a small field with plenty of dogwood thickets. There are so many, it would be hard to plant food plots, unless they meandered narrowly through the field. And if covey headquarters are 1500 square feet, does that necessarily mean all the shrubs have to be within that area? What if we have a few feet between each shrub patch,like with dogwood. I have a couple of areas where eventually they may form one large patch but for now they are smaller individual patches, maybe 10 feet in diameter and expanding. I dropped a pine into each one a couple of years ago so that adds some size. I also dropped some aspen near the same location. Berry canes are also expanding into the area.

Thanks for taking the time to keep this blog going. We all learn. The picture help a lot too.

Here are a couple comments and thoughts on the from a landowner with a small property but a big heart for quail.

Small farms can support good quail populations. I've seen several examples of 40 to 80 acre farms supporting 3 to 8 coveys. However, small islands of good habitat are at the mercy of the weather, and a lot depends on what the surrounding habitat looks like. For example, if your neighbors have some good quial habitat that helps your cause. However, if your farm is the only one in the neighborhood with good quail habitat chances are you're going to see radical changes in your quail population from year to year. My best advice is to get your neighbor to do some quail work or ask if them if you can do some habitat work where they might not mind, like on the property line or an idle field. Small property owners can have a lot of success with some hard work and good neighbors. Private land quail focus areas - places where several landowners are working together to restore quail habitat - can help!

There's no one magic practice or habitat component for small properties. Quail still need a mix of nesting, brooding and shrubby cover. On small properties that means intensive management since you are trying to maximize usable space for quail.

Think about it. Is it easier to provide adequate nesting, brooding and shrubby cover on 10 acres or 40? The answer is 40 because you have more room to work with. The bigger the property the more room you have for marginal habitat. On small properties it all has to look great.

The small landowner with the big heart should try to provide patches of nesting, brooding and shrubby cover throughout the farm. This often means smaller burn units, micromanaging grassy fields, and pampering patches of shrubby cover. This is best accomplished by establishing food plots, field borders or native grass and forb patches and establishing patches of shrubby cover. Prescribed burning, strip disking and invasive plant control are critical management practices.

Food Plots
Land managers often overemphasize the importance of food plots while overlooking other management needs. Generally, a quarter acre food plot or patch planted to corn, milo, millet, forage sorghum, soybeans, cowpeas or other grains is sufficient on each 40 acres of habitat. When feasible long, linear food plots are preferred over block plantings. Long plots (if feasible for your property) help put a little bit of brooding cover throughout the field. Food plots should be at least 30 feet wide and close to shrubby cover. Also consider rotating food strips across the area each year by leaving half of each plot idle and planting the other half. The idle area provides excellent brooding cover. Food plots are most effective when established adjacent to protective woody cover and diverse grass and wildflower stands.
Long, linear food plots next to native grass and wildflower strips provide a mix of nesting and brooding cover. Shrubby cover is lacking in the center of this field. Create shrubby cover by planting shrubs or creating a downed tree structure or two.

Field Borders and Width
The typical “hard” edge between crop fields and woodlands offer little habitat for quail. Establishing native grass and wildflower field borders and buffers or allowing the area to naturally revegetate in grasses and seedy plants provides excellent nesting and roosting cover for bobwhites. Field borders should be at least 30 feet wide and preferably 60 to 180 feet wide. In Missouri, researchers are finding more quail on crop fields with CP33 field borders at least 60 feet. On small properties make sure you have field borders or patches of native grass and wildflowers next to food plots or areas of shrubby cover.

Native grass field borders provide great nesting cover on small farms. Field borders are most effective when they are at least 60 feet wide and close to shrubby cover.

Shrubby Cover
I like to see covey headquarters (shrub thickets) at least 30x50 feet in size. They can be bigger if you don't have a lot of shrubby cover in the field. One shrub here and there doesn't provide much cover for a covey.

Let the clump of shrubs grow into one big covey headquarter by killing any fescue, brome or Bermuda grass that's growing in and around the shrub thickets. Next, cut down any overstory trees that might be shading out the smaller shrubs. Finally, protect the future shrub patch (the entire covey headquarter) from prescribed fire or strip disking. Simply disk around the covey headquarter before conducting a prescribed burn to keep fire out of the covey headquarter. In two or three years you should have a nice covey headquarter. Remember, aim for 10 to 20% shrubby cover on each 10 to 40 acres of habitat.
Fix small patches of shrubby cover by spraying out fescue and brome under and around the shrubs. Make sure you cut down any overstory trees. Leave the downed trees for extra cover.

Landowners with small properties can have great quail habitat and good bird numbers. It just takes a little extra work and creativity and hopefully neighbors interested in quail or willing to let you do some habitat work on the property line or on their back fourty.


Aaron P. Jeffries


Habitat is the Key!

How Quail Habitat Management Can Help Your Deer Season

The next time you visit the local feed store, take a look at the back shelf. I bet the shelf is full of deer clover mixes, big buck oats and turkey chufa. As popular as deer forages have become they might be on the front shelf. No surprise since nearly every hunting show says something about deer forages and food plots. In the United States, deer food plot mixes has grown into a multimillion dollar business. To no surprise, landowners work feverishly to plant new food plots each. Many landowners plant wheat, clover or turnips. Some go to great lengths to plant Roundup Read corn and soybeans, alfalfa, chicory, lablab, cowpeas or other interesting seed mixes. Unfortunately, this is usually the extent of their management plan when they could be doing so much more for deer and other wildlife.

After nine years of college, I finally graduated from the University of Missouri - Columbia with a M.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Management. My thesis was on the value of food plots and habitat management for white-tailed deer in the Missouri Ozarks. My job was to plant a variety of different food plots and then sit in a deer stand for 10 evenings a month for 3 years (life was tough). When in the deer stand I listened to a lot of Cardinal baseball games and tracked which forage plots deer preferred (ladino or white clover and wheat were the best choices).

We also conducted prescribed burns in old fields and woodlands to compare the nutritional value of native green browse like blueberry, asters and native lespedezas. We also compared the nutritional value of browse in burned areas to unburned areas. We found native forbs and legumes and some woody browse had good crude protein levels (above 15%) and were highly digestible during the spring and summer, especially in areas that were recent treated with prescribed fire. No surprise here since fire will stimulate new plant growth. In summary, we could produce good browse and a lot more deer food in well managed old fields and woodlands than in food plots.

So after three years what did I learn? First, I learned you can't drive very far on tractor with two flat tires, never weld when wearing shorts, never underestimate how fast crabgrass can burn, 4-wheel drive doesn't mean you can drive through everything, and don’t forget bug spray when walking in the Missouri Ozarks.

On the study I learned planted food plots are very nutritious and are great way to attract deer for hunting or wildlife viewing. However, a landowner could also produce a lot of high quality food by managing old fields and woodlands. Here are a few quail management practices that can help deer hunters produce more food and cover for whitetails.


Old Field Management
I stumbled across a great article from the Quality Deer Management Association that does an excellent job of explaining the benefits of old field management for whitetails. Read the article and replace "white-tailed deer" with "bobwhite quail". Old field management for bobwhites provides ideal cover for fawning and browse habitat for whitetails.


Strip Disking and Prescribed Burning
These disturbance practices are two of the most effective and cheapest ways to maintain and improve old field habitat for wildlife. Strip disking is often described as the “poor man’s food plot” since there are few inputs (you just disk part of the field). The end result is a carpet of annual plants and legumes (green browse). Prescribed burning and strip disking will encourage a variety of herbaceous plants including clovers, annual lespedeza, asters, and native lespedezas. All are great quail foods and important deer browse. Strip disking can also be used to funnel deer past your stand. The disked strips are much easier to walk than thick, rank grass.

Timber Stand Improvement
The Quality Deer Management Association had another good article on the value of Timber Stand Improvement. Think of your forest or woodland as a garden. With Timber Stand Improvement you are simply "weeding out" the unwanted and poor developing trees. A healthy tree means more soft mast (persimmon and dogwood) and hard mast (acorns) for deer and turkey. A thinned forest also means more sunlight on the woodland floor which will result in a green buffet of native plants like green briar, wild grape, dogwood and wild lettuce. These plants provide excellent deer browse during the early summer when antlers are growing and lactation peaks. A healthier forest usually means faster growing trees and bigger trees, which equals more money at harvest time. Yes, timber harvest is an excellent management practice and something landowners need to consider.
Other management choices include temporary forest openings and edge feathering. Both practices result in a flush of green browse and excellent hard cover. I know several deer hunters that often place their bow stands next to temporary forest openings or clear cuts. Two or three years after the cut, the site is full of nutritious woody and herbaceous growth. Edge feathering also provides green browse and is an effective way to funnel deer past your stand. If you have ever tried to walk through good edge feathering, it is nearly impossible to do.
Here's the plan. Edge feather the entire edge of a field or at least a 100 to 150 yard section. Do not edge feather a 40 to 60 yard section around your deer stand. The edge feathering on both sides of your stand should act like a living fence. The opening around your stand will provide deer an easy access to the field. This strategy should funnel a few more deer past your stand.

Natural Community Restoration

Restoring open woodlands, glades, savannas and prairies is beneficial to deer for the same reasons old field management and timber stand improvement are beneficial – green browse and bedding habitat. In fact, landowners often use the same management techniques -first thin woody cover and second disturb the site with prescribed fire. Typically, glades and woodlands occur on south and west facing slopes. During the winter these sites provide better thermal cover (warmer and drier) than north or east facing slopes.

Establish Native Warm-Season Grasses with Legumes and Native Forbs

Several years ago I worked with a landowner in north-central Missouri who was a die-hard quail and deer hunter. During our first visit I recommended converting a large fescue field to native warm-season grasses and wildflowers for better quail habitat. I told the landowner that native warm-season grasses provide good cover for quail and excellent bedding and fawning habitat for deer. I recommended planting a mix of little bluestem and wildflowers. What sold the landowner was the grass would be just tall enough to hide deer and short enough for a deer to see over the top, and by the way, it would be excellent quail habitat. He converted over 60 acres of fescue that year.

The other day the landowner called with a few questions about spraying sericea lespedeza. He was amazed by the number of deer beds he found in the warm-season grass field. "Nearly everywhere I look there's deer sign in the warm-season grass field," he explained. In the past the field was a hay pasture that provided little cover during the summer and absolutely no cover during the fall and winter. Now the warm-season grass is about 4 feet tall. Notice in the picture above how most of the warm-season grass is waist high, perfect for loafing deer. The landowner sees a lot of deer in the field during the hunting season. There's also a few coveys in the field. Consider establishing native warm-season grasses and wildflowers for better fawning and bedding habitat.

Deer habitat management is big bucks in Missouri and throughout the nation. Many landowners only plant food plots, when they could be doing so much more. Next year, go ahead and plant your deer food plots, but also consider managing old fields, establishing native grasses and/or restoring natural communities for quail and white-tailed deer. What’s good for quail is good for most other wildlife.

Aaron P. Jeffries

Habitat is the Key!

What to do with an Expiring CRP Contract

By Aaron P. Jeffries and Travis Dinsdale

Tic... Toc... Tic... Toc...

Many landowners, hunters, and outdoor enthusiast don't realize the looming deadline. Over 21 million acres of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts will expire over the next five years.

Tic... Toc... Tic... Toc...

The Conservation Reserve Program has resulted in millions of acres of habitat for upland and wetland wildlife. When managed properly, CRP is the greatest conservation program for wildlife in the United States. Well-managed CRP grasslands and buffers provide critical nesting, brooding and sometimes shrubby cover for quail and other wildlife. In fact, some of my best quail and pheasant hunts were on well managed CRP grasslands. Probably some of my most memorable duck hunts were a result of CRP producing ducks.

The foundation of our Nation’s farmland and outdoor experience is built on diverse, high-quality and abundant natural resources such as productive waters, healthy forests, abundant fish, forest and wildlife, and rich soils. Over the last 20 years, CRP has improved soil, water and air quality, wildlife habitat and environmentally sensitive areas like wetlands and bottomland forests. Over the next five years almost half of the Nation's CRP will expire, most on marginally productive land (why it was put in CRP in the first place).

Here are the totals by year:

2009 = 3,743,685 acres

2010 = 4,761,130 acres

2011 = 4,421,438 acres

2012 = 6,251,814 acres

2013 = 3,335,608 acres

The Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa will likely see the biggest decline in CRP grasslands over the next five years. In Missouri almost 1 million acres of 1.4 million acres will expire by October 2013.

It will be interesting to see what happens to pheasant and duck numbers in the Dakotas when this happens. Less habitat will likely mean fewer ducklings, which will mean fewer ducks flying through Missouri in November and December for dedicated hunters.

In Missouri, hunting is big business. Hunting alone, in Missouri, generates over $147 million in state and local sales tax. Hunting is big business in other states too. Hunters help support the local economy by purchasing hunting leases from farmers, spending the night in local motels, eating at the neighborhood diner and filling their gas tanks at the local gas station. Where will the hunters go when the CRP grasslands disappear.

Significant changes in Federal policy and a drop in CRP acres will have a dramatic impact on our Nation’s farmland – not only for wildlife, but also soil, air and water quality. Without a strong Conservation Reserve Program, we would not have the extraordinary waterfowl and upland bird populations in the Midwest. While we may not have another general CRP signup for another year or two, landowners do have a few options:

Option One: Re-enroll… If you get the chance
The next time there's a general CRP signup consider re-enrolling your CRP contract. Don't worry if your current CRP soil rental rate payment is too low. There's a good chance the rental rate has improved since the last time you signed the CRP contract. Over the last five years the Farm Service Agency (FSA) has adjusted CRP soil rental rates. IF there's another general CRP sign up at least stop by the USDA Service Center to see what the new soil rental rate is. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

If there is a general CRP sign up, consider converting your CRP field to a quail-friendly mix or at least native grasses. Back in the 1990s, some CRP fields were planted to a mix of “giant” native grasses and a pinch of wildflowers. Back then, more was better so many grass seeding rates were around 8 to 12 pounds per acre. We’ve learned a lot the last 15 years. Research has shown we can have good habitat and reduce soil erosion with much lower seeding rates (around 3 to 5 pounds per acre with 2 to 3 pounds of native wildflowers). Lighter seeding mixes are good for the landowner and good for wildlife.

Back in the 1980s and 1990s a lot of CRP fields in Missouri were planted to fescue or brome. Some were planted to a mix of orchard grass and annual lespedeza, which provided great habitat until the fescue and brome invaded. Now these fields are a pure stand of fescue or brome. These fields are difficult to manage for quail and grassland birds because of the thick sod and lack of plant diversity.

Instead of re-enrolling the current grass cover – whether it is warm-season or cool-season, consider replanting the field to a very quail-friendly mix of little bluestem, wildflowers and legumes. Most CRP fields will need 2 to 3 herbicide applications to effectively eradicate the existing cover. Don’t skimp of herbicide either. You’ll pay for it in the long run with re-invading fescue or brome.

During the next general CRP sign up consult with your local wildlife biologist or private land conservationist for recommended seeding mixes and conversion techniques. Converting to a quail-friendly mix may also improve your overall CRP score.

Option Two: Take Advantage of Continuous CRP

Landowners converting their expiring CRP fields into crop fields or pasture should consider leaving field borders along the field edges and wide buffers next to streams and ponds. Landowners can enroll these sensitive areas into popular Continuous CRP practices such as CP21 Filter Strip, CP22 Riparian Forest Buffer and CP33 Habitat Buffer for Upland Birds. Some areas might even qualify for popular wetland practices such as CP23 Wetland Restoration. Landowners will still receive an annual soil rental payment and incentives for enrolling the margins of their fields into CRP. In some cases the payment is higher because of sign up incentives. If necessary, they can even receive up to 90% cost share for establishing the proper vegetation.

A recent study from the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) from the University of Missouri showed that farmers come out ahead when they enroll their crop field edges into Continuous CRP practices such as CP33. For complete report visit: http://www.fapri.missouri.edu/. Planting CP33 buffers around the edges of crop fields, not only provides great habitat for quail, but also takes marginally productive ground out of production. With high input costs and low yields it makes sense to keep field edges and buffers in CRP.

Option Three: Production with Wildlife in Mind

In some cases expired CRP fields will remain in grass for hay and grazing pasture. Landowners can still take advantage of Continuous CRP practices if they plan on haying or grazing the field; however the CRP buffer will need to be fenced from livestock (if you plan on grazing the field).
Landowners should also consider other conservation programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) to help them develop better grazing systems, wildlife habitat or protect sensitive habitats. In Missouri, these programs provide cost share for installing a variety of practices. CRP fields might also qualify for the Grassland Reserve Program or Conservation Stewardship Program. Contact your local USDA Service Center for more information on these programs.

The clock is ticking. What will you do with your expiring CRP contract?

Tic... Toc... Tic... Toc...

Where will the ducks, pheasant, turkey, quail and grassland birds go without it?

Habitat is the Key!

Review of Missouri's Quail Hunting Season Dates

By Tom Dailey, Resource Scientist, Columbia, MO and Aaron P. Jeffries, Private Land Program Supervisor, Jefferson City, MO

Ever wonder why the opening and closing dates of quail hunting seasons vary so much from state-to-state, or why Missouri’s season is always November 1 to January 15? In nearby states opening dates range from late October to late November, and seasons close from mid December to the end of February. With each game species and hunting season, the Missouri Department of Conservation must weigh sound wildlife management, scientific research, hunter satisfaction, and the general public’s perceptions when determining appropriate season dates and limits.


In 2005, the Department conducted a thorough review of Missouri’s quail season. Here’s a summary of the review and justification for the current season structure. A similar article was published in the Fall 2006 issue of the Covey Headquarter Newsletter.

· Era of annual season review: From 1950-1981, Missouri’s quail season opened on November 10th, and closed between December 15th and January 15th, with the longest season being 66 days. Quail hunting regulations were set each year based on population indices, and most often the season ended in December based on research in Illinois that showed hunting losses in January added to natural mortality and risked a decline in breeder numbers. Despite the annual attention to hunting regulations, quail numbers continued to decline.

· Focus on habitat: In 1982, new MDC quail biologist Rich Cannon recommended the hunting season that we currently use, November 1 to January 15. In 1987 this season structure was placed in the Missouri Conservation Commission Wildlife Code. Biologists reasoned that the publics’ focus should be shifted away from regulations as a way to restore quail, and toward habitat restoration and management. Today, quail habitat restoration and management are high priorities for the Department and conservation partners, and the birds are responding, albeit in limited fashion.

· Balancing biology and hunting demand: Expanding the season from the pre-1980s length of 66 days to the new structure (earlier opening of November 1st) with 76 days caused much concern. MDC quail biologist Cannon recognized this in a summary of the regulation setting process that was published in 1986 in an MDC publication, Missouri Quail: At the Crossroads of the Future. In the section titled Seeking a Balance, Cannon referred to the January 15th closure as a compromise between recreational demand for a longer season, and the quails’ sensitivity to over-harvest as identified in the Illinois study.

· Recent research: Recent research in Kansas, Texas and North Carolina reiterated the finding from Illinois that quail are vulnerable to over-harvest in January, February and March. The timing of harvest is at the crux of the quails’ sensitivity. Kansas researchers stated it this way: “Managers should recognize that harvest can significantly lower spring northern bobwhite breeding densities.” and that “one way to reduce harvest effects is to assure that harvest timing occurs in early winter and hunting season length is minimized.”

· Timing of harvest is critical: The effect of timing of harvest is based partly on the phenomena that high-producing small game populations face a ‘bottle-neck’ in winter as weather is severe and cover and food are reduced, resulting in increased natural mortality (predation, hypothermia, starvation, etc.), and subsequent rapid decline in abundance. The result of this is that harvest can have less effect on breeder abundance if it occurs prior to major periods of natural mortality. The practical result is that 1 quail harvested in early November does not necessarily result in 1 less breeder the next spring. On the other hand, as natural mortality increases during winter, eventually 1 quail harvested does result in 1 less breeder. This is especially true in late January and February when other factors such as food and cover may be limited. In other words, by hunting in late January or February, you could be harvesting quail that would have made it to spring to breed.

· Winter stress: In addition to the above consequences, hunting in January is potentially more damaging because quail are more vulnerable in winter’s diminished cover, and birds not killed, but harassed, could suffer energy losses, and potentially higher mortality.

· Missouri’s quail vulnerable in January: MDC’s study of quail on farmland in northeast Missouri in the 1990s found that natural mortality spiked in January—predators and winter weather took a heavy toll with the percent of quail killed jumping from 17% in December to 29% in January. This pattern fit Illinois and Kansas observations of increased vulnerability in January.

· Today’s quail and today’s hunter: Missouri’s quail hunter numbers have plummeted from more than a 100,000 in the 1980s to 22,000 in 2008. Couldn’t the quail population handle a longer season with so few hunters? Unfortunately today’s quail population is but a remnant of the past with quail disappeared or at unhuntable numbers on most of the landscape and the huntable populations scattered around in small pockets. The fragmentation of quail habitat and populations translates to an increased chance of local extinction. And although there are fewer quail hunters, they are efficient and persistent, and have the potential to push local populations to extinction. Unlike the old days, the chances are slim that neighboring quail will move in and reestablish a thriving population.

· A new closing date? Based on the scarcity of quail some have argued for a December closure, or other restrictions, such as custom regulations for counties, as is done in South Carolina. Of course this would get us back into the mode of working on saving what we have left, instead of focusing on improving conditions and increasing quail numbers. Further, most of the improvements made for quail are being spearheaded by hunters, so further restrictions in hunting would likely result in fewer quail. So, almost 2 decades later we arrive at the same conclusion drawn in 1986: the January 15 closing date is a compromise between biology and sport. Extending the season into late January or February could potentially impact breeding numbers. Further, in 2002 the state embarked on a massive quail restoration program because of the dwindling quail population—to liberalize hunting now would send a mixed message. Fortunately, there are numerous examples in recent years where public land managers and private landowners have restored and managed habitat for bobwhites with an incredible response. For example, the November 2008 issue of the Missouri Conservationist featured an outstanding story by Jim Low on how Jeff Churan has turned his property in a quail haven. As a result of Jeff’s dedicated work, hunters averaged one covey every 24 minutes during the 2005-2006 season. On one hunt, they moved nine coveys in 3.5 hours. Despite all time low densities, success stories from around Missouri have shown that bobwhites will respond to active habitat management.

· A new opening date? No, with a biological constraint on the closure, we are forced to look to fall for increased recreational opportunity. Biologically, this is easy because at this time harvest has little, if any, effect on breeder abundance. Many of the quail killed by hunters would have died anyway because of predation, malnutrition, etc. Biologists have known since the 1940s that good management demands that harvest by the gun come as close to the reproductive season as reasonably possible. With most of Missouri’s quail production finished during August-September, this is exactly what the November 1 opener does.

In conclusion, the future of quail hunting is more dependent on hunters focusing on habitat improvement than getting side-tracked on hunting regulations, predator control and pen-raised quail. The future of quail hunting in Missouri is in the balance—are you contributing? The above summary covers only a portion of the review—for the complete review go to the following link.

Habitat is the Key!