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2017

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Executive Summary, National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative, March 2011, Nbci 2.0...The Unified Strategy To Restore Wild Quail, William E. Palmer, Theron M. Terhune, Tom V. Dailey, Don F. Mckenzie, John Doty Jul 2017

Executive Summary, National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative, March 2011, Nbci 2.0...The Unified Strategy To Restore Wild Quail, William E. Palmer, Theron M. Terhune, Tom V. Dailey, Don F. Mckenzie, John Doty

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

No abstract provided.

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Evaluation Of Survey Indices For Scaled Quail In West Texas, Barrett A. Koennecke, Dale Rollins, Chris Snow, Jeff White Jul 2017

Evaluation Of Survey Indices For Scaled Quail In West Texas, Barrett A. Koennecke, Dale Rollins, Chris Snow, Jeff White

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Wildlife biologists and land managers require information on population demographics to effectively plan harvest schedules and evaluate habitat modifications. Population indices can potentially provide an efficient way to gather reliable information on wildlife populations as long as they reflect population behavior. We evaluated the relationships among standard survey indices used to monitor scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) across 6 sites in west Texas from 2007 to 2010. We collected data on spring cock call counts, simulated nest survival, roadside counts, and helicopter counts. The mean difference between methods was 2.4 quail/1.6 km on the Andrews County sites, and 4 quail/1.6 km …

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Post-Fire Succession And Montezuma Quail In A Semi-Desert Grassland Of Southeast Arizona, Pedro M. Chavarria, Nova J. Silvy, Roel R. Lopez, Christine Hass, Linda Kennedy Jul 2017

Post-Fire Succession And Montezuma Quail In A Semi-Desert Grassland Of Southeast Arizona, Pedro M. Chavarria, Nova J. Silvy, Roel R. Lopez, Christine Hass, Linda Kennedy

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

A 1,011.7-ha wildfire occurred in southeast Arizona in May 2009 and provided an opportunity to evaluate pre- and post-fire abundance of and habitat use by Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) through use of flush surveys and radiotelemetry. We evaluated movements of radio-marked quail from 2 months prior to the burn to 12 months post-burn. We observed strong site fidelity with coveys persisting in small patches of unburned areas and micro-topography, despite extensive reduction in cover in the surrounding landscape. We documented 46.7% reduction in abundance using flush counts within the first 2 weeks post-fire, and 66.7% reduction within 3 weeks post-fire. …

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An Analysis Of Masked Bobwhite Collection Locales And Habitat Characteristics, David E. Brown, Kevin B. Clark, Randall D. Babb, Grant Harris Jul 2017

An Analysis Of Masked Bobwhite Collection Locales And Habitat Characteristics, David E. Brown, Kevin B. Clark, Randall D. Babb, Grant Harris

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

We evaluated the collecting locales of 251 masked bobwhite (Colinus virginianus ridgwayi) specimens in museum collections. Eighteen were from 4 sites in Arizona—all collected by Herbert Brown. The vast majority (93%) of specimens were from the Mexican State of Sonora. We visited and photographed each of the Arizona collection locations and most of the sites in Sonora. Collector descriptions indicate the bird’s principal habitat affiliations were with tall grass-weed (1⁄4 forb) pastures, savannas, and farm fields. All historic localities visited were either in grass-forb habitats along drainages or in present or former savannas adjacent to woody cover and/or agricultural fields …

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Rowing Against The Tide: Getting Landowners To Manage Habitat For Their Favorite Wildlife Species, Bobwhites, Thomas V. Dailey, Ronald A. Reitz, Heather J. Scroggins, William T. White, Thomas B. Treiman, Nigel Hoilet Jul 2017

Rowing Against The Tide: Getting Landowners To Manage Habitat For Their Favorite Wildlife Species, Bobwhites, Thomas V. Dailey, Ronald A. Reitz, Heather J. Scroggins, William T. White, Thomas B. Treiman, Nigel Hoilet

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

A primary cause of the decline of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) is that landowners often lack adequate motivation for the arduous task of creating and managing habitat. We gained insight into some of these motivations through survey questionnaires and focus groups in Missouri, and report findings from 3 studies containing 3,057 survey responses during 2004–2007. One of the surveys targeted Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands (‘CRP survey’), another lands with potential for bobwhite restoration (‘bobwhite survey’), and the third focused on grassland bird restoration. Landowners in each survey identified bobwhites as the most popular (.80% of respondents chose ‘somewhat’ or …

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What’S A Quail Worth? A Longitudinal Assessment Of Quail Hunter Demographics, Attitudes, And Spending Habits In Texas, Jason L. Johnson, Dale Rollins, Kelly S. Reyna Jul 2017

What’S A Quail Worth? A Longitudinal Assessment Of Quail Hunter Demographics, Attitudes, And Spending Habits In Texas, Jason L. Johnson, Dale Rollins, Kelly S. Reyna

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Funds generated and spent on the pursuit of quail (Colinus virginianus, Callipepla squamata) hunting in Texas are sizable. We surveyed a population of quail hunters in Texas in 2000 and 2011 to assess hunter demographics and spending habits. The population of hunters for the 2000 survey consisted of members of Quail Unlimited who lived in Texas while the 2011 population consisted of the former group’s successor in Texas—Quail Coalition. The initial (2000) survey was a mail questionnaire while the 2011 survey instrument was delivered electronically. We achieved response rates of 47% in 2000 but only 9% in 2011. The number …

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Development And Implementation Of A Successful Northern Bobwhite Translocation Program In Georgia, D. Clay Sisson, William E. Palmer, Theron M. Terhune, Reggie E. Thackston Jul 2017

Development And Implementation Of A Successful Northern Bobwhite Translocation Program In Georgia, D. Clay Sisson, William E. Palmer, Theron M. Terhune, Reggie E. Thackston

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Gamebird translocations have been used for many years to establish or re-establish populations in North America. A long-term severe decline of northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) over much of their range has brought this issue to the forefront for this species as well. Field studies in Georgia over the last decade have documented site fidelity, high survival, reproductive success, and population response from bobwhites translocated into large blocks of well-managed habitat. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources/ Wildlife Resources Division developed an official wild quail translocation policy in 2006. Five translocation projects have been permitted and conducted since the policy was …

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A County-Based Northern Bobwhite Habitat Prioritization Model For Kentucky, John J. Morgan, Gary Sprandel, Ben A. Robinson, Keith Wethington Jul 2017

A County-Based Northern Bobwhite Habitat Prioritization Model For Kentucky, John J. Morgan, Gary Sprandel, Ben A. Robinson, Keith Wethington

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Planning the management of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) habitat at a statewide-scale is daunting. Native grassland restoration is difficult to manage in Kentucky because . 99% of the Commonwealth’s original grassland area has been lost to agriculture, succession, and development. We created a county prioritization model designed to target areas of grasslands and landowners likely to participate in conservation programs. Our goal was to identify 10% of the state as high priority for bobwhite habitat restoration. We created an east and west model divided by the Appalachian Mountains. The west model was designed to target production-oriented operators farming marginal lands, …

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Application Of Metapopulation Theory To Northern Bobwhite Conservation, Joseph P. Sands, Stephen J. Demaso, Leonard A. Brennan, Damon L. Williford, Randall W. Deyoung, Erin M. Wehland, Fidel Hernandez, Katherine S. Miller Jul 2017

Application Of Metapopulation Theory To Northern Bobwhite Conservation, Joseph P. Sands, Stephen J. Demaso, Leonard A. Brennan, Damon L. Williford, Randall W. Deyoung, Erin M. Wehland, Fidel Hernandez, Katherine S. Miller

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) populations have declined throughout the majority of the species’ range, and have experienced the largest declines in fragmented habitats, suggesting landscape scale processes may be responsible for this decline. We used the results from a stochastic population dynamics model of South Texas bobwhites as conceptual justification for use of metapopulation theory in bobwhite management. Annual quasi-extinction probabilities for isolated bobwhite populations were 0.003 (95% CI: 0.001 0.006), 0.105 (95% CI: 0.083 0.126), and 0.773 (95% CI: 0.750 0.796) for simulated populations harvested at 20, 30, and 40% annually. The probability of regional persistence at 30% harvest …

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Annual Variation In Northern Bobwhite Survival And Raptor Migration, R. Douglas Holt, L. Wes Burger Jr., Bruce D. Leopold, K. David Godwin Jul 2017

Annual Variation In Northern Bobwhite Survival And Raptor Migration, R. Douglas Holt, L. Wes Burger Jr., Bruce D. Leopold, K. David Godwin

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

We estimated survival of radio-marked northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) on a managed prairie site in northeast Mississippi during 2 disparate winters (15 Sep-14 Apr 2000–2002). We retrospectively examined factors that may influence bobwhite survival. Pooled survival rates differed substantially between years (S 1⁄4 0.03 6 0.02 in 2000–2001 and S 1⁄4 0.36 6 0.16 in 2001–2002). Regional relative abundance of 3 species of raptors thought to be important predators of bobwhite was greater during 2000 compared to 2001 based on kriging of Christmas Bird Count (CBC) data. We demonstrate an approach for characterizing annual variation in spatial distribution of migratory …

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Depredation Patterns And Northern Bobwhite Nest Success In Field Borders, Jessica N. Piispanen, Jason D. Riddle Jul 2017

Depredation Patterns And Northern Bobwhite Nest Success In Field Borders, Jessica N. Piispanen, Jason D. Riddle

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) populations have declined because of habitat loss and fragmentation. Field borders provide additional habitat for northern bobwhites and other wildlife that depend on early-succession habitat. However, their proximity to woods as well as other edge types may result in increased bobwhite nest depredation. We examined if northern bobwhite nest survival in field borders decreased with increasing proximity to edges such as woods, crop fields, ditches, and roads; effects of year, camera presence, and field border width also were considered. We examined if snakes are the primary nest predator with 24-hr video camera surveillance. We searched for …

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The Sexual Proclivities Of Northern Bobwhites, Brant C. Faircloth, William E. Palmer, Theron M. Terhune, Patricia A. Gowaty, John P. Carroll Jul 2017

The Sexual Proclivities Of Northern Bobwhites, Brant C. Faircloth, William E. Palmer, Theron M. Terhune, Patricia A. Gowaty, John P. Carroll

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Mating systems and mating behavior are historically viewed as static characteristics of populations. ‘Monogamy’, ‘polygamy’, ‘multiple clutch polygamy’, ‘polyandry’, etc. imply most individuals express similar social and genetic mating patterns and characterize the behavior of most or all individuals in a given population. Mating systems of different populations of northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) have been described as monogamous, polygamous, multi-clutch polygamous, ambisexually polygamous, and polyandrous in contrast to the expectation that behavior, at the species level, fits defined categories. Prior studies of bobwhite breeding behavior, to arrive at these classifications, were based on observations of social interactions and did not …

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Genetic Structure Of Northern Bobwhites In Northeast Mississippi And Southwest Tennessee, Kristine O. Evans, Loren W. Burger Jr., William E. Palmer Jul 2017

Genetic Structure Of Northern Bobwhites In Northeast Mississippi And Southwest Tennessee, Kristine O. Evans, Loren W. Burger Jr., William E. Palmer

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Precipitous declines in northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) populations across most of the natural range may increase susceptibility to genetic isolation, restrict gene flow among subpopulations, and exacerbate vulnerability to catastrophic stochastic processes. We characterized the level of genetic variability of 223 individual bobwhites representing 4 disjunct populations in northeast Mississippi and southwest Tennessee in 2002. Analyses at 8 microsatellite loci suggested observed heterozygosity was lower than expected but showed no significant heterozygosity excess. Estimates of FIS coefficients were positive in each subpopulation, but low overall, suggesting only minor loss in heterozygosity over the entire population. Gene diversity was high and …

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Parasitic Eyeworm (Oxyspirura Petrowi) In Northern Bobwhites From The Rolling Plains Of Texas, 2007–2011, Stacie M. Villarreal, Alan M. Fedynich, Leonard A. Brennan, Dale Rollins Jul 2017

Parasitic Eyeworm (Oxyspirura Petrowi) In Northern Bobwhites From The Rolling Plains Of Texas, 2007–2011, Stacie M. Villarreal, Alan M. Fedynich, Leonard A. Brennan, Dale Rollins

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

The eyeworm Oxyspirura petrowi is an indirect life cycle nematode that occurs under the nictitating membrane on the eye surface of certain bird species. Previous studies from western or northwestern regions of Texas reported O. petrowi from northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus), scaled quail (Callipepla squamata), and Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae). We examined 173 bobwhites from the Rolling Plains of Texas collected during the 2007–2008 (n 1⁄4 33), 2009–2010 (n 1⁄4 86), and 2010–2011 (n 1⁄4 54) hunting seasons, respectively. Overall, 99 (57%) bobwhites were infected with 596 individual O. petrowi; the mean (6 SD) eyeworm intensity was 6.0 6 6.4 …

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Efficacy Of Targeted Mist-Netting To Capture Northern Bobwhites During The Non-Breeding Season In Ohio, Mark J. Wiley, Adam K. Janke, Robert J. Gates Jul 2017

Efficacy Of Targeted Mist-Netting To Capture Northern Bobwhites During The Non-Breeding Season In Ohio, Mark J. Wiley, Adam K. Janke, Robert J. Gates

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Baited funnel traps and nightlighting are well established northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) capture techniques, but their use is not always appropriate, particularly on private land where cooperating landowners may place constraints on research activities. Alternative capture techniques may be more effective under conditions considered to be unfavorable for established techniques (e.g., periods with abundant natural food). Targeted mist-netting, where mist nets are erected near the known location of specific individuals, has been used to capture gallinaceous species and may be an effective alternative to established bobwhite capture techniques. We evaluated the effectiveness of using targeted mist-netting to capture bobwhites during …

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Northern Bobwhite Survival Related To Movement On A Reclaimed Surface Coal Mine, Ashley M. Unger, Evan P. Tanner, Craig A. Harper, Patrick D. Keyser, John J. Morgan Jul 2017

Northern Bobwhite Survival Related To Movement On A Reclaimed Surface Coal Mine, Ashley M. Unger, Evan P. Tanner, Craig A. Harper, Patrick D. Keyser, John J. Morgan

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Reclaimed coal mines represent opportunity to provide large tracts of early succession habitat essential to northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) populations. However, little research has been conducted to explore the potential of reclaimed mine sites and examine bobwhite ecology on these unique areas. Reclaimed mines in Kentucky were planted to non-native species, such as sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea), which do not provide suitable structure for northern bobwhite brood-rearing and movement. Fallow disking (in blocks and linear firebreaks) and planting food plots are part of current management efforts to improve food availability and habitat structure for broods. …

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Northern Bobwhite Survival, Nest Success, And Habitat Use In Kentucky During The Breeding Season, Andrew S. West, Patrick D. Keyser, John J. Morgan Jul 2017

Northern Bobwhite Survival, Nest Success, And Habitat Use In Kentucky During The Breeding Season, Andrew S. West, Patrick D. Keyser, John J. Morgan

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) populations have experienced protracted declines over much of their range. There has been an annual decrease of 2.61% since the 1960s in Kentucky, an area representative of the Mid-South where there is a lack of data on basic population parameters. Much of the decline is attributed to prevailing land-use practices and associated habitat loss. We monitored northern bobwhite on a 515-ha farm in Oldham County, Kentucky to assess survival rates, nest success rates, and habitat use in the Mid- South. The farm consisted of row crops, cool-season pastures and hay (primarily tall fescue), fallow native warm-season …

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Survival Of Radio-Marked Versus Leg-Banded Northern Bobwhite In Kentucky, Evan P. Tanner, Ashley M. Unger, Patrick D. Keyser, Craig A. Harper, Joseph D. Clark, John J. Morgan Jul 2017

Survival Of Radio-Marked Versus Leg-Banded Northern Bobwhite In Kentucky, Evan P. Tanner, Ashley M. Unger, Patrick D. Keyser, Craig A. Harper, Joseph D. Clark, John J. Morgan

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Understanding the impact of radiomarking northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) survival is essential because of the widespread reliance on radiotelemetry to assess vital population parameters. We conducted an assessment of bobwhite populations within the Central Hardwoods Bird Conservation Region using leg banding and radiotelemetry on Peabody Wildlife Management Area, a 3,330-ha reclaimed surface mine in western Kentucky. We captured bobwhites using baited funnel traps during a 112-day period (23 Jul-11 Nov 2010) and marked 180 with necklace-style radio-transmitters (6 g) and 256 birds with only leg bands. Eighty-five birds were opportunistically recaptured in funnel traps, of which 81 were used in …

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Spring Dispersal Of Northern Bobwhites In Southwestern Ohio, Marjorie R. Liberati, Robert J. Gates Jul 2017

Spring Dispersal Of Northern Bobwhites In Southwestern Ohio, Marjorie R. Liberati, Robert J. Gates

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) historically occurred throughout Ohio but their core range has contracted to 18 southwestern counties. The Ohio Division of Wildlife has used trapping and transplanting to reintroduce wild bobwhites to unoccupied habitats within the species’ historic range. Bobwhite dispersal information is necessary to understand population dynamics and the species’ capacity to recolonize unoccupied habitats. Bobwhites were captured and radiomarked on 4 private-land study sites in southwestern Ohio. Radio-marked bobwhites (n 1⁄4 66) were tracked by homing or triangulation during spring 2010 and 2011 to ascertain dispersal distances between winter and breeding ranges. The spring dispersal period was …

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Temporal Variability In Survival Of Non-Breeding Northern Bobwhites In Ohio, Adam K. Janke, Robert J. Gates Jul 2017

Temporal Variability In Survival Of Non-Breeding Northern Bobwhites In Ohio, Adam K. Janke, Robert J. Gates

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Non-breeding season survival is an important determinant of population growth rates of northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) and is primarily influenced by hunter harvest, predation, and weather. The collective influence of these factors varies within and among years and across the bobwhite range. Understanding factors that influence variation in survival is important to inform regionally-specific management strategies for declining bobwhite populations. We radiomarked 311 bobwhites from 73 coveys to investigate temporal variation in non-breeding season (Oct-Mar) survival of a declining bobwhite population on private land in southwestern Ohio during 2008–2011. We used the data bootstrapping feature in Program MARK to adjust …

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Demographic Analysis Of A Declining Northern Bobwhite Population In Southwestern Ohio, Robert J. Gates, Adam K. Janke, Marjorie R. Liberati, Mark J. Wiley Jul 2017

Demographic Analysis Of A Declining Northern Bobwhite Population In Southwestern Ohio, Robert J. Gates, Adam K. Janke, Marjorie R. Liberati, Mark J. Wiley

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) populations continue to decline throughout much of their range, especially in the Midwestern United States. Land use and habitat changes are understood to be the primary cause of decline, and it is unclear how vital rates affect growth of regional populations. We estimated relative abundance and population vital rates of bobwhites on 8 private land sites in southwestern Ohio during 2008–2011. Life stage simulation analyses were used to model the influence of 9 demographic parameters on population growth rates (k). All but one vital rate, chick survival, were modeled with empirical data randomly selected from normal …

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Temporal And Spatial Trends Of Northern Bobwhite Survival And Nest Success, Chad J. Parent, Fidel Hernandez, David B. Wester, Fred C. Bryant Jul 2017

Temporal And Spatial Trends Of Northern Bobwhite Survival And Nest Success, Chad J. Parent, Fidel Hernandez, David B. Wester, Fred C. Bryant

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

The northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) has been declining in abundance across North America for many years. It is unknown, however, if other population variables also exhibit this downward trajectory. We conducted a retrospective-analysis of annual survival and nest success based on a literature review of 64 studies and compared these estimates temporally and spatially. We hypothesized that increased management efforts influenced bobwhite survival in the 1990s. Evidence from linear splining indicated survival trends changed in 1994. Thus, we compared trends across 3 periods: before 1994, after 1994, and overall. Mean (6 SD) annual survival was 13.9 6 9.4% across 31 …

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A Mid-Atlantic And A National Population Model Of Northern Bobwhite Demographic Sensitivity, Christopher K. Williams, Brett K. Sandercock, Michael Lohr, Paul M. Castelli Jul 2017

A Mid-Atlantic And A National Population Model Of Northern Bobwhite Demographic Sensitivity, Christopher K. Williams, Brett K. Sandercock, Michael Lohr, Paul M. Castelli

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Numerous field studies have estimated fecundity and survival rates for northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus), but a synthetic population model based on life-stage simulation analysis (LSA) was only recently developed to examine demographic sensitivity of the finite rate of population change. We compare local demographic parameters of bobwhite versus a national compilation to identify limiting demographic factors for improved regional habitat planning and management. The national compilation provided a useful overview but combined parameters across populations at different latitudes and under different management regimes. We parameterized our LSA model to examine the sensitivity of the finite rate of growth (k) to …

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Factors Influencing Northern Bobwhite Hunting Success On Two South Georgia Plantations, Shane D. Wellendorf, William E. Palmer, D. Clay Sisson Jul 2017

Factors Influencing Northern Bobwhite Hunting Success On Two South Georgia Plantations, Shane D. Wellendorf, William E. Palmer, D. Clay Sisson

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Success of wild northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) management programs on private lands is most often measured by the rate of coveys pointed during the hunting season. Thus, managers of these properties are keenly interested in factors that influence hunting success. We examined how coveys pointed/hour, a measure of hunting success, was influenced by time of hunting season, time of day, weather parameters, and supplemental feeding on 2 intensively-managed plantations over 4 years. There were significant annual differences in the number of coveys pointed/hour among the 4 study years, but hunting success did not vary during the hunting season. Afternoon hunts …

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Do Resident And Non-Resident Northern Bobwhite Hunters Self-Regulate Harvest Based On Population Size?, Christopher K. Williams, Roger D. Applegate Jul 2017

Do Resident And Non-Resident Northern Bobwhite Hunters Self-Regulate Harvest Based On Population Size?, Christopher K. Williams, Roger D. Applegate

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

A variety of factors influence the relative strength of additive and compensatory mortality of harvest on northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) including covey dynamics, habitat fragmentation, and timing of harvest. State wildlife agencies have long believed regulations could be liberal because hunters will self-regulate effort when populations decrease. A confounding observation is that with lower population abundances, hunter skill and harvest rate increases because the more novice hunters do not participate. This raises the question whether non-resident small game hunters could have a larger impact at lower population levels if they have (1) more money to dedicate to out of state …

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The Texas Quail Index: Evaluating Predictors Of Northern Bobwhite Productivity And Abundance Using Citizen Science, Kelly S. Reyna, Dale Rollins, Dean Ransom Jr. Jul 2017

The Texas Quail Index: Evaluating Predictors Of Northern Bobwhite Productivity And Abundance Using Citizen Science, Kelly S. Reyna, Dale Rollins, Dean Ransom Jr.

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Annual abundance of northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) fluctuates drastically in semi-arid environments (e.g., Texas), which complicates the ability of wildlife biologists and quail managers to predict annual bobwhite productivity and relative abundance for the ensuing hunting season. The Texas Quail Index (TQI) was a 5-year citizen science project that evaluated several indices as predictors of bobwhite productivity and abundance during the subsequent fall. Indices included spring cock-call counts, forb species richness, simulated-nest fate, potential nest-site density, scent station visitation rates, roadside counts, fall covey call counts, and harvest data. Spring cock-call counts explained only 41% of the variation in fall …

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Impacts Of Bermudagrass On Northern Bobwhite Chicks: Mobility And Heat Exposure, James A. Martin, Jason Burkhart, Reggie E. Thackston, John P. Carroll Jul 2017

Impacts Of Bermudagrass On Northern Bobwhite Chicks: Mobility And Heat Exposure, James A. Martin, Jason Burkhart, Reggie E. Thackston, John P. Carroll

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Conservation programs to benefit northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) and other agriculturally-related wildlife species often target crop-field margins for management. The Bobwhite Quail Initiative in Georgia is a program where 3- to 18-m strips are disked and left fallow for 3-year cycles. However, several exotic grasses, such as bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon), encroach in field margins, reducing their usefulness for avian species. We hypothesized that dense mats of bermudagrass would be a physical barrier to bobwhite chicks and also serve as a heat trap reducing habitat quality. We conducted two experiments to assess these factors. First, we used human-imprinted bobwhite chicks, 5 …

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Do Beneficial Insect Habitats Also Provide Quality Brood Habitat For Northern Bobwhite?, Charles J. Plush, Christopher E. Moorman, David B. Orr, Chris Reberg-Horton Jul 2017

Do Beneficial Insect Habitats Also Provide Quality Brood Habitat For Northern Bobwhite?, Charles J. Plush, Christopher E. Moorman, David B. Orr, Chris Reberg-Horton

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Strips of fallow vegetation along cropland borders are an effective strategy for providing northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) habitat. However, a limitation of fallow borders is the lack of nectar-producing vegetation needed to sustain many beneficial insect populations. Planted borders that contain mixes of prairie flowers and grasses may harbor more diverse arthropod communities, but the relative value of these borders as bobwhite brood habitat compared to fallow borders is unknown. Vegetation composition likely has the largest influence on a field border’s structural characteristics, which consequently may impact bobwhite foraging efficiency. Thus, actively planting field borders may not yield the vegetative …

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Arthropod Consumption By Northern Bobwhite Chicks In Managed Tall Fescue Monocultures, Douglas C. Osborne, Donald W. Sparling, Thomas V. Dailey Jul 2017

Arthropod Consumption By Northern Bobwhite Chicks In Managed Tall Fescue Monocultures, Douglas C. Osborne, Donald W. Sparling, Thomas V. Dailey

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

An extensive amount of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) habitat for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) has been lost to planting of tall fescue (Schedonorus phoenix). We conducted foraging trials using human-imprinted bobwhite chicks (n 1⁄4 288) and collected terrestrial arthropods using a customized yard vacuum to assess the effects of 3 USDA mid-contract management (MCM) cost-share practices on chick foraging rates and arthropod prey selection in 36 tall fescue-dominated CRP fields in Illinois during 2008. We applied fall strip disking, fall glyphosate spraying, and fall glyphosate spraying followed by spring legume interseeding in alternating strips to 33% of each treatment field …

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Effects Of Carbohydrate-Based And Protein-Carbohydrate Rations On Wild Bobwhite Nesting And Harvest Demographics, Andrew N. Tri, Fidel Hernandez, David G. Hewitt, William P. Kuvlesky Jr., Leonard A. Brennan Jul 2017

Effects Of Carbohydrate-Based And Protein-Carbohydrate Rations On Wild Bobwhite Nesting And Harvest Demographics, Andrew N. Tri, Fidel Hernandez, David G. Hewitt, William P. Kuvlesky Jr., Leonard A. Brennan

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) reproduction is a nutrient-intensive process. Arthropods are essential for breeding bobwhite hens and their offspring. Traditional supplemental feeding programs use corn and milo and typically neglect the protein needs of bobwhites. Commercial bobwhite rations are widely available but are seldom used in feeding programs due to high cost and lack of an appropriate supplement for field use. We compared the effect of a protein-carbohydrate ration (PC) to the effects of a carbohydrate only ration (CO) on: (1) bobwhite hen nesting demographics (clutch size, ordinal clutch initiation date, Mayfield nest survival), and (2) fall relative abundance (coveys …

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