Daver
PMA Member
I decided to make a new thread dealing more specifically with quail habitat management for those of us that are also interested in helping this regal game bird rebound. Deer also benefit by some of these activities, but the thrust of this thread is for quail and pheasants predominantly. (However, since we have already shared some of these items in a separate thread, I am linking that one here too for reference.)
http://iowawhitetail.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49278
Also, here is a short article that I may or may not have linked previously that spells things out in short order that I think hits the nail on the head too.
http://www.quwf.net/downloads/cnews/general/quail-habitat-manage.pdf
So far this spring, I am seeing and hearing BY FAR more quail, and pheasants, at my place then ever before. I am sure that my efforts to plant milo, switchgrass and Egyptian Wheat(EW), among other things, is paying off big and it is really rewarding as a landowner to see the fruits of your labor so clearly. Now, there is only one thing to do...GO BIGGER! By that I mean that I am expanding my quail enhancement techniques this year to hopefully boost the population even more.
In the interest of helping others "grow" more quail, I will list the activities, sort of in order of importance in my view, that I have been doing over the past few years. I am by no means a pro, so I am interested to hear what others have learned in this area too. Together I think we can really enhance a lot of acres for quail.
1. Milo/EW - milo is both food(seeds) and cover and will grow relatively well even in very dry summers. Perfect for the last couple of years! FYI, my EW was basically all fallen over a couple of months ago, but my milo is still standing well now and is still providing cover for the birds now. I have planted milo plots as small as 1/4 acre up to maybe 2 acres. All sized are used well by the birds. I normally place the EW along an edge of the milo and the EW is usually only a 10'-15' wide strip.
2. Bare ground - Dedicate some area to "bare dirt" in the spring, both in the timber and in the field. In fields, I have lightly disked areas as small as 1/3 acre up to maybe 1-1/2 acres and just let whatever weeds grow that come up. This open ground, combined with weeds/seeds is always a popular place to find these little buggers, and by buggers, I do mean buggers. These bare ground spots that turn to weeds will have lots of little insects in them and the quail need them.
I have also burned brome off to create bare dirt spots in the CRP and purposely burned through sections of timbered ground to refresh the timber floor too. Burned off brome will usually produce a good "crop" of foxtail too, which is helpful for the birds.
3. Switchgrass - I have been creating little .5 to 2.0 acre switchgrass stands and normally locate them right next to where I also plant the milo and EW. The switch is great cover all year long. I am working to get enough of it to be able to burn about 1/3 of what I have each year and still have plenty all year long.
4. TSI/edge feathering - I have also worked on the adjacent timber to the milo plots and switch areas and I know that has helped the little birds too.
http://iowawhitetail.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49278
Also, here is a short article that I may or may not have linked previously that spells things out in short order that I think hits the nail on the head too.
http://www.quwf.net/downloads/cnews/general/quail-habitat-manage.pdf
So far this spring, I am seeing and hearing BY FAR more quail, and pheasants, at my place then ever before. I am sure that my efforts to plant milo, switchgrass and Egyptian Wheat(EW), among other things, is paying off big and it is really rewarding as a landowner to see the fruits of your labor so clearly. Now, there is only one thing to do...GO BIGGER! By that I mean that I am expanding my quail enhancement techniques this year to hopefully boost the population even more.
In the interest of helping others "grow" more quail, I will list the activities, sort of in order of importance in my view, that I have been doing over the past few years. I am by no means a pro, so I am interested to hear what others have learned in this area too. Together I think we can really enhance a lot of acres for quail.
1. Milo/EW - milo is both food(seeds) and cover and will grow relatively well even in very dry summers. Perfect for the last couple of years! FYI, my EW was basically all fallen over a couple of months ago, but my milo is still standing well now and is still providing cover for the birds now. I have planted milo plots as small as 1/4 acre up to maybe 2 acres. All sized are used well by the birds. I normally place the EW along an edge of the milo and the EW is usually only a 10'-15' wide strip.
2. Bare ground - Dedicate some area to "bare dirt" in the spring, both in the timber and in the field. In fields, I have lightly disked areas as small as 1/3 acre up to maybe 1-1/2 acres and just let whatever weeds grow that come up. This open ground, combined with weeds/seeds is always a popular place to find these little buggers, and by buggers, I do mean buggers. These bare ground spots that turn to weeds will have lots of little insects in them and the quail need them.
I have also burned brome off to create bare dirt spots in the CRP and purposely burned through sections of timbered ground to refresh the timber floor too. Burned off brome will usually produce a good "crop" of foxtail too, which is helpful for the birds.
3. Switchgrass - I have been creating little .5 to 2.0 acre switchgrass stands and normally locate them right next to where I also plant the milo and EW. The switch is great cover all year long. I am working to get enough of it to be able to burn about 1/3 of what I have each year and still have plenty all year long.
4. TSI/edge feathering - I have also worked on the adjacent timber to the milo plots and switch areas and I know that has helped the little birds too.