Show me the quail
Birds are on their way back in the Show Me State’s Talbot and Stockton Lake conservation areas.
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Photo by Michael Faw
More birds mean more hunting opportunities in the Show Me State. |
Quail are making a comeback — or their numbers are increasing — in southwest Missouri thanks to a partnership involving the NWTF, Missouri’s Department of Conservation (MDC), area sportsmen and conservation-focused cattlemen and farmers. The quail, along with wild turkeys, are finding life easier in the Robert E. Talbot and Stockton Lake conservation areas. Combined, they offer more than 20,000 acres of public hunting opportunities. Ongoing wildlife habitat improvements involve less than likely participants — cattle.
“According to Aldo Leupold, cows were one of his land management tools along with fire and guns,” said John Burk, NWTF regional biologist. “Missouri is second to Texas in cattle raising, and some cattle practices are actually beneficial to wildlife. Insect densities are not as vibrant in some densely grassed areas, but when used properly, the structure that some cattle grazing practices create benefit quail and other species.” Burk explained that light grazing by cattle turns surrounding areas into important brood habitat for quail and other species.
While the grazing projects with cooperating cattlemen are used at the 24,000-acre Stockton Lake area at this time, cooperating farmers are sharecropping with MDC on a 4,360-acre parcel in the Robert E. Talbot Conservation Area.
“We lease about 16,000 acres in the area and do agricultural crop area management and co-oping with farmers to improve wildlife habitat on some sites,” said Tim Russell, MDC’s wildlife regional supervisor. “Talbot is in real good shape for quail, and the department does a number of projects there with an emphasis on quail management.”
The area is diverse, including old fields, grasslands, croplands, woodlands, savannas and prairies. Some areas are maintained with prescribed burns; others are enhanced through timber management. The NWTF recently contributed $2,000 from the Super Fund to help with timbering and the purchase of a Polaris ATV that has aided with more than 1,000 acres of prescribed burns.
“The Stockton Lake area has many open fields, but a lot of woodland also, so we do prescribed burning there,” said Russell. “We have quail scattered around there, and their numbers are improving.” Along with prescribed burning, the area benefits from other projects to manage timber, including cutting and spraying. NWTF support is helping back the effort.
“The NWTF gave MDC a grant, and this support will be used for timber management and thinning to improve areas,” said Burk. “When you thin a stand of timber, and open the overhead canopy, it helps mast-producing trees and also creates big openings where grasses shoot up. These resulting savannahs are ideal for quail. Turkeys also do well there when grasses and forbs start shooting up.”
Additional NWTF support provides necessary chemicals to complete the extensive vegetation management efforts.
The Robert E. Talbot Conservation Area has more than 10 miles of hiking trails that lead to hunting opportunities for multiple game species, including rabbit and deer. Hunters can also pursue game in the Stockton Lake area, where numerous old roads lead to prime hunting areas and more than 3,000 acres of croplands and open fields.
Hunters will find these important conservation and hunting areas in southwest Missouri in Cedar, Dade, Lawrence and Polk counties. Quail hunting is permitted November through mid December. — Michael D. Faw