Page 19 - 2019 JAN/FEB Outdoor Oklahoma

Keith Lindsey and Carl Brown, both lifetime QF mem- late winter and early spring, and mowing is more benefi-
bers with the Tulsa Tallgrass Chapter, spent the weekend cial in late summer, early fall.
trying to move some coveys. “Definitely since we started the habitat project, where
“We’ve had people inquire what we are doing down we’ve done some of the sites, we have seen quite a few
here,” Lindsey said. “And when we tell them we are here more birds.” In one small QF research area that has been
to hunt quail, they actually say, ‘There’s quail in this part worked the past three years, Christian said a technician
of Oklahoma?’ ” reported seeing five different coveys this past summer.
In fact, hunters are finding coveys with a healthy num- Of course, it is a different style of quail hunting
ber of birds, Brown said. than most bird hunters are used to in Oklahoma. And
“We’re finding birds in the places that they are work- Christian said he always gives prospective hunters a
ing, which is a fantastic thing. People can’t believe that heads-up about the rough terrain in the clearcuts and
there’s quail down here, but there are. And they are the thick forested areas where flushed birds usually dis-
getting more and more with this habitat work they are appear to. One of the more successful techniques is to
doing. It’s a great job” hunt along roadsides, something vastly different than
But these hunters said they had not been able to take traditional open field hunting in western Oklahoma.
many shots after a day of hunting. “This place doesn’t get much pressure,” Christian said
“This is a good opportunity to hunt a different hab- with a chuckle. “In the first couple of months this season,
itat than we are usually hunting,” Lindsey said. “It’s a I’ve seen about three quail hunters. … But for the per-
little bit tough hunting, and they don’t give you much son who really likes to quail hunt, hunting in some of the
of a shot. But it’s fun anyway just to get out and see the pines I would think would be a ‘must’ on the list.”
dogs work.” Brown agreed.
Brown said just finding some birds in the pine planta- “It would definitely be worth it for anyone to come
tions is fantastic from a research standpoint. But even down here and give it a shot.
more exciting are the trends of the past four years. “For those hunters who got out of quail hunting a num-
“There’s been a remarkable change in the number of ber of years ago because they weren’t finding the birds,
birds found from last year to this year,” he said. In 2015, don’t give up. They are here, and it’s getting better.”
the Timberland hunters found just one covey over the
entire weekend. In 2018, the hunters moved eight coveys. Editor’s Note: Anyone interested in supporting Quail
Christian said in three years of habitat work on the QF Forever’s efforts to help quail management and promote
sites, “we have found disking is more beneficial in the habitat may visit www.OklahomaQuailForever.org.

DON P. BROWN/ODWC

Hunting quail in the timberland clearcuts of the Three Rivers WMA in southeastern Oklahoma can be more of a physical challenge with rougher
terrain than many bird hunters are used to.
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