Heavily forested southeastern Oklahoma definitely isn’t the first place quail hunters would think about spending their time trying to kick up some birds. But several of them do just that each year as volunteer hunters for a Timberland Quail Research Hunt.
The research hunt is a cooperative effort by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and Oklahoma Quail Forever to study the habits and the habitat needs of bobwhites in the southeastern part of the state. In five years, the hunters and biologists have seen the number of birds increase in response to certain habitat practices.
The Wildlife Department’s Outdoor Oklahoma television show and magazine take an in-depth look at this quail project as it continues on Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area. Look for the feature article “There’s Quail in Them Thar Hills” in the January/February issue of the magazine. And visit the online TV show site at www.youtube.com/OutdoorOklahoma and search for “Timberland” to watch an episode devoted to the research hunt.