The notable exceptions to the general improved bobwhite numbers are those areas that have experienced extreme drought, flooding or ice storms or a combination of these in recent years resulting in significantly depleted populations. In some parts of the Atlantic coast states, Midwest and Great Plains, it may take three to four years of good production seasons to recover from a series of weather catastrophes.

The western quail species are doing well across most of their range. Southeast New Mexico has had tremendous scaled quail populations the last two years with what appears to be another good year coming on. Mearns’ quail in Arizona appear poised for a third year of very good numbers if the summer monsoons cooperate. California quail numbers appear to be very spotty depending on the rainfall received. Winter rains are critical to the success of California quail and Gambel’s quail nesting success. Winter rains result in early forb green-up, which provides the nutrients critical to these desert quails and allows them to build physiological condition for nesting. Without the forbs, these species often make no attempt at nesting during hot, dry seasons. Winter rains resulted in very good habitat conditions in southern California.

California quail numbers are reported as good in Oregon, which has had excellent California quail populations in recent years. Reports of coveys numbering in the hundreds were common. Western Oregon probably has some of the best California quail and chukar hunting in the nation right now. Mountain quail populations are doing well in western Oregon west of the Cascade Range with reintroductions in eastern Oregon looking very promising at establishing new populations in that part of the state.

State and Regional Reports

Georgia and South Carolina

The Southeast U.S. is still recovering from the hot dry summer of 2007. The impact of hot and dry weather conditions had a devastating effect on southern quail populations. Hot, dry conditions adversely impact quail production along with food and cover for bobwhites.

The drought continued into 2008, with June one of the driest Junes on record. However, rainfall increased in July. If the rainfall continues, it may be enough to boost quail production and result in an increase in quail populations over last year.

In areas where habitat improvement was implemented, quail, songbirds and rabbit populations have increased. A number of agencies and organizations are actively engaged in habitat improvement and landowner assistance programs, including Quail Unlimited chapters and state and federal land management agencies. Numerous programs are now in place to assist landowners, including Farm Bill Conservation Programs and state agency programs. The result of these programs is a substantial increase in quail populations.

North Carolina

The North Carolina Cooperative Upland Habitat Restoration and Enhancement (CURE) program is generally showing positive results in restoring bobwhites on private lands. With three initial focal areas in the northern Coastal Plain, southern Coastal Plain and western Piedmont, the program has now been expanded with CURE Phase II, which expands the emphasis area in the western Piedmont. Currently in CURE II, landowners have enrolled 13,263 acres and are actively managing 1,152 acres.

In addition to the private land CURE initiative, the agency designated Game Lands CURE areas on four state-owned wildlife areas and implemented bobwhite habitat enhancement practices.

Fall covey and summer breeding quail call surveys indicate that on the coastal private cooperatives quail populations responded to the habitat improvements and peaked in 2005-2006 at about double the baseline counts but have decreased slightly through 2007. Positive quail responses have been noted on all CURE Game Land areas, which are showing continued annual increases. Counts in 2007 were the highest since the surveys began in 2001-2002 and are nearly double the baseline counts.

Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky

Spring breeding numbers of bobwhites were down six percent in Illinois and up nine percent in Indiana, according to surveys conducted by the Illinois DNR and Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife. These numbers are probably not statistically significant, indicating a relatively stable population. Kentucky's quail rural mail carrier survey is not completed until August, so results are not available.

In Illinois, spring bobwhite numbers were not significantly different over the state from 2007 numbers, but there were some counties containing the largest number of CP33 acres that showed the best increases, and in the central part of Indiana, quail call counts showed a 30 percent increase.

Nesting and hatching conditions over the entire region were favorable through late July, but because of the cool, wet spring, the hatching of successful nests seemed to be later than in recent years. Drier spring and summer weather occurred over Kentucky and parts of southern Illinois and Indiana in 2007 compared to 2008. Hopefully, moisture will continue to fall for the remainder of the 2008 production season. Higher numbers of bobwhites generally occur following above average moisture during the quail breeding season in this region.

Arkansas

Since 2002, bobwhite call count surveys have indicated that Arkansas quail numbers have been relatively stable with slight annual variations. The numbers show an increasing trend since the low of 2000; however, numbers are still well below the long-term average.

The Arkansas Quail Committee, made up of representatives of several agencies and organizations with an interest in bobwhites, identified two focal areas each of over 17,000 acres for intensive quail habitat improvement. Both are in northern Arkansas. These areas were designated “Special Project Areas” and received $100,000 in WHIP funding to provide 75 percent landowner cost-share for selected quail habitat practices. By 2007, there had been 12,700 acres enrolled in these two focal areas.

In 2007, two more focal areas were identified - one in central Arkansas and a second in northwest Arkansas near Fort Chaffee. In the first year, these focal areas had 16 landowners enrolled in habitat improvement projects.

The Arkansas Quail Committee developed the Landowner Incentive Program that was funded by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to establish two burn crews. These crews perform prescribed burning on private land. Since its inception, the crews have burned over 10,100 acres in 58 burns.

Arkansas also has an approved SAFE program, part of which involves the planting of native grasses. As of now, 4,000 acres of native grasses have been approved.

Missouri

Quail Focal Areas in Andrew, Buchanan, Cass, Caldwell, Carroll, Knox, Lawrence, Saline, Scott and Wright counties have shown an increase in quail densities. As a result, more landowners are participating in workshops and cost-share programs to improve habitat conditions in the focus areas.

The MDC Resource Science Division continues to monitor quail and songbird densities on 60 crop fields with CP33 buffers and 60 unbuffered crop fields as a part of the national CP33 monitoring project. Nationwide, CP33 monitoring has shown a positive response by bobwhite and a variable response by priority songbird species in established CP33 habitat buffers around crop fields compared to control (unbuffered) fields.

To date, Missouri has had wildlife success with the Conservation Security Program (CSP), which no other state appears to be able to match. In fact, Scott County is the first county in the nation to reach habitat goals identified within the NBCI plan. In 2007, farmers, quail hunters and Conservation Agent Roadside Surveys reported a significant increase in quail numbers in the Southeast Region. Southeast Missouri quail hunters have reported seeing more than one covey per hour. In other parts of the state, landowners participating in CSP and other conservation programs have seen an increase in quail because of the habitat work they have done. “While hunting near New Madrid on the last Sunday of the season, we made it a point to hunt only the fence rows that had an adjacent strip of soybeans or corn," said a landowner. "We made five stops and found six coveys in about four and a half hours. I haven't done that in 15 or 20 years. The programs are working; now it is just a matter of time.”

Quail monitoring in the Southeast Region in 2007 showed a five-fold increase in the number of coveys on crop fields with CP33 field borders compared to crop fields without CRP field borders. The 2007 Annual Conservation Agent Roadside Survey showed a 200 percent increase in quail over 2006 levels in the Southeast Region. Hunters also noticed the positive response in quail numbers during the 2007 hunting season and look forward to the 2008 season with multiple parties finding more than one covey per hunting hour.

Iowa and Nebraska

In areas where habitat work is being completed in SW Iowa and some other areas of the state, bird numbers are increasing in good numbers with landowners and hunters seeing more quail than they have in several years. Locally heavy rains this spring may have hurt 2008 nesting success in the areas of heavy rain. Recent monitoring data collected by Mississippi State University shows that both the breeding bird numbers of bobwhites and fall covey densities were higher in CP33 buffered fields than those without buffers.

Kansas

Officials with KDWP expect the best quail hunting to again be in South Central Kansas as it has been for the last several years. Weather in central Kansas has been favorable for productivity up to this point, and that should result in good hunting this fall. Quail numbers in the eastern third of the state remain low due to record low productivity of 2007 and heavy rain and flooding again in June 2008 in the same region. Far southwestern Kansas will likely also be poor this fall due to the severe drought they are experiencing. A better prediction will be available in late summer when the annual brood survey is completed.

Kansas has been one of the most active states in the nation in enrolling CP33 acres and now has a new SAFE project approved to add greater flexibility for landowners to install grass buffer practices. Surveys indicate a positive response of bobwhites to cropland buffers and this trend should continue as more buffers are installed.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma has not yet completed any surveys for 2008. A roadside count will be conducted in August and again in October. Reports to OK DWC biologists are of people seeing more birds this year and a lot of people hearing males calling. With the amount of rainfall received in the state in 2008, some areas should have had favorable weather for increased productivity. The exception would be in the panhandle where the productivity may be down due to the drought.

Southwest Oklahoma reports are that the weather has been only average for productivity with more rainfall needed for late-season production. Central Oklahoma has received favorable weather, but quail numbers are low due to low recruitment last year. The area is still trying to recover from the drought in 2006 which resulted in very low production. Eastern Oklahoma has had excessive rain and flooding, so the productivity is expected to be lower.

In general, the reports from the field are of all sizes of chicks in the west. If the rest of the summer turns off hot and dry, it has the possibility to lower productivity throughout the state.

Colorado

The core quail populations are still recovering from a variety of weather-induced impacts such as the 2006 blizzard and the current 2008 drought, particularly in southeast Colorado. Bobwhites along the South Platte River in northeast Colorado continue in a recovery mode also. The last two years have been extremely hard on Colorado quail. Harvest rates are significantly lower than just a few years ago, as we would expect.

New Mexico

New Mexico is fairing well again this year. Reproduction has been fair to above average in most of the state except for the northwest, which has been dry. The southern half of the state experienced two years of excellent hatch success. Observers noted mixed coveys of Gambel's and scaled quail with 100+ individuals in the southern half of the state the last two years. The northern half of the state had two good years as well. At the time of this report in July 2008, there had been extremely intense monsoons in the southwest portion of the state. It is too early to determine the impact on quail broods. Overall, it is predicted to be a good year; however, the final analysis will come with the late summer surveys.

Arizona

In central and northwestern Arizona, there are more Gambel’s quail on the ground than last year; however, last year was one of the worst years in memory. In southern Arizona, Gambel’s quail and scaled quail numbers will be spotty to good. For Mearns’ quail, this could be the third year in a row of good harvests, depending on the summer monsoons.

California

Precipitation in both quantity and timing is the most important ingredient for good reproduction in all quail species in California. Winter rains have created good conditions for the primary Gambel’s hatch along the Mexican border and along the Colorado River. The summer monsoon season will determine if there will be renesting attempts for a second brood. Conditions are only fair along the east side of the Vallecito Mountains and McCain Valley.

Mountain quail hatch conditions vary from good along most of the Sierra Foothills to poor in the high desert regions of Southern California. Research has been limited regarding mountain quail in this region. Mountain quail conditions look good for the west slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and very good in the northern counties.

California quail recruitment should be good throughout the state with highs and lows regionally influenced by spring precipitation. This does not look to be a good year for renesting and second clutches; the insect biomass appears limited.

Utah

No forecasts were available from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, but based on general observations, Gambel’s quail in the southwestern portion of the state will be a little better than last season. California quail numbers are better, but most populations are on private lands and permission is needed.

Oregon

No forecasts were available, but all the upland bird populations seem to be in relatively good health. California quail numbers have been especially good in Oregon for the last few years with covey sizes reported in the hundreds. Mountain quail reintroductions, supported by QU Answer The Call grants, are showing promising results in reestablished populations of birds. Mountain quail populations west of the Cascade Range are healthy, and eastern Oregon offers some of the best California quail and chukar hunting in the nation.

Idaho

No official forecasts are available, but recruitment looks very good in the Treasure Valley Area along the Snake River. Both California quail and chukar numbers look good.