Family-Outdoors

Iowa’s pheasant harvest increased 30 percent in 2014 to an estimated 216,000 roosters, marking the third harvest increase in a row for the popular game bird. Hunter numbers also increased an estimated nine percent to more than 63,000 small game hunters in 2014. The harvest and participation estimates are based on an annual survey of hunters following the season. “I think some of our former pheasant hunters are taking the wait-and-see approach or our harvest could have been even better. Hopefully, they won’t stay on the sidelines much longer,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources who led the survey. Bogenschutz said he has received a lot of reports from people seeing roosters this spring leading him to think there were some missed opportunities last fall.  “Our August pheasant survey has increased three years in a row, indicating that the population is rebounding from the bad winter and spring weather from 2007-11,...

Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (Photo credit: Wikipedia)  Landowners who are interested in improving quail habitat will have three instructional opportunities coming up soon.    Quail Field Days are scheduled to be held April 16 at Sandy Sanders Wildlife Management Area headquarters; June 11 at Cross Timbers WMA headquarters; and June 12 at Spavinaw WMA headquarters.    Each of the sessions will run from 1 to 4 p.m., and admission is free.     The field days are sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service and  Quail Forever.    All three field days will include sessions on prescribed fire and pollinator habitat. In addition, a session on juniper thinning will be offered at Sandy Sanders, a session on native plant establishment will be offered at Cross Timbers, and a session on forest thinning will be offered at Spavinaw.    For driving ...

Annual roadside quail surveys have been completed for 2014, and the results are good news for quail hunters in Oklahoma. The statewide quail population index increased 66 percent from the previous year. Quail counts conducted in August and October showed higher numbers of birds in all of Oklahoma except the South-central region.    "We documented outstanding reproduction, and it looks like it will be one of the best seasons in a decade," said Richard Hatcher, director of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation .    Scott Cox, upland game biologist with the Wildlife Department, said the weather plays an important role in quail production. The past two years, Oklahoma has seen model years for rainfall and cooler temperatures during the spring and summer months, after previous years of hot and dry conditions.    The recent favorable weather conditions helped more birds carry over into the nesting season, and allowed those birds to have a chance f...

Quail season has not been open very long, but early reports from the field indicate that conditions have improved over the previous two years that were stricken by record heat and drought.           According to Scott Cox, upland game bird biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, hunting has been reportedly good in certain areas, even amid what he believes were poor to fair scenting conditions for bird dogs.           "Coveys were found, covey sizes were good, age structure was good, birds were healthy, crops were full of good forbs," Cox said.           Hunters were even reportedly harvesting birds as young as six weeks old. Birds were also known to be on nests as late as October.           Cox said that it's been common for groups of hunters to see about four to five coveys each, with covey sizes ranging from about 12-18 birds. He estimates hunters are harv...

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)  The seventh Annual Central Oklahoma 89er Chapter of Quail Forever fundraising banquet will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012, at the Sportsman's Country Club in Oklahoma City. Quail Forever, a non-profit habitat conservation organization, was founded in 2005 as part of Pheasants Forever in response to the continuing decline of quail populations locally and throughout their natural range, working hand in hand with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and Oklahoma State University research biologists.             Membership dinner tickets are $55, spouse tickets are $30, and tickets for youth under 16 years of age are $15. This price includes dinner, a year's membership, a subscription to the Quail Forever Journal and a Quail Forever decal. Chapter sponsorships are available for as little as $250 as well as corporate sponsorships that include membership, dinner t...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia ) At its April meeting, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission accepted a donation from the 89er Chapter of Quail Forever to benefit quail habitat in northwest Oklahoma.             The donation includes specialized equipment for conducting prescribed burns to be used on the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's Beaver River Wildlife Management Area in northwest Oklahoma.             For years, wildlife professionals have promoted the benefits of prescribed fire to wildlife habitat, particularly as it pertains quail. The equipment donation will help improve habitat through prescribed burns that eliminate brushy overgrowth and promote new growth of beneficial native vegetation.             According to Alan Peoples, chief of wildlife for the Wildlife Department, newly acquired portions of Beaver River WMA stand to benefit from prescribed burning be...