Family-Outdoors

Bird dogs will be in high demand across much of Oklahoma in the next few months, based on findings from the Wildlife Department's annual roadside quail surveys. Populations of northern bobwhites and scaled quail appear to be making great strides this year in recovering after severe drought parched the state from 2010-13.     Roadside surveys conducted in August and October indicate the statewide quail population index is up 59.5 percent over last year. Even more astounding is that the    Northern bobwhite populations are rebounding in most areas of          Oklahoma according to roadside surveys conducted by the Wildlife    Department. (Jeff Neal / ODWC) quail population index is up 353.9 percent from the 2013 survey results.     Elated is the mood of many quail hunters, including Alan Peoples, chief of wildlife for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.     "It would really surprise me if we d...

Public Invited to Celebrate Chapter Achievements During Annual Fundraiser on August 15 The Central Oklahoma 89er Chapter of Quail Forever will be celebrating its 10th anniversary fundraising banquet on Aug. 15 in Oklahoma City. The local chapter is the first chapter of Quail Forever in the nation that was formed to address declining quail populations in Oklahoma and throughout its native range. The event will feature keynote speaker Howard Vincent, president and CEO of Quail Forever, in addition to games, raffles and a silent/live auction. Having people who care about quail and quail habitat is critical to rebuilding populations -- this is why Quail Forever is a stand-alone leader for upland wildlife habitat conservation. Since 2005, Quail Forever has established 151 chapters in 27 states, and has impacted 500,000 acres for quail conservation with over 7,000 completed wildlife habitat projects. The Oklahoma 89er Chapter of Quail Forever is included as part of this conservatio...

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 ...

 (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...