Quail hunting journal to keep tabs on coveys

LITTLE ROCK — A new quail hunter log book offered by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission lets hunters help monitor and manage northern bobwhite in The Natural State.

Late fall usually means one thing to bird dogs — cool, damp mornings and ideal scenting conditions throughout the day. As quail hunters are heading to the field, the AGFC is asking for a little help recording success rates and flushed birds during their hunts.

“Hunters check deer and turkeys, and the federal Hunter Information Program survey helps track hunter effort and success, but we don’t have anything that tracks hunter effort for quail,” Clint Johnson, Quail Program coordinator for the AGFC, said. “As we continue habitat restoration throughout the state for northern bobwhite, the data collected in this survey will help guide future management decisions and focus on the efforts that are showing success.”

Hunters can visit https://www.agfc.com/hunting/more-game/quail and enter their data electronically as they complete each hunt. They can also email Clint.Johnson@agfc.ar.gov to receive a downloadable log book or a printed version via mail. 

“Any hunts for wild birds conducted on public or private land can be recorded,” Johnson said. “Field trials and pen-raised birds shouldn’t be included.”

The quail program will send a custom decal to all hunters who submit hunting journal entries as a thank you for their commitment to conservation.

“This is valuable data that we can’t get without the help of our hunters,” Johnson said. “Even when we’re working all spring and summer, we won’t see the numbers of birds hunters see when they’re working their dogs. Hunter data will help us gauge benefits from habitat work and may help us tailor hunting regulations on Wildlife Management Areas.”

The work to conserve northern bobwhites also is critical to Eastern wild turkey and many grassland birds throughout The Natural State. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, grassland birds like northern bobwhites have seen the greatest population loss of any bird type, with a decline of more than 720 million grassland birds since 1970.

Visit https://www.agfc.com/hunting/more-game/quail for more information about northern bobwhites, including the latest Annual Quail Program Report.