Georgia's successful quail management means great opportunities for bobwhite hunts.
Oct 3, 2007
Habitat on the Rebound A fall from grace is the simplest way to describe the decline in quail habitat in Georgia from the 1960s to the late '90s, a period in which the state lost 70 percent of its quail population. As a result, the Georgia DNR implemented the Bobwhite Quail Initiative in 1999.
Under the program, 15 counties south of Macon were selected to participate, with the intention of building better nesting and brood-rearing habitat. Private landowners within these counties whose property meets certain criteria can apply for funds to help them make these improvements. Meanwhile, on public lands the DNR continues to manage habitat and monitor the nesting of quail. In the last five years wildlife managers have seen a marked increase in population. More important, quail numbers are stabilizing.
A New Sport Quail hunting in its modern form has picked up what it once lacked: a challenge. Hunters must now combine woodsmanship and scouting with patience and endurance. In the glory days all you needed was a dog, a gun and a clear-cut. The equipment list hasn't changed, but it takes more cunning on the part of a hunter to find areas that are potential quail havens. And these days, quail hunters have taken a page from the playbook of still-hunters. The game is more about pursuit-working trails and groves for miles in search of elusive coveys, instead of relying on the dogs to do all the work.
If you don't jump a covey or two by the end of the hunt, all is not lost. A walk in the countryside is also a chance to reconnect with what are becoming scarce slivers of nature, protected from suburban growth, where both the hunter and the bobwhite are at home.
The best hunting is on private land or commercial plantations. Still, public hunts are plentiful in Georgia. Some are quota hunts and require an application, such as the ones hosted at Di-Lane WMA. Lake Seminole and Mayhaw WMAs, on the other hand, don't have quotas and are open to hunt on select days of the week. The season runs November 17 through February 29, with a limit of 12 birds.Contact: Georgia's DNR (770-918-6400; www.georgiawildlife.dnr.state.ga.us).
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