QUAIL: Proper education and management is essential for 
increasing quail populations ... details on Passport to 
Texas.

PTT from TPWD and the SFWR Program

Quail, a favored game bird throughout Texas, has 
experienced a decline in some areas. 

"Quail, historically the Bob-White population, have been strong 
in Red River Basin. The population has been significantly 
declining for the past 20 years or so. Basically it boils down 
to habitat loss; the habitat is lost through mostly our ever 
changing agricultural practices."
 
Kory Perlichek, is a Wildlife Biologist at the Matador 
Wildlife Management Area.

"A lot of people think that the quail population, just because 
it's good one year, it's going to be good the next year and so 
forth. You have to have timely rains, a conservative grazing 
system, and brush control. That will actually dictate how 
good the quail hunting will be."

Biologists at the Matador WMA in Paducha, teach land 
owners how to do a better job looking after the needs of 
quail in their region. 

"The state of Texas is approximately 97% privately owned, so 
we have to get the knowledge and education out there so 
those private land owners know how to manage for their 
birds."
 
There's more information about quail on the TPWD web 
site.

That's our show...researched and written by Loren 
Seeger ... and supported by the Sport Fish and Wildlife 
Restoration Program ... helping to fund the operations and 
management of more than 50 wildlife management areas 

For Texas Parks and Wildlife ... I'm Cecilia Nasti