For the second time this week, I was asked to speak to a gathering, this time to the South Texas Area Farm and Ranch Club. Unlike my workshop with the best and brightest from St. Mary’s Business School, this presentation was about my career as a biologist specializing on Bobwhite quail.
As this audience came from a ranching background, I felt comfortable with slides of root-plowing, spraying herbicides, and burning. Concepts of quail management such as promoting forbs (weeds), supplementing food and water were old hat to some in the audience and were well received.
I am always quick to point out that I make no claims as to being an “expert”, leaving that honorarium to the Dr. Guthrys and Dr. Rollins of the field. I simply showed the club what worked, and more importantly, what did not work, for me over 35 years trying to maximize wild Bobwhite across South Texas for clients.
The take away, I hope, by this audience was there are things you can do to improve Bobwhite numbers and hunter access. Some are totally dependent on Mother Nature to be effective, others just require deep pockets. At any rate, I always enjoy talking about quail, be it standing out in the field or in front of a crowd in a nice restaurant.
