Bobwhite Anomaly
Bobwhite quail are kind of an anomaly in Michigan. Far removed from their traditional southern U.S. range, they are still fairly common in several southern Michigan counties and provide some recreational sport. But their numbers are even more weather-dependent than pheasants, and after a severe winter, the season has often been closed. "Quail are even more sensitive to winter and storms, especially ice storms," said Stewart. Quail populations are often boom or bust, he said, but in spite of the often brutal conditions during the winter of 2008-09, Stewart was emphatic that Michigan hunters will be able to hunt quail in 2009.

The quail season in 2008 ran from Oct. 20 to November and is likely to remain the same for 2009. The bag limit for quail was five per day and 10 in possession. Consult your hunting guide or the MDNR Web site (www.michigan.gov/dnr) for information on counties in Zone 3 open to quail hunting.

Although harvest data was not available for the entire 2008 pheasant season, the early-season report from pheasant cooperators indicated that pheasant numbers were about the same as the previous few years. Forty-one cooperators turned in 241 surveys for the Oct. 20-23 period, down from 57 surveys in 2007. Hunters flushed an average of 0.7 roosters per hour statewide (zones 2 and 3). This number was almost identical to 2007 (0.6 birds per hour). Counties having at least 10 hours of hunting effort with the highest rooster flush rates were Tuscola, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Huron. The majority of the cooperators (49 percent) thought that pheasant populations were down from the previous year in the areas that they hunted. About 20 percent of the cooperators thought that pheasant numbers were up or up slightly from 2007.

South-Central Reports
South-central Michigan has been one of the last vestiges of pheasant nirvana. The rolling hills there, set-aside lands and agriculture offers pheasants plenty of suitable habitat, and they seem to be responding. "It appears that pheasants have come through the winter very well," reported South-Central Management Unit wildlife supervisor Dave Dominic. "People are reporting hearing and seeing more birds. The only bad thing now is all the water. We're not really sure what kind of impact that will have on nesting." Dominic said that while they don't monitor quail numbers per se, he would expect a similar improvement.

Dominic said that he has seen an encouraging trend in recent years in his district that should help both pheasant and quail numbers. "Wild land is becoming more common again," said Dominic. "Farmers are not farming and tilling like they used to. We're starting to see people leave habitat, instead of farming from fencerow to fencerow. There's more wintering and nesting cover and less intense farming than there was 15 years ago, and wildlife has responded."

Dominic said set-aside lands as a result of tax credits, CRP and CREP have helped pheasants and quail tremendously. Look for improved hunting this fall in Branch, Hillsdale, Ionia, Clinton, Jackson and Eaton counties, where you find tracts of good habitat. For more information on pheasant hunting opportunities in south-central Michigan, contact the South-Central Management Unit of the MDNR at (517) 641-4903. Southwestern Reports