EP. 195: Counting Bobwhite Quail Populations with Eyes, Ears & Technology

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by three of the country’s foremost quail biologists to talk about past, present, and future efforts to count bobwhite quail and how that population data is used to create high quality quail habitat, more birds, and better hunting opportunities. Those quail biologists include Quail Forever’s Working Lands for Bobwhite Quail Framework Coordinator Dr. Jessica McGuire, Georgia DNR’s Quail Coordinator Dallas Ingram, and University of Georgia Associate Professor Dr. James Martin. Episode Highlights: • Ingram and Martin explain how bird dogs are used to help count fall bobwhite coveys, while taking fun jabs at each other’s favorite bird dog breeds in the process. • McGuire also discusses how landowners who are interested in fostering higher quail populations on their property can get involved with counting quail as a means of better understanding what factors need to be improved on a particular piece of land. • Martin also talks about how his grad students at the University of Georgia are using new technology to make significant strides in our understanding of quail population dynamics.