5/6/2023 0 Comments Quail foodBut they are not always seeds that make good quail food. After all, we know all weeds produce some kind of seed. And it may seem to folks out walking around a cut-over or along a fallow crop field edge that quail food is abundant. I have also heard it said that food is rarely a limiting factor for quail. “ I cleaned up the old field now what do I need to plant for quail in my food patches?” is still a common question, though not nearly as common as it was 25 years ago. That said, I still see and hear landowners refer to food patches when they ask me what to do for quail. They have come a long way since then, and more diverse, native annual and perennial mixes are being used. ![]() A few decades ago, food patches were the basis for some conservation organization’s quail recovery efforts. I use the term “food plantings” instead of food patches because in my mind, a “patch” implies a small area that stands alone somewhere in an obscure corner of a property. ![]() I refer to it often, quote it sometimes, and try to never plagiarize it! My short treatment of the subject for quail today recognizes that people like to plant things for wildlife, and with some guidance it can be a good and useful technique. Craig Harper, A Guide to Wildlife Food Plots and Early-Successional Plants. Very good books have been written by expert scientists on how food plots can be incorporated into an overall habitat management program. ![]() This post is to specifically address “food plantings” for bobwhite quail in the east. The term “food patch” means different things to different people across the country. I am broaching the subject of food patches recognizing the risk that I might inadvertently offend some of you.
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