Rachel Smith
Texas A&M University - Kingsville
M.S. Candidate, Range and Wildlife Management
Monitoring Northern Bobwhite Response to Post-grazing Vegetation Recovery in South Texas
During the past 2 decades, many land managers have reduced or completely eliminated livestock across South Texas rangelands with the goal of increasing quail populations. Resting the land from grazing allows vegetation to recover and thus provide nesting and foraging habitat. How bobwhites respond to post-grazing vegetation recovery is unknown. My study was conducted on a private ranch in Jim Hogg County, Texas and involved 3 different categories of post-grazing recovery: 1 area at 15 years post-grazing where the habitat has been fully restored, 1 area of 3 years post-grazing at high intensity (7 ha/AU), and 1 area of 3 years post-grazing at moderate intensity (14 ha/AU). I trapped, radio-collared, and located bobwhites from March to September 2015 and 2016 and documented nest survival, adult breeding-season survival, home range size, and early winter density. I found that breeding season survival did not differ among the sites, but the most recovered and restored site had higher nest survival, smaller home ranges, and higher density. Additionally, density improved on all 3 sites from 2015 to 2016. This study provides important information for landowners and suggests that in south Texas, bobwhite populations can improve 5 years after removal or reduction of cattle, given adequate rainfall.
