The Bobwhite in Illinois
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State of Illinois Department of Natural Resources The Bobwhite in Illinois: Its Past, Present and Future Illinois Department of Natural Resources Introduction The northern bobwhite is one of America’s most itage, and its welfare should concern us all. Much has popular and widely distributed game birds. Its range been written about the species, both popular and tech - extends from the Atlantic ocean west to the foothills of nical. Unfortunately, popular accounts are often more the Rockies, and from the Gulf of Mexico north to cen - entertaining than informative, while technical articles tral Wisconsin and Minnesota. Highest populations are generally written by scientists for other scientists. have historically occurred within the 23 states bound - Consequently, the interested laymen often finds it ed by a line from Delaware west to Nebraska thence difficult to obtain in-depth or current biological south to Texas. There is currently widespread concern information – we hope this booklet provides such among wildlife professionals regarding the future of information. In it, we discuss important aspects of this species, and for good reason. From 1966 to 1999, quail biology, life history, and population dynamics in quail populations declined nearly 4% per year in the the context of basic ecological principles and current Southeast (12) and 3% per year in the Midwest (19). If management concepts. In that way, we hope to share this rate of decline continues over the next 30-40 with the reader – biologist and nonbiologist, hunter years, quail will be virtually extinct in both regions. and nonhunter – a better appreciation and under - Despite its current problems, the bobwhite standing of this remarkable bird and the challenges it remains an integral part of our natural Illinois her - faces. 1 History and Distribution in Illinois Pre-settlement - 1860 reportedly restricted to areas where grasslands and As the War of 1812 ended, settlers from the east forest converged. According to Captain Adam and south began to arrive in the territory that was Bogardus, a noted 19th century hunter from Elkhart, soon to become the state of Illinois. It is difficult to bobwhite were most abundant in savannas, sandy imagine what this area actually looked like back then. areas, and other less fertile, higher, drier locations that The major geologic and geographic features – the featured a mix of scattered hardwoods, shrubs, and rivers, streams, hills, valleys, and plains – were pretty short, open stands of little bluestem and various much the same as today, but what was in and on these prairie forbs (6). To this day, bobwhite seek out plant features was vastly different. Except for a few small communities with similar structure and diversity settlements and Indian villages, the landscape was though species composition differs widely. virtually devoid of human influence. The southern Almost immediately, settlers began to affect the 1/4 of the State and the counties bordering the landscape and the resident wildlife. As the human Wabash, Mississippi, and lower Illinois rivers were population of Illinois increased from about 12,000 in covered with what must have been some spectacular 1810 to almost 1 million by 1850, forests, and especial - mature hardwood forest. In contrast, the flat, fertile ly prairies, were gradually replaced by farmland. lands of east-central Illinois – now the great “corn Some indigenous species simply could not withstand desert” – was a vast sea of tall-grass prairie with fin - these changes or the increased hunting pressure. In a gers of forests extending along the rivers and streams. relatively short period of about 40-50 years, elk, bison, At the forest-prairie interface, and to a lesser extent cougar, bear, and timber wolves were essentially elim - imbedded in each, were areas of open canopy forest inated from the State. Other species, however, actual - with an understory of prairie grasses and forbs. Early ly benefitted from some of the early human-induced writers referred to these as barrens, now they are more landscape changes, one in particular was the bob - commonly called savannas. white. The bobwhite does not thrive in primitive, Early settlers not only encountered a different undisturbed areas. Instead, quail are almost always flora than exists today, they encountered a different found in some kind of disturbed or manipulated set - fauna as well. The territory of Illinois was still home ting, which explains their traditionally close associa - to elk, bison, cougars, black bear, timber wolves, and tion with agriculture. In pre-settlement days, they passenger pigeons. Also present were most of the probably responded positively, but temporarily, to for - familiar species that we know today including deer, est or prairie fires started accidentally by lightning or turkey, and of course bobwhite. No scientific surveys purposely by native Americans. But it was the activi - had yet been conducted so we can only speculate on ties of the early settlers that really began to make the the bobwhite’s distribution and abundance based on landscape more suitable for quail. Initially, settlers accounts of early travelers and our current knowledge began clearing forests to establish farm fields because of the species’ habitat needs and preferences. While they believed that forest land was more fertile than possibly locally common, quail would almost certain - grassland, and their primitive plows could not turn ly not have been widely distributed or abundant the tough prairie sod (26). The small clearings creat - throughout the entire territory. They would have been ed adjacent to woodland edges and the waste grain rare or absent in the wooded wetlands along the and seeds from annual weeds and grasses associated Illinois and Mississippi rivers and in the large, unbro - with soil disturbance provided bobwhite with abun - ken tracks of mature forest and tall-grass prairie that dant and accessible food supplies. Pioneer farming dominated the landscape. Not surprisingly, they were methods quickly exhausted the fertility of forest soils 2 Illinois Department of Natural Resources forcing farmers to abandon their fields after a few been observed by their earlier colleagues in 1906-09 years and clear new ones. These abandoned fields (34). What accounts for this apparent stability were quickly occupied by plants favored by bobwhite through the first half of the 20th century? Though for nesting and brood rearing. By all indications, quail agricultural technology was advancing, farms were thrived in this primitive agricultural setting and prob - still small and fields, often bordered by shrubby ably reached peak distribution and abundance in fencerows, were usually no larger than 20 to 40 acres. Illinois about the time of the Civil War. And while tractors had largely replaced horses as a power source, the production of livestock created a 1860 - 1960 continuing need for permanent pastures and hay - The next 100 years produced tremendous cultur - fields. Furthermore, crop rotation including small al, technological, and economic changes including grains, legumes, and periodic fallowing was still wide - agricultural changes that altered the very face of the ly practiced. land. In 1860, 34% of Illinois was farmland; by 1900, the figure had risen to 90%. Much of this increase was 1960 - Present due to the advent of the moldboard plow which Quail were probably scarce, if not absent, over allowed virtual complete conversion of the prairie to much of the “Grand Prairie” region of Illinois by 1900 cropland. As in the forested southern portions of the (32) owing to the intensity of agriculture on this flat, state, early agricultural advances into the prairie were incredibly fertile land. In much of westcentral and undoubtedly beneficial to bobwhite. Cropfields and southern Illinois, however, quail continued to prosper associated annual weeds and grasses provided abun - as late as the 1960s simply as a byproduct of normal dant food supplies while the establishment of osage farming operations. Many farms in these slightly hilli - orange hedgerows and native woody plants made pos - er, less productive portions of the state still featured a sible by fire suppression provided much needed cover. diverse mix of rowcrops, small grains, pasture, hay - As the land became settled and citizens had more fields, fallow land, and woodlots all occurring in rela - leisure time, the abundant bobwhite became the tively small patches and tied together by a network of favorite quarry of sport hunters with fine shotguns brushy fencerows and woody hedgerows. The prac - and beautiful, well-trained setters and pointers. By tice of regular fallowing of cropland and the mainte - the beginning of the 20th century, bobwhite were nance of woody hedgerows was especially beneficial to highly valued as a gamebird and the State Legislature quail. Fallowed fields provided the early successional enacted hunting seasons and bag limits to protect this weeds and grasses critical for successful reproduction important natural resource. and brood rearing while the brushy hedgerows pro - During the first 1/3 of the 20th century, agricul - vided protective cover and travel lanes that allowed ture continued to evolve from settlement to commer - the birds to safely access food supplies in the cultivat - cial farming while still remaining rather diverse and ed fields. primitive – but not for long. Rapid advances in mech - Agriculture in the Illinois quail range began to anization in the 1930s allowed farming to become intensify and simplify in the 1960s and especially the more efficient, while development of synthetic fertiliz - 1970s as we entered the era of“fencerow to fencerow” ers and chemical pesticides around the time of World farming. Cropping patterns became less diversified as War II led to the intensive, monocultural rowcrop agri - farmers concentrated on 1 or 2 cash grains. Small culture that currently dominates the Illinois land - woodlots and idle corners were cleared and planted to scape. row crops. Fencerows and hedgerows were bulldozed We cannot say with certainty exactly how quail out to enlarge fields in order to accommodate modern fared throughout this period.