Hunting,Hunting & Heritage  |  02/28/2013

Hunting Hotspots: February 2013


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If you're looking for new, publically accessible places to pursue quail, check out the Missouri Department of Conservation’s 19 Quail Emphasis Areas. These are located throughout the state and quail habitat-improvement efforts on them have been accelerated.
 
Why You Should Go
 
One quail per two acres – that’s the long-term goal at these Quail Emphasis Areas. The Missouri Department of Conservation ideally wants a density of one quail per two acres in the fall before the hunting season. Several of the areas are approaching this goal as Department managers continue to increase habitat-improvement efforts there. Quail Forever’s Regional Wildlife Biologist in Missouri, Elsa Gallagher, set up the monitoring on these areas when she was the Upland Wildlife Coordinator for the Department. She, along with several Quail Forever chapters, continue to assist with October Covey Counts on these Quail Emphasis Areas.
 
Public Hunting
 
Most Quail Emphasis Areas are subject to statewide regulations for quail hunting. A few areas have some hunting restrictions in order to protect the quail population from heavy hunting pressure.