Forecast: Statewide, the Mississippi quail population remains low. The overall outlook for quail populations appears to follow previous year trends, according to small game biologist Rick Hamrick with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. “The greatest limiting factor statewide continues to be lack of quality habitat at sufficient scales to produce and sustain noticeable population increases,” he said. From a 3-year trend, wild quail harvest per day hunted on Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) was less (about 50 percent) the past two seasons compared to the 2013-2014 season.
“We appeared to have another good year for nesting and brood-rearing where cover was suitable for quail production,” Hamrick said. “Sightings of quail broods have been reported from several regions of the state. This is good news since hot, dry weather conditions during mid-summer was initially expected to have a negative effect on production.”
Mississippi generally experienced a hotter and drier summer this year compared to last. Timely rainfall helped ease moderate drought conditions in certain areas. Breeding season bobwhite whistle counts were also similar to previous years. “I anticipate a similar hunting season to previous years,” Hamrick said.
According to Hamrick, the best bets for public land quail in Mississippi continue to be larger tracts that are managed with prescribed burning. Larger tracts young hardwood plantings in the Delta region often hold quail for several years after planting, but decline once trees grow up to the point of shading the ground. For more information on Mississippi quail populations and hunting trends, visit the
state’s quail program webpage.
Season Dates: November 24, 2016 through March 4, 2017
Daily Bag Limit: 8
Possession Limit: N/A
Helpful Links: