Photo by Ron Sinfelt

January 2008 -- the flip of the calendar page means that the new year’s here. But it also means that we’ve gotten to the last month of the season for Cornhusker State upland bird hunters to pursue their quarry. While we can’t expect the hunting, especially for bobwhite quail, to be better than it was when the season opened two months ago, a few tips from veterans of the hunt can enable us to enjoy some good January days following our bird finders.

The top quail hunting in Nebraska has historically been found in the southeastern, southwestern and northeastern parts of the state. Weather has taken a toll on the bobs in the southwest over the past few years, and numbers have dropped. The picture was brighter last year in the southeast, south-central and northeast, those quizzed on the subject asserted.

Hallam’s Dale Taylor, a professional dog trainer and guide who was responsible for the founding of the first Quail Forever chapter in Nebraska, is also profoundly enthusiastic about bobwhite quail. He and a partner guided about 40 hunts last year and found quail numbers much improved over 2005.

“Last year the quail hunting in southeastern and northeastern Nebraska was awesome,” he said. “Birds were everywhere. The first field we hunted last fall was an 11-acre pivot corner where we found two different coveys of 30 to 40 birds each. Our whole fall was that way. The year before was not so good -- smaller coveys, and harder to find.

“In my opinion, Nebraska’s statewide quail population is still down from what it was years ago. That’s one of the reasons a good number of quail hunters have joined our efforts at Quail Forever. We have joined forces with Pheasants Forever, which has a good track record on the restoration of habitat for not only pheasants but quail as well.” Winter cover is the key to decent quail hunting late in the season. A good many wildlife management areas have excellent cover, as does much of the Conservation Reserve Program acreage.

Mick Bresley is manager at the Sacramento Wildlife Management Area west of Wilcox. His tract encompasses about 3,000 acres of uplands and wetlands. The uplands, totaling about 1,100 acres, are considered highly supportive habitat for both quail and pheasants.

“This year we have good quail cover on Sacramento. It’s better than last year, due to an ice storm we had in January,” he said. “That storm broke down a lot of limbs and trees, which created natural brushpiles in the shelterbelts. We expect those to provide good escape cover for the birds.

“I would have to rate bobwhite quail numbers on the area as low to moderate compared to the state’s better quail country to the east. Hunting pressure is high on the opening weekend, and drops off as the season progresses.

“Much of the area is open to public hunting,” he continued, “but we do ask hunters to fill out a card when they are done hunting. Last year’s bag was comparable or a little above the five-year average on quail and pheasants. All things considered, the hunting on the area in December and January will offer a fairly good chance to bag a rooster or two, and we consider the quail as a bonus bird in the bag.”

Bresley hunts pheasants and quail over a Lab. The biologist shoots a 20-gauge side-by-side double, bored improved and modified. Lead shot being banned on part of the area, he uses No. 6 steel shot.