Written
by Shelby McCay, Student Technician, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute
Edited
by Amanda Gobeli, Extension Associate, Texas A&M Natural Resources
Institute
Edited
by Dr. James Cathey, Associate Director, Texas A&M Natural Resources
Institute
Edited
by Robert Perez, Quail Program Leader, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Edited by John Mclaughlin, West Texas Quail
Program Leader, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Introduction:
Three of the four quail species
found in Texas are considered upland
game birds and, as a result, activities involving these species are
regulated for harvest by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).
In order to hunt quail, develop a Private
Bird Hunting Area, or trap and relocate wild birds, individuals must
acquire the proper permits. In this
article we explore three of the most common permits needed for quail in Texas:
hunting licenses, private bird hunting area licenses, and Trap, Transport and
Transplant (TTT) permits.
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| An upland game bird stamp is required to hunt quail in Texas. Photo by TPWD. |
Hunting Quail:
Anyone
who wishes to hunt quail must possess a valid hunting
license with an upland
game bird endorsement (stamp). In addition, every hunter (including
out-of-state hunters) born on or after September 2, 1971 must successfully
complete a Hunter Education
Training Course. There are
several options for the training, including a classroom course, online/field
combination course, and an online only course available to those 17 years of
age and older. Hunting licenses are valid from the purchase date through the
following August 31st, so always ensure that yours is up to date before
going out into the field and make sure to observe season dates and bag limits
for different game birds and animals.
Annual hunting licenses go on sale August 15 each year and can be purchased from a variety of retailers or online directly from TPWD. If you’re wondering where those fees go, TPWD reports that “100% of your hunting and fishing license fees go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for on-the-ground conservation efforts that help make Texas one of the best places in the country to hunt and fish. Fish stocking, wildlife management, habitat restoration, land conservation, and Texas Game Wardens are just some of the initiatives funded in part by your license fees.”
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The cover of the 2015-2016 TPWD Outdoor Annual
showing a
covey of Scaled Quail. Photo by TPWD.
|
The Texas statewide quail season
begins the Saturday closest to October 28th through the last Saturday in
February and allows for the hunting of Northern
Bobwhite, Scaled
(blue) and Gambel's
Quail. While Mearn's
(Montezuma) quail have designated hunting seasons in other states,
there is no open season for this species in Texas. It’s always a good idea to check out the Outdoor
Annual for the most up-to-date regulations and to see if any changes
were made for quail hunting in your region.
Releasing pen-reared birds for hunting purposes:
In Texas, a Private Bird Hunting Area license is required for landowners who wish to release banded, pen-reared bobwhite (or other pen-reared game birds (see TPWD designations) species such as pheasant, pigeons, partridge, chukar and mallard ducks) solely for year-round hunting purposes. This license cannot be used to propagate or sell quail, and quail acquired under this license must come from a licensed game bird breeder. In addition, this license is only valid for one contiguous tract of land from September 1 to August 31 of the following year.
In Texas it is legal to purchase live game birds from a breeder to release on private property for various purposes, including for training bird dogs and to attempt to establish a new population. A private bird hunting area license is not required under these circumstances. The moment the birds are released onto the property they are legally considered wild and fall under all the applicable game laws (hunting regs, possession).
One point of debate to keep in mind when releasing pen-reared quail is speculation that these quail negatively affect wild bird populations. There are concerns regarding disease or parasite transmission, increased predator abundance, and the unintended displacement of wild bobwhites (Brennan 1991, Hernández and Perez 2007), although these theories have not been confirmed. Studies have repeatedly shown that the majority of pen-raised quail do not pose a threat to wild bird populations and importantly, do not survive long in the wild, making them a decent option for short-term hunting recreation but a poor one for establishing sustainable populations. Improving and managing habitat for quail is a better investment than releasing pen-raised birds if your goals tend towards the latter. The Texas A&M Natural Resources Quail Decline Initiative has a wealth of educational videos, resources and technical assistance available for those who would like to learn more about quail management. In addition, many TPWD Wildlife biologists can provide quail management technical assistance.
Moving Wild Birds: Trap, Transport and Transplant (TTT):
Trap, Transport and Transplant (TTT) permits are not currently being issued for wild quail in Texas pending further research on the efficacy of this approach to restore or bolster populations. To date, all translocations of wild quail have been completed under Scientific Permits issued to qualified applicants to conduct research. If or when application are accepted for quail TTT, the protocols outlined in the Upland Game Bird Management Handbook would apply. Including denial of applications if it is determined that the proposed activities are likely to have detrimental effects on the source population or existing populations near the release site, if the release site is outside the suitable range for the species, or if the release site does not have suitable habitat capable of sustaining the introduced birds.
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The Upland Game Bird Management Handbook is a great resource
for landowners interested in supporting quail. Photo by TPWD.
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Permit Violations
Conducting any of the aforementioned
activities without the proper permit(s), or violation of the permit terms, can have
legal
consequences. These penalties can involve fines, permit revocation,
or potential jailtime if the violations are serious enough. When in doubt, it
is always a good idea to contact your local Game Warden to make ensure you
have the correct permits and you are following their terms.
Conclusion:
As we’ve
seen, there are quite a few permits involved with quail hunting and management
activities in Texas. Each has specific
terms that need to be followed, so it is always a good idea to reach out to
your local biologist or Game Warden to make sure you are complying with the
permit. In the end, each serves a unique purpose and helps ensure that all
quail species are effectively conserved and managed for present and future
Texans.
References:
- Brennan, L.A. 1991. How can we reverse the Northern Bobwhite population decline? Wildlife Society Bulletin 19:544-555.
- Hernández, F., and R.M. Perez. 2007. Managing and releasing pen-raised bobwhites. Pages 327-335 in Brennan, L.A., and K. Armstrong, eds. Texas Quails: Ecology and Management. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, USA.
- McCay, S., A. Gobeli, J. Cathey, and D. Rollins. 2018. The Problem with Pen Raised Quail. Wild Wonderings Blog. http://wild-wonderings.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-problem-with-pen-raised-quail.html. Accessed 8 October 2018.
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. 2010. Private Bird Hunting Area License. https://tpwd.texas.gov/business/licenses/media/PWD_348a_Private_Bird_Hunting_Area_Information.pdf. Accessed 8 October 2018.
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. 2010. Trap, Transport & Transplant Permit Application Package. https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdforms/media/pwd_1242_w7000_ttt_quail.pdf. Accessed 8 October 2018.
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. 2015. Private Bird Hunting Area Application.. https://tpwd.texas.gov/business/licenses/media/PWD_348_Private_Bird_Hunting_Area.pdf. Accessed 8 October 2018.