Edge Feathering Advice

The other night I was surfing YouTube and came across a funny video. It's worth watching. This is how not to cut down a tree when edge feathering. . These guys weren't edge feathering and thank goodness.

Now what does this video have to do with quail or edge feathering? Absolutely nothing. Its just a hilarious video.

Now back to the topic of quail habitat and edge feathering.

On most Missouri farms you won't find low-growing woody cover for quail. Farms with lots of native plum and dogwood thickets and blackberry briars are few and far between - usually only on farms where folks are intensively managing for quail.

Today, most fence rows and hedgerows have grown into a forest, albeit a narrow forest that provides little cover for quail. What shrubs do exist are often overcrowded with trees or are choked full of fescue, brome or Bermuda grass. Grass choked shrub thickets are worthless for quail.

Edge feathering or "chop and drop" is a great way to create immediate, low-growing woody cover for bobwhite quail. Edge feathering is used to create escape and loafing cover along the edges of open fields, crop fields, fence rows, hedgerows, and woody draws. The downed trees should be left where they fall and not pushed into a pile. Edge feathering can be directionally placed along the edges of fields. I don't recommend the method the guys used in the video.

Here's some good advice for edge feathering.

1. Eradicate grasses first!

Before starting the chainsaw or clipper, don't forget to eradicate any fescue or brome in the area where the trees will be dropped. Untreated patches of fescue and brome will ruin even the best edge feathering. My friend learned his lesson several years ago (picture below). He forgot to spray the fescue before edge feathering. One year later the edge feathering was choked full of fescue. He spent several hours spraying fescue underneath the edge feathering.

2. Don't jam the edge feathering into a pile.

Leave it where it falls or at least really close. Below is a picture of an edge feathering job that turned into a mess. The trees were dropped along the edge of the field and then jammed together, making the edge feathering totally worthless. The best thing to do here is to drop a match on the pile and start over. If you don't like the scattered look of edge feathering you can directionally fall the trees along the edge of the field.

3. Treat stumps with a herbicide

In most cases I recommend spraying cut stumps with a herbicide to kill the tree. If you don't the tree will resprout, and in a couple years you'll have to recut the same tree. The second time will be a mess since you'll have to fight your way through downed trees, shrubs and small tress to find the larger trees. Try it once and you'll see why quail like edge feathering. Quail prefer woody cover that's 3 to 12 feet tall. It doesn't take long for untreated trees to regrow to 12 feet. Below are two pictures of an area I edge feathered five years ago. The thicket is full of coral berry, blackberry and aromatic sumac - a great covey headquarter. This summer I noticed there were several trees towering over the native shrubs. Five years ago I didn't treat the stumps with a herbicide. The other day I went into the covey headquarter with a chainsaw to thin out the taller trees. I used a herbicide this time.

4. Don't be afraid to burn through your edge feathering

Years ago I edge feathered along one of our crop fields. Even though I used herbicide to treat the stumps, it didn't take long for other saplings to grow into taller trees. That's when I got the idea to just burn through the edge feathering. Every other year I burn the woodlot, including the old edge feathering. The frequent fire won't kill the small trees, but it definitely keeps them in check and generally less than 12 feet tall. Yes, I burn up some of the edge feathering but small trees, shrubs and vines quickly fill in the open places and I don't have to recut the area.

5. Place edge feathering next to good cover.

The picture above is a great example of edge feathering next to a grain food plot and areas of brooding and nesting cover. The combination of nesting, brooding and shrubby cover in close proximity to one another creates the right mix of quail habitat.

6. Leave it where it falls!

I prefer to edge feather with a chainsaw instead of a clipper. I like the exercise and I really like the way the trees fall in open, loose piles (like in the picture below). Also, there's no reason to cut the trees off at ground level (picture below). Your not going to walk through the area and the stumps make a great place to stand when rabbit hunting with beagles.

7. Make sure the edge feathering is 30 feet wide.

The picture below is a great example of edge feathering that is at least 30 feet wide, the wider the better. I prefer 50 feet wide and at least 200 feet long.

8. Edge feather around shrub thickets.

It just makes sense. If you have native shrub thickets like the wild plums in the picture below, why not edge feather around these first? Cutting down the trees in and around native shrub thickets will give the thicket more room to grow.

9. Do more.

Quail rarely venture very far from shrubby cover. Biologists often say shrub thickets shouldn't be more than a softball throw apart. Generally, 20% of a covey's home range should be made up of shrubby cover. For example in a 20 acre field you should have about 4 acres of shrubby cover distributed throughout the field. That's a lot.

10. Make sure you wear Personal Protection Equipment (PPE).
Not wearing safety equipment is just plain silly. A pair of chainsaw safety chaps, hard hat, safety goggles and gloves are a must when running a chainsaw. It only takes a second for an accident to happen that could last a lifetime. Make sure you wear protective equipment any time you run a chainsaw.

Take a look at your shrubby cover the next time you visit the farm. I bet you can find a place or two to edge feather. The more the better for quail. Watch this quail hunting video closely. You'll see several patches of edge feathering. Last year we found six coveys in a 100 acre field. Four years ago before we edge feathered there was only one.

One word of advice. Don't try to directional fell trees like the guys in the YouTube video.

Aaron P. Jeffries

Habitat is the Key!

Heading For High Ground

Give me a break. It seems like the rain clouds have stalled out over Missouri... again. Last week we had two pounding storms that brought several inches of rain to central Missouri. Most lakes and rivers have been bank full or even worse... out of the banks. It's been the same story the past two years.

Below is a picture of Nate Mechlin, private land conservationist in Northwest Missouri. Nate is probably talking about quail habitat at a landowner workshop in the 2Cs Quail Focus Area. The private land focus area is in Carroll and Caldwell Counties. I always get nervous when I see upland biologists wearing rubber boots all the time.

Parts of Andrew County have received 8 inches since the first of June. Same story in Cass County. If you remember, Cass County is only the second county in the nation to achieve habitat goals identified in the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative.

Hopefully it will turn dry in July and August. Just in time for the second quail hatch. Many of the birds I shot last year were late August or September broods. Turkeys will attempt to renest in May and early June, but not August or September like quail will often do.

The peak of the turkey hatch is around June 7th. The peak of the quail hatch usually occurs around June 15th. On June 15th parts of Missouri received 2 to 4 inches of rain. That goes on top of the rain we received the week before and week before that. Not the best weather conditions for raising young quail or turkeys. The picture above is of a pen-raised quail in my had. Pretty small. I don't know how a baby quail could survive in the wild with the weather we have experienced the past few weeks.

North Missouri has been hit hard the past two years and the turkey, quail and pheasant numbers reflect this in some places. I don't know what the weatherman has against north Missouri, but they really need a break from the rain and floods. West-central Missouri has been hit hard too. Just a couple years ago Cass County received 20 inches in a 24 hour period! Nick Prough with Quail Unlimited reported that most of Cass County got about 4 inches the other day. Elsa Gallagher with Quail Forever simply said it's wet and she's tired of it!

Below is a picture from an upland site on Whetstone Creek CA. Whetstone Creek Conservation Area is one of 19 designated Quail Emphasis Areas. These conservation areas are being intensively managed for bobwhites. Just last year, over 18,000 acres of habitat work was completed on the 19 Quail Emphasis Areas - from prescribed burning, strip disking, invasive plant control to food plots. That total doesn't include edge feathering or permittee crop fields that also provide good quail habitat. I'm still working on the total for all public land. In the meantime, check out last year's report to see how much work is being done for bobwhite on private and public land.

I teased the manager and asked him if the picture was from Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, which is a major waterfowl/wetland area in the Central Region. He was a little frustrated since this portion of the area was burned last fall, sprayed to eradicate fescue and then clipped to improve woody cover. Now portions are underwater. Maybe Mr. and Mrs. Bobwhite didn't like all that brooding cover. Wishful thinking.

If heavy rains and flooding the past three years wasn't enough, there's always the ice and snow storms to talk about. I bet you can't name one county in Missouri that hasn't been hit by a severe ice storm or covered in blanket of snow for several weeks.

Last year it was south Missouri. Scott County was one big ice cube. Scott County was the first county in the nation to achieve its NBCI habitat goal. In 2007-2008 it was the I-44 corridor and central Missouri. The weatherman must have a bone to pick with north Missouri. North Missouri has been coated in ice, snow and rain all three years. Below is a picture from the Seat Conservation Area in northwest Missouri (a Quail Emphasis Area).

Amazingly, the birds can make it if they have good habitat. If you remember we didn't lose any radio collared birds in the Davisdale and Locust Creek study after the big ice and snow storms.

Despite the weather, I'm receiving some excellent quail reports from landowners and biologists. The other day I received one from a biologist who's been working with a Bates County landowner to improve quail habitat. He reported that he's never heard so many bobwhites whistling on his farm. He's been fortunate. Most of the rain has some how missed his farm. Another landowner from north-central Missouri reported hearing 34 whistling bobwhites on his farm that he's intensively manages for bobwhites. That's the most he's heard since 2001. I also received a good report from the Sweet Springs Quail Focus Area in southwest Saline County. There's a lot of good habitat in this intensively farmed landscape but several landowners there are doing something for quail. Maybe good habitat and lots of good habitat close by has something to do with it????

Luckily there's some good habitat out there and if we have a relatively dry July and August we should pull off a decent hatch. With all the recent rain landowners and biologists will need to adapt there management and disturb more acres next year. Remember, plants grow more when it rains and it has rained a lot. More plant growth means less bare ground for quail. Grass fields you disturbed last winter will be too dense and rank for quail by this fall. Over the next year consider strip disking or prescribed burning a few more acres to keep up with the extreme weather. For example, we normally burn a third of our farm each year. However, last year we burned over half of the farm because of the excessive plant growth. It looks like we'll do the same this coming winter and spring.

The excess rain has been great for tree and shrubs. On the plus side, new shrub plantings have had ideal growing conditions. On the down side, trees have literally shot out of the ground. Take a look at your edge feathering, covey headquarters or low-growing woody cover. Cut down any trees that have grown taller than 12 feet. I bet the small saplings you had three years ago are already small trees (over 12 feet tall). Cut them down if you want the area to remain good for quail.

Below is a before and after picture of a covey headquarter on my farm. I edge feathered this site five years ago. You can hardly tell because most of the trees are 15-20 feet tall. Not any more.

The picture below is the same covey headquarter after 10 minutes of saw work and one week of poison ivy. Oh well. Notice how much of the oak tree you can now see in the back ground.

So despite the weather, quail always seem to find a way. Help make it easier for them by maintaining good quality quail habitat and adapting your habitat management to these extreme weather patterns.

Aaron P. Jeffries

Habitat is the Key!

Nitpicking Habitat Management - Stop the "Dead Zone"

I’m starting to think that some landowners might be genetically programmed to mow. Most landowners start recreational mowing in June or July during the peak of the bobwhite and pheasant nesting season. In a good conservation effort, landowners will often mow around a quail or turkey nest. Rarely do the birds return. Look at a recently mowed field and there’s not many places for a covey to hide. It’s pretty easy to see why mowing entire fields is tough on wildlife, especially bobwhites. However, many people don’t realize that mowing field edges – creating a “dead zone” – is also bad for quail.

Mowing field edges creates a “dead zone” for quail. The “dead zone” destroys productive quail habitat, can kill quail, is waste of money, and promotes the growth of fescue and brome. This landowner should consider eliminating mowing, mowing a narrower path or moving the path out into the field. This field edge should be sprayed with glyphosate to eliminate tall fescue and then edge feathered. The “dead zone” often develops around the edges of fields next to good woody cover, fence rows or timber. I’ve even seen “dead zones” around food plots. Depending on the size of the mower and enthusiasm of the landowner, the “dead zone” is typically 20 to 60 feet wide. Usually the grass is mowed so short I can only imagine the amount of rocks and dirt kicked up by the mower.
Art work courtesy Eric Larson.


The “dead zone” is bad news for quail. A well manicured “dead zone” can kill or deter quail any time of the year. During the spring and summer, mowing field edges can kill a devoted quail on the nest or even a fleeing brood of young birds. During the fall and winter, the mowed area will make quail vulnerable to predators as the covey moves back and forth from covey headquarters to either feeding or roosting sites. Conditions can be exaggerated during periods of ice and snow since cover is often degraded during these critical times. To make matters worse, the constant mowing of the “dead zone” will promote the growth of tall fescue and smooth brome which will eventually contaminate the adjacent woody cover and grass field, making your best quail habitat worthless. If that isn’t enough remember that quail rarely venture more than 70 feet from woody cover so mowing a “dead zone” destroys some of the most productive space for bobwhites.

Mowing field edges destroys the places quail like best.

I understand why people might want to mow field edges. Unfortunately for quail, people just like to mow. Often it is done for appearance or hunting access. Some landowners like mowed paths to walk along while hunting. A firebreak that is disked every two or three years provides just as easy walking. Others think summer mowing will help control woody sprouts. Actually, summer mowing only cuts off the top of the sprout, leaving sharp spikes for your ATV and truck tires. In a year or two the sprouts will be right back. If you are interested in seeing more quail consider these facts before starting up the mower.

Many people believe it is alright to mow in late July because quail are done nesting for the year. Research throughout the Midwest has shown that quail will attempt to nest well into September! Many of birds I harvested the past two quail seasons came from hatches in August and early September. Another way to think about recreational mowing during the summer nesting season (May to September) is you might mow over a quail nest or brood that you didn’t see. Now you will never see them come November.

Some landowners will say they are only making one or two passes around the edges of the fields – creating a “dead zone”. That can’t hurt or can it? A research project in southern Iowa found that bobwhites preferred to brood close to woody cover like edge feathering and shrub thickets, which are usually along the edge of the field. Mowing field edges likely destroys some of your best brooding cover for bobwhites. Think twice before starting up the mower next summer.

I polled a few biologists on ways landowners could better manage their field edges for bobwhites with or without mowing. They all agreed it would be best not to mow, but they had some good ideas for landowners to consider:

1. Don’t mow field edges. Especially if you are interested in bobwhites.


2. Only mow field edges for fire line installation and only around those fields you plan to burn in the coming year. There’s no need to mow or disk fire lines or field edges if you don’t plan to burn the site this year. If possible, delay mowing fire lines until October, unless you plan a summer burn.


3. Instead of mowing, consider disking or spraying field edges every three to four years. The disked or sprayed area will grow up in ragweed, foxtail and annual lespedeza – quail food. The disked or sprayed area will provide easy walking.


4. Instead of mowing the “dead zone”, this landowner only disks around field edges when a prescribed burn is planned. Annual lespedeza and annual ragweed (grey vegetation in the picture below) provide ideal food and protective cover for coveys moving back and forth from covey headquarters to feeding and roosting sites. Notice the low-growing woody cover to the left. The field edge was edge feathered in 2005. If you must mow paths, move the path at least 70 feet out into the field to provide high quality nesting and brooding next to woody cover. Burn, disk or spray the area in between the woody cover and mowed path every two to three years. Remember, quail rarely venture more than 70 feet from woody cover during the winter.



5. If possible, consider moving your field road to the center of the field. Doing so will divide the field in half for alternating burn units. If possible, consider burning through woody draws to keep trees in check and to avoid having to edge feather five to seven years later.


6. Instead of mowing, create a long, linear food plot around the edge of the field for easy travel for you and a dependable food source and brooding cover for quail.


7. If you must mow, try to delay any mowing until October after the nesting season. Mow trails no shorter than one foot tall to provide adequate overhead cover for quail during the winter. There’s no need for a 30 foot wide path if you only need a 10 foot path to drive along!


8. If you must mow, only mow the path once. The path doesn’t need to look like a golf course. Unless of course you will eventually use it for a firebreak.
   

The next time you start up the mower, think twice before you create a “dead zone” in your quail paradise. Mowing field edges will likely destroy some of your best quail habitat and create future management problems. At all cost avoid the urge to mow whole fields or any mowing during the nesting season. Remember, a considerable amount of quail nesting still occurs in August and September when most people believe it is alright to start mowing. Think twice before you create a “dead zone”.

Habitat is the Key!

Favorite Quail Food Plots

A while back, I had a poll on food plots. The survey question asked what's your favorite type of food plot to plant for bobwhites.


The results are in, and there was a tie between milo and forage sorghum for the most popular food crops. I don't think there was any election fraud or hanging chats. I hoped no one voted twice or let their bird dog vote.

Here are the results for favorite bobwhite food plots:

• 16 votes forage sorghum
  
• 16 votes milo
  
• 7 votes millet
  
• 1 vote corn
  
• 1 vote soybean
  
• 1 vote sunflower

I thought the clear winner would have been milo with forage sorghum coming in a distant second. Either way, both are excellent choices for bobwhites. I often mix the two together to get the best of both crops.


Forage sorghum grows 6 to 9 feet tall (picture below) and does well in a variety of soil types. Forage sorghum will lodge over in the the winter. The jumbled mess of stems is excellent cover and food for rabbits, quail and pheasants. Forage sorghum will last well into late winter and is an excellent emergency food source after heavy snow or ice. Egyptian wheat is very similar to forage sorghum and tends to stay upright during the winter. Forage sorghum will not produce as much seed as milo, but more than makes up for it by providing excellent winter cover and a late winter food source. I recommend forage sorghum in areas with high deer populations. Deer will devour milo seedheads in the doughy stage, but not forage sorghum.

The other top food plot crop was milo (picture below). Grain sorghum (milo) produces large seedheads and does well in a variety of soil types. The only real downfall for milo is deer relish the seedheads during the dough stage. I've seen small milo food plots striped clean by deer. To outsmart deer, try mixing forage sorghum and milo together to get the best of both crops. The taller forage sorghum will help hide the larger milo seedheads (at least in theory). They still seem to find some of it.

I was surprised to see millet in third place. Maybe that's because I prefer milo and forage sorghum over millet. Generally, millets are good seed producers and are easy to establish. Millets can be broadcasted into July and still mature before the first frost (most varieties mature in 90 days). Whether it is proso, pearl, German or brown top, millet provides good brooding cover and food for bobwhites.

I thought sunflowers would get a few more votes since I frequently find coveys next to sunflower fields. I usually see coveys next to sunflower fields in the summer and early fall. I think quail like sunflower fields in the summer for loafing cover and brooding cover if left weedy. If left unmowed, sunflower plots can provide a good food source for bobwhites, pheasants and other wildlife. However, most sunflower fields are planted for dove hunting so by early August the fields are mowed or disked, leaving little food or cover for bobwhites. Any seed left on the ground will germinate in September leaving little food for the long winter ahead. Sunflower fields managed for doves are usually sprayed with herbicides a few times to control weeds (annual seedy plants) and to keep the fields "clean". A weedy food plot is better for quail, but not for doves. If you want sunflowers for doves then be happy with providing some brooding and loafing cover for bobwhites in July and August. If you want the sunflower field to benefit bobwhites consider reducing the number of herbicide treatments and/or disk only the interior of the field while leaving a 30 to 60 foot strip of unmowed sunflowers around the edge.

I wasn't surprised to see corn near the bottom of the list for bobwhite food plots. Generally, corn can only be grown in fertile soils and must be drilled with a planter. Most other grains can be broadcasted. Corn has high fertility requirements, especially compared to other food plot crops. Corn is a very good food and cover source for a variety of wildlife, especially deer and turkey and that might be one reason why corn wasn't too popular on the quail food plot poll. I've learned over the years that corn food plots must be at least 1 acre in size to feed all the deer, turkey, squirrels and raccoons. On the plus side, corn is a high energy source and provides excellent cover for bobwhites. I like to plant corn in a succotash food plot (glyphosate resistant corn and soybeans mixed together). I normally idle the plot the second year. In fact, last year's corn/soybean food plot on our farm still has quite a bit of corn left (picture below). I'll leave this plot idle until next year to provide ideal brooding cover this summer.

Also at the bottom was soybeans. Soybeans are relished by most wildlife and that might be their downfall as a quail food plot. Small soybean plots are quickly overbrowsed by deer, groundhogs and rabbits. Experience has taught me that soybean food plots should be planted in large blocks and must be at least 1 acre (sometimes even large). Generally, we recommend long, linear food plots for bobwhites and that usually doesn't work for soybean plots. Another problem with soybeans is the seeds often shatter on the ground and are inaccessible to quail after a heavy snow or ice storm. Soybeans aren't my favorite food plot for quail, but I usually plant some each year. Cowpeas are similar to soybeans. Cowpeas are often planted in the southeast United States for deer browse or as a grain plot for bobwhites. Soybeans do well in a variety of soil types and don't require much fertility. Quail will use soybean food plots for summer brooding cover and for roosting cover if left weedy (few herbicide treatments). I've shot a lot of quail out of weedy soybean food plots and in unharvested soybean fields. That's one reason why I still plant beans.

Thanks to those who voted for their favorite food plot. I don't think we need a recount or special election. Take a look at my new poll on what's your favorite type of covey headquarters.

Take a look at some of my older blogs on food plots and the University of Tennessee Extension publication on food plots. All 168 pages are full of great information on food plots and so much more.

The Pros and Cons to Food Plots - Think Outside the Food Plot!
What else you should consider before planting food plots.

Flip Flop That Food Plot
Sometimes the best food plot hasn't been planted.

Food Plot Management
Good information on when and where to plant food plots.

Habitat is the Key!