Quail Program

Bobwhite quail populations have declined substantially in Mississippi during the last 50 years. These declines have been due to changes in land use and management.

Despite the loss of habitat and declining quail populations, local populations can be increased with planned habitat management at proper scales. Abundant quail populations were once a byproduct of agriculture. Today, habitat management practices that produce the proper cover resources required by quail are essential to increase local populations.

The MDWFP does not have a quail stocking program. Information on managing habitat for quail can be found under the Habitat and Population Management section below. Technical assistance is also available for managing land for quail habitat.

National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative

As a result of bobwhite population declines, an ambitious, range-wide population and habitat restoration plan called the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) was developed by the National Bobwhite Technical Committee. The NBCI was developed to provide a quantitative, habitat-oriented plan for bobwhite population restoration throughout the species range.

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP), along with other cooperating agencies and organizations, is actively implementing Mississippi's quail restoration plan as part of the NBCI. Focal counties were initially selected for targeted quail habitat delivery, including Amite, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Noxubee, Panola, Prentiss, Sunflower, Union, and Yazoo. The MDWFP will continue to provide technical assistance to landowners statewide. The focal county approach was chosen to focus limited personnel time on intensive promotional work in an effort to develop larger-scale quail habitat areas.

Quail population monitoring has also been initiated within a subset of focal counties to evaluate population response to habitat enhancements. The quail restoration plan is a multi-year effort to enhance and connect habitat for quail and other wildlife that are dependent on large amounts of native grass, wildflower, and shrub cover.

For more information on the NBTC and NBCI, visit Bring Back Bobwhites.

Learn more about Quail Conservation in Mississippi.

• Raising Quail for Commercial or Personal Use [NEEDS LINK]
• Releasing Pen-Raised Quail: Considerations [NEEDS LINK]