Dr. Dale on Quail

Data Centers & Quail: Texas is poised to be the Top State in the US for “hyperscale data centers”, and many of those target the Rolling Plains. Join Dr. Dale and his panel of special guests as they dissect the issue as it relates to quail.

One could hardly imagine a better stomping ground for a sportsman than the vaulted King Ranch. Join Dr. Dale and his special guest Tio Kleberg — a name synonymous with quail hunting in South Texas.

Looking for a good quail lease? Aren’t we all! Join Dr. Dale and his guests Steve Snell and Dr. Ryan O'Shaughnessy as they share their experiences with this ongoing (and elusive) task.

Join Dr. Dale and his guests Dr. Ryan O'Shaughnessy and Joe Crafton in April as they share their collective repertoire of one-liners about bird dogs, quail hunting , and all things quail. Drawing from experiences from seasoned bird hunters, dog trainers, popular authors and others you’ll no doubt be shaking your head in agreement and proclaiming “he got that right!”

Dr. Dale's special guest this month is Macy Ledbetter with Spring Creek Outdoors. They discuss using thermal imagery from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (i.e., drones) for counting quail and other wildlife. Fascinating technology for sure!

Join Dr. Dale and Dr. Ryan O'Shaughnessy in February as they visit with special guest Britt Hosmer Longoria. Britt is a private pilot, published writer, photographer, hunter and co-founder of the Longoria-Hosmer Foundation. The Foundation is focused on sustainable-use conservation, wilderness protection and community-based solutions in biodiverse regions. Her work integrates applied science, field programs and strategic partnerships to support long-term ecological resilience and human-wildlife coexistence.

The Pineywoods of east Texas were historically a hotbed for quail hunting 50 years ago but populations have waned since that time. Join Dr. Dale and his special guest Dr. Brad Kubecka as they summarize recent efforts to revitalize quail in the Pineywoods of east Texas. Dr. Kubecka heads up Tall Timbers Research Station's Western Pineywoods Quail Initiative. His recent research is providing hope to revitalize the bobwhite phoenix in east Texas.

Ever think seriously about the possible impacts of disease on a quail population? I have … and it intrigues me. Join me this month as Dr. Markus J. Peterson covers the gamut of diseases that can infect quail.

Over the past 40 years helicopters have become a useful and popular tool in managing wildlife populations especially for deer. But what about quail? Join Dr. Dale and Dr. Andrea Montalvo of the East Foundation as they discuss the challenges in counting quail from helicopters.

Can you identify the Top 10 seeds for quail in the Rolling Plains? If not,why not? Join Dr. Dale and his special guest Ricky Linex as they discuss the importance of various seeds important to quails in the Rolling Plains.

Join Dr. Dale and his special guest Kyle Lusson as they discuss Quail Forever's mission to conserve quail and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public access, education and conservation advocacy and their implementation of these efforts in Texas. Kyle also has a special connection to the Fisher County area where the Research Ranch is located and you will not want to miss that story!

Quail Coalition arose from the ashes of Quail Unlimited in 2009 and has soared since then. Their banquets around TX (and now Oklahoma City) typically gross over $4 million annually to support quail conservation. Join Dr. Dale and QC’s executive director Jay Stine as they dissect this great success story.

Technical assistance for quail managers comes in many forms. Some “talk a good game” while others deliver the goods. Join Dr. Dale and his special guest Garry Stephens, CEO of Wildlife Habitat Federation, as they dissect the “form & function” of conservation delivery.

Are coyotes a rangeland icon or pariah? How big a threat are they to quail. Join Dr. Dale and his special guest Dr. John Tomecek as they delve into recent research that may just surprise you.

Join Dr. Dale and his special guest Dr. James Martin as they dissect "Population Dynamics for Dummies." Martin is a Professor with the University of Georgia and an avid quail hunter. Topics include "old standbys" like age ratios and more challenging integrated population modeling.

Join Dr. Dale and his guest Tyler Hamilton as they delve into a search for the holy grail in quail management: success on small acreages. Hamilton is a pilot for Southwest Airlines and offers some insightful perspectives based on his property in Dickens County. He’s also a graduate of the 2022 QuailMasters class. For previous sessions, see www.quailresearch.org/resources. Thanks to Gary Joiner at Texas Farm Bureau, Jonathan Vail (Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation) for his technical expertise, Jeffrey Sorelle with RPQRF for logistical assistance, and Gordy & Sons of Houston for funding. If you have a suggestion for an interesting interviewee, please e-mail Dr. Rollins ([email protected]).

Greg Dix earned Top Student award in the 2024 QuailMasters class. Dix resides in Missouri and has a ravenous appetite for anything/everything about bobwhites. Join Greg and Dr. Dale for an interesting perspective on what it means (and takes) to be a “Student of Quail.” The next QuailMastersclass musters in March 2026.

“Brush sculpting” is the planned, selective control of brush to enhance wildlife habitat. Think of it as applied landscaping or feng shui. Join Dr. Dale and his special guest Rory Burroughs of Comprehensive Land Management as they provide an overview of the concept, and how to increase “useable space” for quails (and other wildlife) on your property.

“Where have all the quail gone?” is a common lament, especially as one progresses east of the 99th meridian (essentially US 283). The rather acute decline in quail abundance in the eastern Rolling Plains (i.e., from Clay County southward to Coleman County) over the past 20 years is a head-scratcher. Predators, parasites, habitat change, and others are often cited as culprits. Join Dr. Dale and Justin as they dissect the situation.

Ronnie Howard has been an institution in the quail world in south Texas for over 30 years. Most of that time he was managing the San Tomas lease on the King Ranch. Join Ronnie and Dr. Dale as they retrace quail happenings in South Texas through a manager’s eyes and other wisdom gleaned from Ronnie's “San Tomas College of Knowledge.

Join Dr. Dale and his guest Dr. Michael Conover from Utah State University this month as they unravel perhaps the most romantic, and mysterious, aspect of hunting with pointing dogs, i.e., their ability to find, and point, game birds via olfaction. Dr. Conover recently published “Predator-Prey Dynamics: the Role of Olfaction” which is a thorough treatise of the origins of scent, and how wind currents, turbulence, and structures on the landscape interact to affect scenting conditions. You won’t want to miss this one!

"Patternology" is defined as "the scientific study of patterns." Join Dr. Dale and his guest Dr. Dan Foley as they discuss and dissect various patterns as they relate to quail management and quail hunting. Digest these ideas and weigh them against your own experiences afield.

Ever submitted a blood or urine sample to your doctor to assess your well-being? Join Dr. Dale and his guest Dr. Brad Kubecka as they discuss certain reproductive parameters that play important roles in annual production. Using a 15-year data set from RPQRR, they will evaluate RPQRR’s “performance.” They’ll also discuss some “sensitivity analyses” that tease out which variables are most important if bobwhite populations are to increase.

It’s been a long and winding road, but the first medicated feed for wild birds in the U.S. is now available. Join Dr. Dale and his special guests Dr. Ron Kendall, RPQRF’s past-resident Joe Crafton, and Dr. Ryan O'Shaughnessy as they share the research and development that resulted in the FDA’s labeling of QuailGuard™ for treating eyeworms and cecal worms in wild quail. QuailGuard is currently being stocked at feed stores across much of Texas. You won’t want to miss this one!

Join Dr. Dale and his guest Reggie Thackston from Thackston Wildlife Consulting LLC from the great state of Georgia. Thackston has been an inveterate “Student of Quail” for the past 40 years and has served state game agencies in Georgia, South Carolina, and Oklahoma, in addition to serving on the Board of Trustees for Tall Timbers Research Station in Florida. He is also a long-in-the-tooth quail hunter—his passion for the art and science of quail management is palpable. This episode airs July 20.

Odds are you’ve sat through a meeting on various Farm Bill programs that began to sound like “acronym soup”—EQIP, CRP, GRIP, WHIP, LIP, and the list goes on. Undoubtedly dollars for conservation abound within the Farm Bill (and other incentive programs), but are you getting your fair share therefrom? Join Dr. Dale and RPQRR’s new ranch manager Mitchell Riggs as Riggs describes strategies for making the Farm Bill “all it can be” for Texans interested in quail management.

Join Dr. Dale this month and three special guests as they discuss how quail habitat (and abundance) are impacted by wildfires like those that raged in the Panhandle in late-February. His special guests include Becky Ruzicka (formerly with RPQRF), Chip Ruthven (TPW Project Leader for several WMAs in the Panhandle), and Jeff Bonner (retired TPW biologist stationed in Pampa). They discuss historical contexts and relevant management practices for lessening the impacts of wildfires. Join us on May 20 for this episode.

We often speak of “Leopold’s toolbox” and speak often of “axe, plow, cow, and fire,” and how these tools are the basis of our attempts at habitat management. But we should be reminded that these tools are not “one size fits all” and as managers we seek to use them as adjustable (ala “Crescent” wrenches) given various environmental constraints (e.g., rainfall). Join Dr. Dale and his guest Jesse Wood as they discuss the management of scaled (“blue”) quail in the Permian Basin region of west Texas and how we adjust Leopold’s tools for a desert habitat. Wood is the Director of Ecology and Sustainable Development for the Permian Basin and works for ConocoPhillips. He’s also a graduate of QuailMasters (class of 2017) and an avid quail hunter.

This month’s guests are brothers Ty and Marc Bartoskewitz. Both are well-grounded in quail management in TX and currently manage ranches in Stephens and Shackelford counties, respectively. Given their interest, acumen, and budgets, I often refer to them as the “Great (Bob)White Hopes” for the eastern Rolling Plains. Join us on March 20 on how they approach various habitat concerns, and what they see as catalysts for the return of the bobwhite to their former haunts.

This month’s guest is Dr. Abe Woodard with the East Foundation. Our topic is a “Quail 303” discussion of “sustained yield” of bobwhites in South Texas. We’ll discuss topics along the “hunter X covey interface” including hunting efficiency and crippling loss. Join us on February 20.

This month’s guest is Tyler Sladen of Albuquerque, NM. Tyler is a serious falconer who specializes in hunting quail with his Tiercel goshawk “Jimmy Dean.” Tag along with Tyler and Dr. Dale as they discuss the sport of falconry, and specifically hunting the quails of North America with raptors and bird dogs. Sladen, Jimmy Dean, and his corps of Setters have combined to take over 100 quail across nine states in 2023. As a Student of Quail, you can learn a lot from seeing how quail react when pursued by a hawk, and what kind of “storm shelters” serve to foil a hawk’s attempts. Join us on January 20; you’re going to enjoy this one.

One of the patterns I’ve noticed over the years is that ranchers with bird dogs are more often astute quail managers. No secret really, they ascribe to what I call “vocation and avocation.” Join us this month as I talk “cows and quail” with Charley Christensen of San Angelo. With bona fides in quail, cattle, and range management Christensen is well qualified to discuss trade-offs between cows and quail, and “where’s the beef?”

Perhaps you’ve never noticed a key herbivore that may be impacting your quail habitat. They’re desert termites, and odds are, there are millions beneath your feet . . . literally! Let’s just say they’re the “graziers down below.” Join me this month as my former colleague Dr. Darrell Ueckert and I get down and dirty on these arthropods. Ueckert, a rangeland entomologist and Professor Emeritus with TAMU, spent years studying these voracious insects. Join us Nov 20 for this trip to the rhizosphere.

I've met some interesting characters as I’ve traveled over west Texas for the past 40 years, but none more interesting than this month’s guest: Bob Richardson of Aspermont, aka “Barefoot Bob.” I usually refer to Bob as “the closest thing Texas has to Crocodile Dundee.” You won’t want to miss this opportunity to hear of Barefoot’s accomplishments and acumen. In addition to being an authority on feral hogs, rattlesnakes, and porcupines he’s also been guiding quail hunters since he was 8 years old. Join us on October 20.

Predator control is always a contentious topic. Dr. Dale’s guest this month is Mr. John Palarski with Tall Timbers Research Station. Join us as we delve into the “second line of defense” for dealing with predators, i.e., “beyond habitat.” Palarski recently completed his M.S. research at Tarleton State University and confronted predator control “up close and personal” at his study site in Erath County. Their conversation drills down on control techniques. Join us September` 20.

There’s a new sheriff in town! Join Dr. Dale this month with his guest Dr. Ryan O’Shaughnessy. Ryan took over as Executive Director this past May and has been busy as a brooding bobwhite hen since that time. He will discuss his passion for quail and quail hunting and speak to what’s on the horizon for the Foundation. And you'll discover some skills that he possesses that will set him apart from most quail hunters in Texas (aside from his accent!).

Join Dr. Dale this month with his guest Horace Gore. Gore is a familiar name in Texas wildlife management circles. While many folks know him from his tenure as White-tailed Deer Program Leader for TPWD in the 1990s, or for his service as editor of the Journal of Texas Trophy Hunters Magazine for the past 15 years, his initial entrée into wildlife management was focused on bobwhites! And his adolescence carrying a Model 12 shotgun fueled many observations and stories. You won’t want to miss this one! Available July 20

Join Dr. Dale and his guest Brian Hays as they discuss the why’s and wherefore’s of establishing Native Warm Season Grasses. These grasses can be used to enhance nesting cover. Hays is a consultant for Bamert Seed Company and helps landowners across several states.

oin us as we visit with retired Texas Parks & Wildlife State Game Wardens Jack Burrus and Gary Self. Both were stationed at Childress, Texas and served Childress and Hall Counties. Burrus started in 1961 and when he retired Self moved to Childress. Between them, they served that area for over 50 years and have witnessed a lot of changes in hunting regulations, hunting trends, habitat changes and law enforcement. Join us on May 20.

Say what? Yep, appreciate as in “to judge with heightened awareness” or “be cautiously or sensitively aware of.” My guest this month is Dr. Clint Boal, a professor and raptor specialist from Texas Tech University. Dr. Boal appreciates raptors as in “to value or admire highly.” Suum cuique. We’ll discuss the commonly observed raptors in west Texas and which constitute a “quail threat.” We’ll also recap some of the recent research that Dr. Boal and his student Becky Perkins conducted on the ranch about 10 years ago. Join us on April 20.

Dana Wright is the newest member of our team here at RPQRF. She just retired from a stellar 30-year career with TPWD stationed in Paducah. Ask anyone who knows Dana and they’ll confirm she’s a “go-getter”—we’re excited to have her on board! In this podcast Dana shares her experiences with landowners and trends she’s observed over her career. She also discusses how she plans to spread the word about quail conservation for all “Students of Quail.”

“When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground.” – African proverb Take a trip back through time this month as Dr. Rollins hits the rewind button on quail happenings in Cottle County dating back to the 1930s. Mr. Joe Don Brooks of Paducah will soon turn 90 years old, but his recall of quail happenings in the 1950s are quite vivid. We share stories about A.S. Jackson, a renowned quail biologist and naturalist and landscape level changes that have had repercussions for bobwhites. Join us for some reminiscing on February 20.

This month’s guest is Gene T. Miller of Amarillo. Gene’s career was largely with TPWD as a Technical Guidance Biologist. We’ll discuss the “form and function” of shelterbelts as true wildlife oases on the Great Plains.

Episode 44: Roy Wilson- 40 Years of Outfitting Quail Hunts in West Texas by Dr. Dale Rollins

Carter Smith has served as Executive Director for TPWD for the past 15 years and retires at the end of this year. He is one of the most engaging guests you’ll ever encounter. See for yourself as he joins me on November 20 to address the future of quail hunting in Texas. Smith earned wildlife degrees from Texas Tech and Yale. If you missed the podcast he did with Steve Rinella of MeatEater a couple of years ago you need to look it up and listen to it—he was as nimble navigating the questioning as an experienced Setter hustling through a patch of prickly pear. The RPQRR hosted Smith and colleague Clayton Wolf for a special quail hunt in February 2017; catch the play-by-play from Smith showing how a great quail hunt (55 coveys!) can miraculously cure a bad case of plantar fasciitis!

How do quail and quail management affect rural land values? Is the “bird dog’s tail” wagging the “livestock dog” relative to land prices? These will be the topics of Dr. Rollins and his guest Sam Middleton for the October podcast. Middleton has likely handled more “quail-land” transactions than any realtor in the state. His “trophy wall” of recent sales include the W. T. Waggoner, the Four Sixes, the Matador, and Mesa Vista ranches. He’ll share his perspectives on what’s hot and what’s not.

Odds are if you have a hunting dog (defined broadly), you’ve done business with Gun Dog Supply’s Steve Snell. I first met Snell in 2008 and have shared quail leases with him several times since then. Believe me, there’s no one you’d rather have on your lease than Steve as he can troubleshoot your e-collar or GPS collar! Steve has served as a director for RPQRF since 2017. Join Dr. Dale, Dr. Brad Kubecka, and Steve as they discuss technologies useful in the bird dog world.

Last February outdoor TV mogul Chris Dorsey visited the RPQRR. I’d heard Dorsey’s name but hadn’t kept up with his accomplishments—this dog will hunt! Labeled as “The Brandfather” of outdoor TV, Dorsey has launched a total of 45 outdoor series in addition to his prowess in the print media. Less than a week after his visit, there was an article in Forbes magazine (see the article at: https://www.forbes.com/covering (in detail) his visit to RPQRR and his quail hunting experience the day after on the Snipes Ranch. I found him an excellent wordsmith and a genuinely effective spokesperson for our sport. Catch his interview on August 20 with Dr. Rollins as they discover and share their common DNA when one’s vocation and avocation are indeed a double-helix.

Dr. Brad Kubecka succeeded Dr. Rollins as Executive Director in June 2021. Join us this month as Drs. Rollins and Kubecka elaborate on new research projects and outreach efforts at RPQRF. Kubecka did his doctoral research at Tall Timbers Research Station and the Martin Game Bird Lab at the University of Georgia. His experiences and research at TTRS influenced his strategies on supplemental feeding, chick ecology, and predator management. Will these practices be as effective here on the western range of the bobwhite?

Training is usually a prerequisite for good bird dogs. This month’s special guest is Mr. Ronnie Smith, Jr. with Ronnie Smith Kennels in Pawhuska, OK. The name “Smith” is synonymous with well-trained birddogs ala Delmar, Rick, and Ronnie Smith. Ronnie (Delmar’s nephew) has been training pointing dogs since 1982. Here Smith addresses common behaviors that can (and should) be corrected with proper training. You’re going to enjoy this one!