Well, there is one thing we all agree on; most of the quail in Arkansas have disappeared, so the real question is why. Most folks will argue that it is a loss of habitat, predators, and other interrelated causes. They are wrong about the loss of habitat, and I'm going to tell you, once and for all, why. It's a minor part of the problem.
There are millions of acres in our state of good quail habitat without a single quail. A comparison between uncultivated acreage in the 1940s and today will show an actual increase in uncultivated acres, as the thousands of small farms of the '40s, '50s, and '60s, were abandoned and the land was allowed to return to nature. If habitat loss were the primary cause, where are the quail that once were plentiful in those millions of acres?
If we eliminate loss of habitat, we are left with the introduction of species into Arkansas that have caused the quail population to decline. As I have watched the wildlife population of Arkansas change, I have noted three groups of invasive animals become over-abundant. The negatives, at least to the quail population, are armadillos, that have moved in from the southwest; scavengers such as possums, raccoons and rats; and finally, but certainly not last, feral hogs. Let's take a quick look at the negative group as a whole, and see if any or all stand out as major quail predators. Look at where these groups forage for their food. All on the ground, and where do quails nest? Now, let's look closer.
First, the armadillos: Within the last 10 years, the nightly scavenging by armadillos in my backyard has turned the yard into a rooted-up mess, as armadillos dig for worms and grubs. Well, 15 years ago, I had a covey of some 25+ quail around a lightly wooded pasture behind my house. The quail completely disappeared about 10 years ago, but the habitat remains the same. What do you think those hundreds of armadillos that roam my back 37 acres do if they come upon a quail nest?
Now, to the second group, the surge in critters such as possums and coons. Ditto for being ground scavengers, and what will this bunch of critters do when they run across a quail nest? Of course, they will devour a nest of quail eggs.
Okay, now let's get down to what I think is the major culprit--feral hogs. I have game camera shots to show feral hogs in my backyard, and those hogs probably contributed to the destruction of my covey of quail. Now, let's do some math: A conservative 400,000 feral hogs roam the woods and pastures of Arkansas. Let's just suppose each feral hog finds and destroys only one nest of quail eggs each year. That's 10 quail eggs x 400,000 hogs = 4,000,000 eggs, and that means 20,000,000 quail eggs will be hog food every five years. Now add the armadillos, rats, and other critters and it's easy to see the problem and the cause of quail loss. But what's the solution?
If you have read my first piece, you know I support the reintroduction of species such as wolves, bobcats and cougars that would reduce the number of quail-nest robbers. However, after considering the magnitude of the problem, I have been rethinking my position. Yes, we still need to re-establish those predators, but they are going to need help, no matter how successful the restocking programs become.
Let's think outside the box. Here's one idea: If you really want to get serious and solve the problem, use the several hundred thousand deer hunters to reduce the feral hog population. After all, what do most deer hunters like to do besides drink a lot of beer and overeat? Well, they like to kill stuff, and if given the incentive, these 500,000 sharpshooters will make a substantial dent in the out-of-control feral hog population.
But for this to work, you have to give the deer hunters incentives. Why not have a $15 to $25 per hog bounty, a $5,000 first prize for the biggest hog, and award the deer club with the largest confirmed kill with a $10,000 first prize? Just think of how many more quail we will have after some 100,000+ hogs are removed from Arkansas woods--and that doesn't include a bumper wild turkey crop, because feral hogs eat wild turkey eggs as well as quail eggs.
How does the state pay for the bounty and other incentives? Here's one way: If other quail restoration programs, say, improving habitat, aren't working, and of course they aren't working or I wouldn't be writing this, then just take the money from these ineffective programs and pay the feral hog bounties. It is a certainty the bounty money spent to eliminate feral hogs will improve the quail population.
I think we have to ask ourselves--are we really serious about wanting to solve the disappearing quail problem, or do we want to just continue to plod along, trying the same ineffective solutions?
Solutions to difficult problems are rarely found by trying the same thing over and over. In fact, doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different answer is a definition of crazy.
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Richard Mason of El Dorado is president of Gibraltar Energy Co., and a former president of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation.
Editorial on 05/09/2015