Project No. 394 - COUNTY IIlDLIFE RESOURCES SURVEYS  e              4 11

B. Colorado County, Texas (Eastern Texas Timber Type, 
Plus Coastal Prairie Te. 
Lehmann and Baker reported on the work in Colorado County as 
follows: 
Bobwhites : During the hunting season (December 1 through January 16) 
bobwhites declined approximately   ' percent in 65 covey territories 
that Lehmann checked closely the Tatter part of November and January. 
In November the 65 covey territories contained 841 quail, or an average 
of 12.93 quail each. In January they contained 291 quail, or 4.47 birds 
each. The decline is attributed almost entirely to hunters, inasmuch 
as 15 protected coveys maintained as checks, lost only 5 birds over the 
same period. It appears, therefore, that the annual kill of quail in 
Colorado County on open or poorly protected lands is too great to main- 
tain the present, or an increased, population. 
In June 1937, when a game preserve demonstration, embracing 
approximately 25,000 acres of Attwater prairie chicken - bobwhite terri-

tory, was organized in northern Colorado County, most of the owners of 
small tracts decided to allow no quail hunting on their lands for a per-

iod of several years; larger landowners decided to allow hunting, but 
on a restricted basis. Endeavoring to learn the effects of protection 
on quail numbers, Lehmann censused sample areas in both the hunted and 
the protected areas for two winters. See Table 1. 
Although an encouraging increase (102 percent) was made on the 
five areas protected for two hunting seasons, protection alone was not 
responsible. Appreciable increases in coveys and individuals were noted 
on areas 2, 3, and 5, where habitats were improved; the increases were 
directly proportional to the nature and extent of the management (Three 
new covey territories created, and one old territory improved).   Al- 
though there was a 100 percent increase of quail on Area 4, the birds 
actually declined (-4) on Area 1. Cover and food were not improved on 
those tracts. These data, supported by field notes and banding returns, 
indicate that the value of protection as a means of increasing quail 
varies greatly on different tracts, results being proportional in large 
measure to the extent that existing coverts are understocked at the 
outset. One thing is certain however, protection will not increase 
quail beyond the limits of existing food and cover. When protection is 
continued beyond the point where existing coverts are fully stocked, 
the annual surplus moves elsewhere; oivners of lands bordering the pro- 
tected tract are the major beneficiaries. 
Table No. 1   C UAIL ON AREAS NOT HUIITLD IN 1937-38 and 1938-39 
 
ETI-,. 
 
Io. 
__ 
2 
3 
4 
5 
 
Owner       Isize 
In 
..... Acre 
J.__1 -ie   ,456 
M. T. Shindlei  202 
Emil Gleuck    113 
A. Rentz       644 
Ed Koy        I372 
 
Quail Population 
Winter 1937-38 
 
Coveys 
4 
1 
0 
2 
i~ 
 
1,787 1   8 
 
Birds 
67 
0 
32 
5 
ill 
 
uail Population 
Jinter 1938-39 
 
Coveys 
4 
2 
1 
4 
2 
13 
 
Birds 
63 
38 
13 
64 
47 
225 
 
Comp. Spring Pop. 
1938 and 1939 
Numbers 
-4 
31 
13 
32 
42 
x114 
 
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