“I’m afraid that is true,” Godwin noted, “but I think we are seeing some expansion into other areas like the Delta as more people make land management decisions to help rebuild quail. What makes the northeast so good is that we still have the patchwork-like land management that is so beneficial to quail. You see more small agricultural, like 15-acre soybean fields, instead of the huge tracts of fields and forests that you see in the Delta and in south Mississippi. If you fly over the northeast or see aerial photographs, the patchwork pattern is clear.

“The good news is that 2005 was a very good year for quail reproduction. We had a good hatch reported on public and private lands where it was monitored. The bad news is that it was just the opposite in 2006. We had drought-like conditions in most areas of the state, and that is devastating to quail. I’m afraid we had a poor hatch, and that’s a setback. That is one of the worst things that can happen.”

But that loss is a short-term phenomenon, and in Godwin’s view, there’s hope for quail -- at least, more hope than the state has seen in decades. “We’ve seen a lot of new emphasis placed on quail habitat management through WRP and CRP programs,” he remarked. “That has had a positive impact on quail in many pockets of the state.”

True, it’s not a statewide trend, and, yes, the pockets do tend to be small -- but it’s at least a start. Successes reported in those areas could lead to more lands being managed for birds.

“As CRP pines continue to mature, there is opportunity to move in and manage lands for quail,” Godwin said. “As they are thinned, there is potential to create what bobwhites need to thrive.”

Few public land quail hunting opportunities exist in Mississippi, and officials fear to overpublicize those that do.

For more information on private land management assistance for quail, contact the nearest district office of the MDWFP. Either visit MDFWP.com for those locations or phone the main headquarters in Jackson at (601) 432-2400.

Find more about Mississippi fishing and hunting at: MississippiGameandFish.com