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BEST VIEWING & HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES
• Best viewed or heard along brushy edges of farm fields in southwestern Ohio
• Rush Run Wildlife Area, Preble County
• Paint Creek Wildlife Area, Highland County
• Fallsville Wildlife Area, Highland County
• Indian Creek Wildlife Area, Brown County
2012 UPDATE
Ohio populations of the northern bobwhite have been declining since the early 1970’s--a decline that was accelerated by the severe winters of 1977 and 1978. Survey indices have shown that bobwhite populations have persisted throughout southern and southwestern Ohio, but quail numbers have never regained pre-1977 levels. Quail populations within this primary range in Ohio declined by about 6% from last year’s index, with population losses noted in the south central and southwestern portions of the state. Hunters should expect quail flush rates to be similar to or below those of last year. This species is also monitored by the North American Breeding Bird Survey and in Ohio the northern bobwhite has declined by 6.5% per year since 1966 and by 3.8% for the period 1999-2009.
Survey details and historical data can be found in the Grassland Species Overview section in the 2011-2012 Wildlife Population Status and Hunting Forecast.
Additional information about the Breeding Bird Survey can be found at: www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/
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