Quail outlook shows favorable

While tempering expectations, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists say favorable range conditions should make for good quail hunting this season, particularly in areas that held birds last year.

The statewide quail season runs Oct. 27-Feb. 24. The daily bag limit is 15, with 45 in possession. Legal shooting hours for all non-migratory game birds are 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. The bag limit is the maximum number that may be killed during the legal shooting hours in one day.

With quail hunting, opportunity is tied directly to production and this year's crop of birds looks to be above average, according to TPWD quail census data.

Ideal quail production occurs in years that remain wet and cool during the spring and early summer months because it extends the window of opportunity for reproduction, according to TPWD quail program leader Robert Perez.