Report Nr. 3283 Northern Bobwhite Quail Population Status in Michigan, 1998

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) monitors northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) distribution and relative abundance using whistling surveys, hunter harvest and effort surveys, and U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Breeding Bird Surveys. This report contains the results of the 1998 whistling surveys. A total of 32 quail whistling surveys were completed in 1998. Quail surveys were not conducted in 1996 or 1997. The mean index in 1998 increased 44.8% to 5.7 quail heard per route from 3.9 in 1995 (35 routes). The majority of the routes showed an increase in quail heard per route since 1995.