2008 Winners Quail Unlimited Budweiser
Adopt-A-Covey Program

full article at
http://www.qu.org/got-quail/2008_winners.cfm

Recognizing Private Landowners and Their Contributions
to Wildlife Conservation in America

As we all know, one of the greatest factors contributing to the destabilization of quail populations across the country is urban sprawl and fragmented habitat. With this in mind, Quail Unlimited and Budweiser representatives collaborated on creating a prestigious recognition program for men and women who actively manage their properties for wildlife—especially quail. Out of this collaboration, the Adopt-A-Covey (AAC) program was born in 2005.

The program's goal was to recognize landowners and managers for the wildlife management they had done and continue to do on their lands. A secondary goal was to stimulate interest in beginning work to benefit wildlife. In the inaugural year of the program, both goals were realized.

In 2008, over 127 participants submitted applications and enrolled over 40,500 acres of land that had been improved for quail and other wildlife species. One winner was selected from each of the regions. Panels of judges, consisting primarily of state wildlife biologists, judged entries in each region and struggled with the responsibility of selecting only one winner per region. The regional winner applications were then submitted to another panel of judges to determine the Adopt-A-Covey Farmer/Landowner of the Year.

Midsouth Region
Circle B Kennels and Farm • Somerville, Tennessee

f you were trying to name a place where quail management is practiced, it would be difficult to find a more appropriate place than Circle B Kennels and Farm, the Midsouth regional winner. The owner, Blake Kukar, has his family's home nestled on 650 acres of beautiful countryside near Somerville, Tennessee, in a small town called Dancyville located in Fayette County 50 minutes east of Memphis.

At Circle B Kennels and Farm, they proudly raise, train and field trial English pointers and setters. Selective pups from top quality females are occasionally available for sale. Some of Blake's prize dogs and horses are available for stud to approved females.

Blake also plants around 3,000 acres in corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton. Out of this he devotes 1,600 acres to quail habitat.

Blake is trying to achieve all the necessary elements needed for quail survival: nesting, brood rearing, covey headquarters, food and escape cover with intent to maximize crop production in concert with cost-share programs such as CP33 and CRP contract acres. He has allocated 200 acres for brood habitat and 200 acres for native foods. He has over five miles of planted food plots, several acres of brushy/woody cover, hedgerows and edge development. He has around 50 acres of either woody, vegetative or man-made summer shade or shelter available. There are three ponds on the farm and around 500 yards of natural creek as a water source. He uses crop areas in conjunction with food plots. The 600 acres of CRP and 250 acres of CP33 buffers are being restored to native grasses and forbs. He is doing this by controlled burning on a rotational basis every year, which is contributing to the goal of the removal of nonnative grasses (Bermuda, fescue, etc.) from pastureland previously used for grazing cattle. Blake replanted these areas with NWSG mixes, ragweed, and partridge pea to provide optimum food and cover in open areas and areas that have been timbered. The timber removal also removed raptor perches, which reduces raptor predation. Terrestrial predation is controlled by trapping and hunting, along with fire ant eradication on the entire farm. Existing brush rows are being restored for winter cover. Many of the scrub areas have been enhanced by removing invasive species, such as privet, to enable native vegetation to flourish. He has replanted with bicolor for food and wintertime cover, eventually eliminating any supplemental feeding programs.

Blake attributes his successes to having the opportunity to regularly consult and get advice from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), representatives from Quail Unlimited, the Natural Resources and Conservation Service (NRCS) and his neighbor who has 80 years of experience.