Click to Enlarge   Mo-Quail Academy photography by Cliff White Could you find a quail's nest in a large field? Do you know where a covey of quail sleeps at night? Could you look at a field and tell if quail could survive there? Have you ever hunted with a trained bird dog? Each year 25 teenagers learn all these things and more. In fact, in one week, they become bobwhite quail experts with a mission to spread the word about how to increase quail populations across the state. Ninth and 10th graders across Missouri who have a grade point average of 2.5 or above may apply to the MO-Quail Academy. The Conservation Department, Quail Unlimited Chapters of Missouri, the Conservation Federation of Missouri and the University of Missouri sponsor this adventure each June for students who want to know more about quail. A lot of learning goes on, but most of it goes on outdoors and is a lot of fun. In one session, academy cadets track quail that have been tagged with radio collars. Using special telemetry equipment, they discover that quail sleep in the grass at night, snack on seeds in the morning then move into the woods to rest in the safety of thick brush. "You can walk right by quail and not know they are there," said Jarrell Foreman, a former academy student from Anabel, Mo. "With radio collars, you can really study their habits." To find out why not all quail nests survive, each group of cadets builds a nest. Just like quail, the cadets carefully camouflage the nest in grass so predators can't find it. Each day, the group places an egg in the nest. The dangers are many. Some nests are found by real predators, others by the academy instructors, who act as predators and destroy any nest they find. One year, a nest was destroyed when a farmer mowed the field where the cadets hid their nest. Real quail encounter all these obstacles and more. Cadets learn that by planting the right types of grasses, farmers can wait until after quail have finished nesting to cut their hay. Successful nesting isn't the only problem quail face. The right type of food in a safe location can be difficult to find. If protective cover, like brush and shrubs, isn't close to the food source, the quail might end up as lunch for a hawk, instead of itself dining on seeds and insects. Cadets learn this lesson by hunting for food in the grass, in this case pieces of candy. One person plays the role of a predator. If the "quail" don't get enough "food" before the predator catches them or scares them back into cover, they lose the game. Loss of habitat is a major reason there are fewer quail in Missouri today. For many years, farmers replaced native grasses with fescue, a grass that is too thick for young quail to walk through. Farm fields also have gotten larger and there are fewer woody areas where quail can take cover from predators. Cadets learn to identify native grasses and how to manage the woody areas near fields that quail use for shelter. "I didn't expect to get as much from the academy as I did," said Nathan Smith of Wildwood, Mo. After returning home, he planned to help his grandparents' improve quail habitat on their farm. Good quail management means good hunting. If the land meets all the criteria, quail will abound. At the academy, students can watch dogs point quail and learn how to hunt. To hone their shooting skills, students use the sporting-clay range at Midway Farms near Fayette, where the academy is held. Because students shoot firearms, they must complete the Conservation Department's Hunter Education Course before they come to the academy. At Midway, students get tips from experienced shooters. The range simulates natural hunting situations. At different stations along the shooting range, thrown clay "birds" mimic game birds, such as quail flushing from brush or ducks flying overhead. The academy is important because quail numbers continue to decline in Missouri. Quail will do well in areas with good habitat and mild, dry weather during the nesting season. Although the cadets can't do anything about the weather, they leave the academy armed with the knowledge to improve quail habitat. Attendance at the academy is free, but the cadets must agree to give presentations after they leave. The ones who give the most, get to return the following year as assistant covey leaders. Mary Davis of Vandalia, Mo., wrote a newspaper article after she attended the academy announcing that she would like to give presentations. The offers rolled in. Mary reached people of all ages—from kindergarten classes, where she provided hands-on activities, to 6th graders and six adult organizations, including a local Quail Unlimited chapter. No wonder Mary was able to return for a second year. Teachers selected to serve as covey leaders get a chance to learn about quail and to earn college credit. Kevin Gnuschke, an agriculture teacher at Windsor High School learned valuable tips on how to set up quail habitat in his school's outdoor classroom. "There's a fescue plot behind the football field," Kevin said. "That's one thing we need to get rid of." Joan McKee is an editor/designer with the Conservation Department. When she was young, her father taught her how to whistle like a quail.