ABSTRACT
The bobwhite attains maximum abundance in the southeastern US These coveys disband in early spring when reproductive activity begins. The most reliable data are obtained from direct census of bobwhites while they are in coveys. Some wildlife agencies obtain trend data from summer roadside counts of adults and/or broods. This technique is not amenable to standardization and requires a thorough knowledge of bobwhite habits and behavior. Trapping is most productive at prebaited sites or during snow cover but becomes ineffective after vegetation growth. Shooting is preferable to trapping for obtaining second samples as it eliminates the potential bias of marked birds being more (or less) susceptible to retrapping. From early spring until midsummer, males give the bobwhite call for which the species is named. On a study area in southern Illinois, over 80% of the annual variation in rates of hunter success was attributable to variation in pre-hunt population size as determined by census.
