Photo by Gary Lewis.

Pheasant and quail populations along the East Coast, especially in the Mid-Atlantic states, have been on the decline for several decades. These birds, once the mainstay of small-game wingshooting, have taken a beating from the developmental sprawl that has overtaken Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey.

Likewise, modern methods of farming, and the use of herbicides to protect crops, have caused a drop in the pheasant and quail reproduction, which has also caused further damage to the birds' numbers.

If you add in the increase in predators that prey on the birds, such as foxes, coyotes and even feral cats, along with weasels, raccoons and other small animals that dine on the bird's eggs, it's not hard to understand why quail and pheasant populations have declined over the last 30 years.

However, there is hope. Faced with declining populations, fish and wildlife departments in many states have stabilized the populations of game birds through habitat improvement programs, bird stocking and other sound wildlife management practices.

Delaware and Maryland chose to try and improve habitat, as well as improve breeding conditions, allowing the birds to rebuild naturally. New Jersey, on the other hand, has been stocking farm-raised birds on public lands for hunters for decades, while also trying to protect and rebuild the bird's habitat. This has given bird hunters in the Garden State a steady supply of birds to hunt.

While both methods have realized some moderate success, the respective states have stabilized the bird populations at best, but have not increased the pheasant and quail populations to any significant degree. Current trends in all three states have shown a steady decline from the 1980s through the end of the 1990s.

Healthy fish and game populations are a positive sign of a healthy environment. As such, many states are finally realizing the wisdom of maintaining and rebuilding wildlife habitat and in the process, restoring the balance between man and nature. This has opened up a lot of new funding for wildlife habit conservation.

While both quail and pheasant populations are not yet out of the woods, stabilization is the first step in their future recovery.

MARYLAND'S UPLAND GAME BIRDS
At one time, bobwhite quail and ring-necked pheasants were the primary targets of upland bird hunters in Maryland. During the last couple of decades, however, these birds have seen significant declines in their populations. Likewise, the numbers of hunters also decreased over that period, but have seemingly leveled off in the last five years.

Information on quail and pheasant population trends comes from two sources. The Breeding Bird Survey, coordinated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), estimates the population trends of quail and pheasants, also monitoring the status of many other birds.

The other resource is the Maryland hunter mail survey, which is used to monitor trends in game harvest, number of hunters, and days spent hunting. This survey is based on a random sampling of hunting-license buyers in Maryland.

The Breeding Bird Survey shows a decline of nearly 5 percent per year in the quail population since the mid- 1960s, and an even sharper decline in pheasant numbers. Both populations have been reduced by nearly 90 percent in the last four decades, with quail populations in the central and western parts of the state showing the biggest declines.

Maryland quail hunters downed 4,000 birds during the 2004-05 season, the most recent season that statistics are available. Current trends in the pheasant harvest show about the same number of birds taken over each of the last few seasons.

Biologists cite a combination of factors for the decline, including habitat loss and fragmentation, which have the biggest impact on quail and pheasant populations.