by Mitchell Riggs
As the weather starts to cool and fall settles in, we’ve wrapped up another round of helicopter surveys at the Research Ranch. These surveys give us a valuable snapshot of how our quail populations are holding up year to year—and this season’s results are encouraging.
In 2025, we observed a total of 91 coveys and 1,316 individual birds across 4,500 acres, with an average covey size of 14.46 birds. For comparison, our 2024 survey recorded 1,252 birds with an average covey size of 13.75. That steady increase in both total birds and covey size suggests our habitat conditions continue to support healthy populations across the ranch.
Using this year’s data, we estimate about 0.75 birds per acre, just shy of our goal of one bird per acre. While we didn’t quite reach that benchmark, the stability in our numbers—paired with good summer weather and strong habitat conditions—paints a very positive picture.
We had an excellent hunting season last year, and with this year’s numbers trending slightly higher, we’re optimistic that hunters can look forward to another successful season ahead.
