Hunting Game Birds:

Shooting Preserve Field Cover

Editors' note: Read about breeding game birds, shooting preserve management, and methods for releasing quail, pheasant, and partridges in the upcoming issue of the Game Bird Gazette!

For many game bird shooting preserve operators, hunting field cover means just one thing: planted, annual cover crops.  These operators ignore two other types of cover – planted perennials, and native vegetation – both of which often are cheaper, easier to work with, and more dependable.  Perennial plantings and native vegetation probably are neglected because their use is not as widely publicized or as generally understood as is the case with annuals, most of which are in common use as farm crops. Let’s discuss some uses of perennial cover on preserves.