Game Bird Program

The Western Pineywoods Quail Program (WPQP) was launched in 2021 with support from dedicated quail hunters, Tall Timbers, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and the Park Cities Quail Coalition. The Pineywoods region once supported vibrant wild bobwhite populations, but has attracted very little research or management attention to restore the species for several decades. As such, bobwhite are mostly extirpated from this region today.

A 9,000-acre private property in Polk County provides a hub for the Western Pineywoods Quail Program to expand from. Habitat improvements including timber thinning, prescribed fire, and longleaf planting began in 2019 and continue today. During 2023-2025, the site became a recipient of wild relocated bobwhite which have experienced exceptional survival and reproduction. In addition to working with private landowners, WPQP also partners on public lands in Texas.

WPQP is led by Dr. Brad Kubecka, a Texas native who received his PhD from the University of Georgia studying bobwhite brood ecology at Tall Timbers. Tall Timbers has initiated a $4 million endowment campaign to secure the Pineywoods program positions in perpetuity, ensuring this region will always have a core of bobwhite research and stakeholder guidance.

Dedicated landowners and collaborators interested in being a part of bringing the iconic bobwhite whistle back to the Pineywoods region can contact Bradley Kubecka.