There was a time when shrill bobwhite whistles rang across fields and meadows all over northern Indiana. But that was before predators, weather and human population growth conspired to decimate Indiana’s native bobwhite quail population.

“Quail are at the very bottom of the food chain,” said Mark Michuda of Ossian. “There are more raptors out there. And hawks, owls, they all eat quail. Quail need protective cover to avoid predators, and that is rapidly disappearing. The winter blizzards of the late 1970s also helped kill off the populations.”

Though they can’t stop the steady loss of rural land to development, Michuda and a group of bird enthusiasts are determined to bring quail back to Indiana by recreating the natural scrubby habitat the birds need to survive and thrive.

The northern Indiana chapter of Quail Unlimited is negotiating with several groups to establish wild areas planted with low-lying vegetation that can provide cover.

The group is also experimenting with the introduction of farm-raised quail into the wild.

Releasing farm-raised quail is tricky because of the risk of compromising the genetic integrity of wild quail, Michuda said, so farm-raised quail are never released into areas that still have wild populations.

In July 2006, the group released 150 young quail in the Pigeon River area of LaGrange County. The birds were purchased from a breeder in Illinois. When the group conducted a whistle count last summer – the only way to determine whether the birds had survived the winter – they didn’t record a single whistle. But bird hunters late last fall reported shooting 13 of the banded birds.

Michuda said he is encouraged by the 13 harvested quail because it proves that the birds survived at least five months. He is currently raising quail chicks at his farm near Ossian for release next summer, and he’s hoping that better habitats will help them survive and begin repopulating the state.

Though the genetic quality of the Illinois chicks is close to that of wild birds, Michuda said, Quail Unlimited has asked the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to allow the group to harvest wild quail eggs.

Working with wildlife biologists, the group hopes to use the eggs to breed genetically pure wild birds for release into newly established habitats. The agency is considering the request, said Phil Bloom, director of communications for the DNR.

In the meantime, Quail Unlimited is asking hunters, hikers and others to keep an eye out for quail and notify Michuda if they find any banded birds. Understanding how previously released birds fared will help the group with future releases.

Michuda, a former poultry official for the Indiana Department of Health, also hopes that some rural landowners will volunteer to allow Quail Unlimited to establish habitats on their land and monitor population growth. Michuda said a recent plan to establish a habitat on General Motors’ property in southwest Allen County fell through.

Though quail have traditionally been popular game birds, Michuda, who is also a hunter, doesn’t worry that success will bring more hunters than a revitalized quail population can withstand.

“We’re hoping to have a good mix of no-hunting habitats and hunting habitats,” he said. “That should keep the balance.”

To join Quail Unlimited, call Michuda at 260-760-1705, or go to the national Quail Unlimited Web site at www.qu.org.