Pete Delkus has been the Chief Meteorologist at WFAA-TV in Dallas, Texas since 2005. He has over two and half decades of meteorology experience which includes extensive work in severe weather, hurricane forecasting, wind analysis and winter storm prediction. Pete has won 16 Emmy Awards for weather anchoring and special show hosting. Delkus holds a Bachelor’s of Science from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE) and is board certified by the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association.

Pete’s love for the outdoors began when he was a very young boy hunting alongside his father in the Midwest. Whether it was waterfowl, big game or upland birds, his fondest memories are of quail hunting, which is why he is so passionate about passing this legacy onto his son and others.

In 2005, Pete and his wife, Jacque, along with their kids, Emily and Peter, moved to Dallas and have loved everything about the great state of Texas.

Pete serves as a Trustee at Dallas Baptist University, is a Director of Park Cities Quail Coalition and a Life Member of Quail Coalition.

This month’s guest is Mr. Clay Sisson from Albany, GA. Clay’s name is often quoted in quail management circles via his work with the Albany Quail Project and more recently with Tall Timbers Research Station. I first met Clay at a Quail Unlimited convention in Houston way back in 1989, and have grown to appreciate his contributions to practical, meaningful management strategies for quail-folk. Since that time I've had the opportunity to hunt quail with Clay in west Texas and have found we seem to have been "cut from the same cloth."

This month’s guest is Mr. Rob Hailey from Abilene. The Hailey Ranch, located about 10 miles north of Abilene is a one-man show, and Rob is the one man! The Hailey Ranch has been a frequent stop for QuailMasters and related programming; his ranch is always a fan-favorite among the many ranches that QuailMasters have the privilege of visiting. Rob uses “ax, plow, cow, and fire” as well as anyone to promote habitat for bobwhites, mourning doves, and a variety of nongame species. Most of the time he deploys sweat equity and ingenuity over capital outlays. Listen carefully and you'll find out something about Rob that you might never suspect (it was a surprise to me [DR] and makes you respect Mr. Hailey even more).

The Dr. Dale on Quail podcast series was initiated three year ago, and it’s been really well received. Co-host Gary Joiner (Communications Director for Texas Farm Bureau) serves as a great color commentator. The monthly podcast lasts 30-40 minutes and addresses various quail-related topics. For previous sessions, see www.quailresearch.org/resources. Thanks to Jonathan Vail (Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation) for his technical expertise, Jeffrey Sorelle with RPQRF for logistical assistance, and Gordy & Sons of Houston for funding the effort.

If you're a golfer, a reference to the Augusta National means it just can't get much better. If you're a quail hunter, the same holds true for the Snipes Ranch in Stonewall County. Join us this month as Rick Snipes shares his quail odyssey on a deep sand site near Aspermont. The ingredients for this special property include a foundation on Nobscot soils which was then cultured by Snipes with ecology and innovation. Snipes also served ten years as the President of the Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation and recaps the progress made during his tenure.

Quail Research Update from Oklahoma State University

Dr. Rollins' guest this month is his colleague Dr. Dwayne Elmore from Oklahoma State University. Join them as they discuss quail happenings north of the Red River. Dr. Elmore is a Professor, Wildlife Extension Specialist, and Bollenbach Chair in Wildlife Biology in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management at Oklahoma State University. He earned degrees in wildlife biology from the University of Tennessee-Martin, Mississippi State University, and Utah State University. Dwayne works with various stakeholders including private landowners, state and federal agencies, and private conservation organizations to assist them with wildlife habitat management. His research is primarily focused on upland game birds, and he has worked with 10 different species including northern bobwhite. Dwayne is passionate about all things quail including hunting, bird dogs, research, and land management. He and his wife help manage family property in southern Georgia for bobwhite and gopher tortoises, and he is especially interested in helping other landowners achieve their wildlife management objectives.

“If I have seen further than others it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants.” - Sir Isaac Newton

Some giants are metaphorical while others fit the physical expectations. A rare few fulfill both dimensions. Ricky Linex is the latter, a giant in every sense of the word, but a “gentle giant” in every situation. I’ve known Ricky since 1982 when we were classmates at Texas Tech. Over that span of years, I have worked with him on numerous tours, workshops, QuailMasters classes, and Bobwhite Brigades. His passion, patience, and knowledge of plant identification have opened the eyes of so many. And his magnum opus (Rangeland Plants of North-Central Texas) serves as the go-to field guide for plants in the northwestern half of Texas. Thanks, Ricky, for traveling across the state (and beyond!) with the QuailMasters classes; I don’t think you’ll ever speak to a group of students who appreciated your message any more than they did.

This month’s guest is Mr. Pen DeVries, a native of Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia). DeVries spent his formative years on a 30,000-acre game reserve in Rhodesia but recently moved to southwestern Oklahoma where he’s managing a ranch for bobwhites. Dr. Rollins met up with him during a private consulting venture and was impressed with his commitment towards our beloved bobwhite. DeVries has adapted to his new environment and shares some tips that will benefit any Student of Quail.

In the court of popular opinion red imported fire ants (RIFA) are a major player in the decline of quail across the southeastern half of Texas. But the scientific community typically hasn’t endorsed the thought. This month’s guest is Dr. Brad Dabbert from Texas Tech University. Dabbert has been involved with much of the RIFA X Bobwhite research over the past 20 years in Texas. He will share his expertise and research findings to help the rest of us sort the wheat from the chaff on this controversial critter.

My guest this month is John McLaughlin, TPWD’s Quail Program coordinator for west Texas. Join us as we discuss TPWD’s role and philosophy on quail management and hunting regulations. We’ll also discuss supplemental feeding—a topic that McLaughlin studied for his Master’s degree at Texas Tech University.

My guest this month is Darcy Turner of Turner Seed Co. in Breckenridge. Darcy holds a B.S. in Agronomy from Texas A&M University. He subsequently returned to the family-owned business in 1982. While Turner Seed markets a variety of seeds for different needs, I suspect they sell more wildlife-targeted species and blends than anyone else. Darcy is my “go to” man when I have a question about food plots for quail. Join us as we discuss Food Plots 101.