Johnny Appleseed won a place in folk history by going about the early American frontier, planting apple seeds. Harold Knight, who farms with partner David Hale near Cadiz, Ky., has no aspirations to be a folk hero, but he has a lot in common with Johnny Appleseed.
Several years ago, Knight, who loves quail hunting, began studying the 1,800-acre farm to find out why there were so few of the birds.
He got an answer when he analyzed how his property met the basic needs of quail: The land was in fescue pastures and mature hardwood timber. There was cover for quail, but little for them to eat.
Working with wildlife biologists, Knight started putting in permanent food plots where space permitted. But there were few sites that were available for large, permanent plots of ½ to 1 acre.
One snowy February day, Knight was riding over his farm on an ATV when he spotted deer tracks in an opening of bare ground partially covered with snow. He stopped to inspect the tracks and realized there were dozens of small openings like this on the farm.
He knew if he could get something to grow in these bare places that would provide food for quail, the possibility of re-establishing a quail population was good.
"It occurred to me that when the frozen ground thawed, it would make a good seedbed," Knight explains.
He went back to his barn, got a pocketful of Korean lespedeza seed and returned to the bare spot. He broadcast the seed on the snow. Over the next few days, he went to similar areas around the farm and broadcast seed on them.
Knight wasn't surprised when the next spring each of the once-bare places became a lush food plot, ideal for producing seed that quail love.
Now each fall Knight flags bare spots. In winter when the ground is covered in snow, he rides an ATV over the 1,800 acres, sowing Korean lespedeza. He also carries a bag of seed on his frequent quail hunts to plant remote spots.
"Before I had these small patches of lespedeza growing all over the place, you couldn't find a quail here," reports Knight. "Now, there are six coveys to hunt in this 150-acre block," says Knight as we survey one of his quail havens. He points out that other species of wildlife are also attracted to the numerous food patches. He has noticed an increase in the number of wild turkeys and cottontail rabbits.
Says Knight: "This tract of land we're standing on now is proof that my Johnny Appleseed method of quail management pays off."