West Virginia
Bobwhite Quail Getting New Welcome in West Virginia
West Virginia Gov.
Jim Justice
stated he fondly remembers listening to the distinctive name of the northern bobwhite quail when he was a boy. Like many others, he hunted the birds properly into the Nineteen Seventies earlier than they largely disappeared from the state.
Now, the governor is attempting to deliver again the northern bobwhite, additionally identified merely as quail, to the Mountain State by reintroducing 21,000 of them this yr within the state’s greatest repopulation marketing campaign to this point.
“I’ve missed these little rascals and many folks have,” Mr. Justice stated at a press briefing final week saying the restoration challenge. A looking diary he retains has an entry from Christmas Eve in 1976 displaying that he shot 103 quail that yr, he stated. “It’s a chook that has been right here ceaselessly and an unimaginable wildlife that we have to shield and convey again.”
On the route of Mr. Justice, the state’s Division of Pure Sources is putting 10-week-old pen-raised birds at seven websites to reintroduce them in wildlife administration areas and a state forest.
Initially the birds will probably be positioned in packing containers they will exit on their very own to search out grain in a fenced-in enclosure to guard them from predators. Transmitters will probably be positioned on a number of the birds to watch their survival and habitat use.
Hunters who haven’t seen the northern bobwhite for years or heard its name, generally conveyed as “bob-white!” stated they’re hopeful.
“All of us keep in mind once we had quail,” stated Larry Case, a retired DNR officer who now writes about weapons and looking. Mr. Case stated one problem to the challenge is that the populations of predators for quail, from hawks to raccoons and opossums, have grown in West Virginia.
“I undoubtedly hope it really works. I’m an previous bird-dog man,” stated Mr. Case, who was reached Friday on a hilltop close to Richwood, W.Va. “I’m operating my canine and on the lookout for a spot to hunt, which is what I’m doing about half the time.”
The northern bobwhite, which has a speckled brown physique and brief grey tail, has been in steep decline within the U.S. and is now shedding half its inhabitants each seven years, stated John Morgan, director of the Nationwide Bobwhite & Grassland Initiative.
He stated the chook is a primary instance of a species that’s among the many three billion birds misplaced within the U.S. and Canada since 1970, in accordance with a 2019 examine by researchers on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The northern bobwhite continues to be present in good numbers in states equivalent to Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, partly due to conservation efforts, he stated.
Mr. Morgan’s group, a partnership of state and federal businesses and nonprofits, is concentrated on restoring the chook’s habitat in 23 states. Northern bobwhite thrive in shrubby terrain that’s disappearing as using managed fires has declined and farms more and more depend on neat parcels of land to maximise acreage, he stated.
“The wants of the species are a complete mismatch with fashionable land use,” Mr. Morgan stated. “We’re attempting to alter that tradition by saying weeds are OK and blackberry bushes are good.”
Some conservation specialists have opposed releasing pen-raised birds, and a few previous efforts have failed. Researchers at Texas A&M College present in a examine that potential causes for brief survival amongst pen-raised bobwhites are that they’ve poor flying skills and aren’t adept at avoiding predators.
In West Virginia, a a lot smaller challenge a number of years in the past utilizing wild birds from different states didn’t succeed, Mr. Justice stated. He stated the present group of birds has been “flight conditioned” and is “the perfect of the perfect to duplicate wild birds.”
With the challenge’s value at lower than $5 a chook, the governor estimates the entire determine to be round $100,000. “It’s an affordable approach of reintroducing quail again into West Virginia,” he stated on the press briefing, the place his English bulldog, Babydog, sat on a chair beside him a cage that contained some birds.
Hunters and others who’ve startled a covey of northern bobwhite say it’s an unforgettable expertise.
“You actually are in the midst of this group of 15 birds which have exploded unexpectedly at your toes,” stated Mr. Morgan. “If it occurs to you, you keep in mind it for many years.”
Write to Kris Maher at kris.maher@wsj.com
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West Virginia
What Kansas football coach Lance Leipold saw on targeting calls during win against WVU
The Topeka Capital-Journal’s Jordan Guskey talks Kansas football win
Check out what The Topeka Capital-Journal reporter Jordan Guskey had to say following Kansas football’s Big 12 Conference win against West Virginia.
LAWRENCE — Kansas football’s 41-10 victory against West Virginia this past weekend saw a pair of players ejected due to targeting calls, one on each side.
In the second quarter, WVU nickel/safety Fred Perry was disqualified because of a hit he made on KU quarterback Jalon Daniels. In the third quarter, Jayhawks safety Devin Dye was disqualified for a hit he made on a Mountaineers running back Cyncir Bowers. Holistically, Kansas football coach Lance Leipold acknowledged Saturday the calls were made in the interest of player safety.
But while Leipold thought Dye’s ejection was unfortunate, Perry’s led to a little longer of a conversation postgame. That’s because after the hit, some pushing and shoving ensued until players from both teams were separated. Kansas offensive lineman Kobe Baynes, who appeared to shove Perry right after the hit on Daniels, would eventually be called for a late hit.
Leipold, at one moment concerned the situation would get out of hand, was glad to see it get settled as quickly as it did. Although he understands a player’s desire to defend their teammate, he called for composure in all situations. He called it a tough situation for officials to handle.
Here are a few more takeaways from the Big 12 Conference matchup between the Jayhawks (3-1, 1-0 in Big 12) and Mountaineers (2-2, 0-1).
Why Trey Lathan was selected to be Kansas’ 4th captain for game
Kansas has three lead captains this season in Daniels, offensive lineman Bryce Foster and defensive end Justice Finkley, but each game there’s a fourth “rotational” captain who is honored as well. Against West Virginia, that individual was linebacker Trey Lathan. Lathan, who finished the game with three tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and an interception, transferred to KU during the offseason from WVU.
Leipold acknowledged Lathan’s past stop in his college career with the Mountaineers did play a factor in the decision. However, Lathan’s also someone he felt has been playing well and become more confident. Lathan is also someone he felt had become a more vocal leader within the defense and is well respected.
Kansas’ offensive line doesn’t allow any sacks
West Virginia’s defense collected six sacks against Pittsburgh just the week before this matchup. But by game’s end against the Jayhawks, the Mountaineers didn’t have a single sack. So, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Leipold was pleased with the protection Kansas’ offensive line gave Daniels and for how Daniels at times escaped pressure.
On film, Leipold had seen an impressive defense that was athletic up front. It could use multiple looks and was aggressive. But KU proved capable of stymying that aspect of WVU’s defense.
West Virginia’s tempo offensively doesn’t prove to be much of a factor
Leipold thinks Kansas’ defense can get better at playing against tempo, based on what he saw against West Virginia. However, considering how well the Jayhawks played and what he heard as the game unfolded, he thought they did well. Physical play and quality tackling helped force numerous punts and stops as KU took control of the game.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
Injuries are piling up for the West Virginia Mountaineers early in the season, particularly in the running back room. To everyone’s surprise, Tye Edwards was unable to play this past weekend against Kansas, and despite being a game-time decision for that game, his status for this week’s matchup versus Utah remains in question.
“Hopeful might be too much,” Rodriguez responded when asked about Edwards’ status. “I’m more… he’s probably still doubtful right now with his hip pointer. He’s trying to. It’s not where he’s wanting to sit out. He’s a kid that really wants to play.”
Rodriguez also noted that Cyncir Bowers is in the concussion protocol and is also questionable for Saturday’s game.
So, what in the heck do the Mountaineers manufacture a rushing attack against a Utah defense that allows just over 110 yards on the ground per game? It’s a great question, especially given the Mountaineers’ offensive line struggles.
As far as available backs, WVU will have Clay Ash, Diore Hubbard, Tyler Jacklich, and Andre Devine. Those four have combined to rush for 127 yards on 38 carries, averaging 3.3 yards per tote. Ferris State transfer Kannon Katzer is still working his way back from injury, but his status as of this morning is unknown. If it is just those four aforementioned backs, WVU may have to get creative with Rodney Gallagher III and maybe go as far as starting Jaylen Henderson at quarterback to make Utah respect the threat of him pulling it and keeping it.
On today’s episode of Between The Eers, I discuss this huge problem the Mountaineers may have in the run game.
If you haven’t yet, please go over to our YouTube page, West Virginia On SI (@SI_WVU), and subscribe. You’ll get a notification the second a new episode of Between The Eers, The Walk Thru GameDay Show, or Mountaineer Postgame drops.
Recent Between The Eers episodes:
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West Virginia sent Pitt home with an overtime loss and will have bragging rights in the Backyard Brawl for the next four years. Following the game, Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi met with reporters, discussing several different topics such as quarterback play, the lack of a run game, officiating, WVU’s offense, and more.
The one thing that stood out most, though, was his take on the officiating.
“Whew. You guys watched the game, I don’t know. There was some stuff out there, but we’ll look at the videotape. Not happy with that at all. 14 penalties, a little lopsided there. Eli got punched, got his helmet ripped off, punched in the face; no call there. We had somebody get spit in the face, too, but things didn’t go our way.”
To be honest, I truly don’t understand how Narduzzi can be upset with the officiating. Many of those 14 penalties were clear and preventable penalties, whether it was a false start, a hold, defensive pass interference, or offside. There were only maybe two that were 50/50.
But let’s not forget how Pitt caught a break at the end of the first half. Nicco Marchiol ran the ball up the middle for a first down, slid, and was hit late. The flag was dropped, but the officials said that because there was no time left on the clock, the half was over. I’ll need a better description from a rules analyst to explain this one because I don’t understand how the half can just end on that. I assumed there would either be one untimed down or Pitt would have to be penalized on the kickoff to start the second half. Neither happened.
What about the MarShon Oxley sack in the third quarter that was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct when all he did was stand up and walk away? That not only bailed Pitt out, but they would score a touchdown on that drive just a few plays later.
How about the first half when linebacker Ashton Woods was ejected for targeting on what appeared (by every angle shown) to be a clean shot?
There were also multiple times where Pitt defenders arrived way too early on a pass and should have been flagged for defensive pass interference. Instead, the flag remained tucked into the official’s waist pocket.
The penalties West Virginia had were way more costly and timely than those Pitt was guilty of.
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