I'd maintain your food plots and keep it as thick as you can along the edges. Thinning timber will help once the volunteer growth takes hold. If you plant wheat and oats in your food plot, hopefully what the deer won't eat will seed out. Even letting native grasses / weeds grow and seed out will help. Just keep in mind that even after mowing that extra growth may be a pain once you try to plow for your Fall food plot.I will do what I can do create and maintain habitat . Open to suggestions.
Since quail are ground nesters anything you can do to eliminate the racoons, skunks, opossums, armadillos, etc will help too.