The hunter should be familiar with the habits of his quarry, especially the calls. These birds tend to roost in trees and can form large coveys with hundreds of birds. From guns and outdoor gear to photography and trail cams, we have the information you need. This situation makes opportunities to hunt quail less abundant and hence more valuable. Gambel’s quail occupy a wide variety of habitats. Any type of action works here, though few people hunt with single shots. Ethics aside, you will have a hard time finding quail without a dog once they roost. The coveys huddle back to together around 3:30 pm to roost for the night. Check Availability. I prefer strap vests that suspend the game bag and shell pockets from the shoulders with crisscrossing straps. A valid Arizona hunting or combination hunt and fish license is required for all hunters 10 and older. Scaled Quail are found in the arid regions of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, ... hunt the surrounding cover. Leather boots fend off cactus spines. Arizona upland bird hunting information, season limits, bag limits, species overviews and quick links to Arizona DNR and hunting licenses. Knowing these calls and being able to imitate them cab be invaluable in locating coveys. A lighter shotgun comes up to the shoulder and points quickly, and is easier to carry all day. They also offer opportunities at the band-tailed pigeon for a limited window in October. A fourth species, California quail, is found along the Little Colorado River drainage in Apache County, but number are so low in Arizona that I’ll leave it out of this discussion. Sometimes the giveaway cluck is several minutes after you call. Arizona is our home turf. Jun 13, 2013 #2 moonprincesskk Hatching. More eyes mean better chances of spotting and escaping danger before it gets too close. Once a bird flushes, you have only a few seconds to mount your gun, acquire the target, swing and shoot. For Mearns’ quail, the covey rise often is the only shooting opportunity. Arizona Bighorn Sheep Seasons. If you love to hunt game birds, you know that finding them in the wild can prove to be somewhat challenging. but that doesn't apply anymore, I remember facebook blowing up in 2012 of buddies happy with the passing of that bill (HB 2640?) Carefully watch where the flushing covey flies to, rather than waste ammunition and distract your attention on questionable long-range shots. Some densely vegetated habitats are difficult to hunt despite good quail numbers, because Gambel’s will run, refusing to fly except behind screening cover. More quail-hunting information can be found on the department’s website at, . Hunting Opportunities for the Mearns Quail. After record-breaking precipitation the previous winter, desert plants flourished, yielding a bumper crop of Gambel’s quail. Arizona’s great weather offers eager pupils many chances to go afield. I know Mearns quail will be out of season, but the timing works with work and family so I’m not sure I could postpone to December. Avoid being distracted by other shooting opportunities until the downed bird is located – you’ll bring home more birds and less frustration. “It’s best to hunt quail with a trained hunting dog since quail would rather hunker down and hide than fly away,” Talley said. Quail Seasons: Gambel’s and Scaled, 3rd Friday of October through 2nd Friday of February; Mearn’s Season is the 1st Friday of December through the 2nd Friday of February . In 1929 quail numbers must have been thought to be in need of improvement, as the season was shortened to November 1 thr… Being forewarned is one of the biggest assets of hunting with a dog. Scaled quail, a grassland species of the Chihuahuan Desert, are found in eastern Arizona. I think the three shell restriction is only in place for migratory birds but I hunt with a double so I never had the occasion to talk with a ... You can pull your plug out for quail if you choose. With practice, you can do "covey clucks" and the more familiar "Chi-CA'-go" call to locate and regroup after the covey is split. “Places like Patagonia, Sonoita, or in some of the sky island isolated mountain ranges would be good starting points,” Harding suggests. The Arizona Quail Hunting season opens in Mid -October and generally its is to hot and snaky.We suggest booking an Arizona Quail hunt from mid to late November thru to the 2nd Sunday in February when the Arizona Quail Hunting Season ends.If you are a Quail Hunter seeking the ultimate Wild Quail and Dove hunting experience you need to consider a booking a Guided Arizona Quail Hunt with Orvis Endorsed … We hunt quail here from early October (late November for Mearns’) to early February. However, not all public lands provide suitable quail habitat. It’s true that we aren’t experiencing any high-water marks for the most common quail subspecies, of which the mortality rate any given year can come close to 80 percent. 6 Years. I had called an Arizona biologist and he was really helpful. Many hunters use heavier loads to reduce the number of birds hit but not killed, but shot size is more critical to ensuring clean kills: No. Try on boots before you purchase them. Also, can you hunt bogs Hole without a dog. Throughout their range in Arizona, scaled quail habitat overlaps that of Gambel’s quail, so mixed coveys are not uncommon. 14-17 Strictly shotguns. I find No. Gamble’s Quail can be found throughout the unit. The shotgun must fit properly to ensure the shooter can consistently and quickly mount the gun. Hunts usually fill fast, so if you are really interested in a certain date, please book early. The morning of Day 2 in Arizona was really foggy and since it was below freezing I worried about black ice on the roads. Awesome seeing this. After a spotty and relatively weak monsoon across southern Arizona, these birds are likely to be abundant only in pockets that received sufficient precipitation this summer. A quail-call can also help you “call-back” singles to your general direction after you bust up a covey. Spend some time around quail hunters in the South, who had the benefit of hunting during peak bobwhite numbers, and you’ll hear plenty of bemoaning about the current state of affairs. The year I turned 15, I trained my first bird dog, a German shorthaired pointer named Dudley. Specializing in upland birds- Gambel's, Scaled, and Mearns quail / Lunarita Outfitters. Mearns’ quail breed much later than Gambel’s or scaled quail, so the hunting season starts later (mid-November) to allow chicks to mature. He not only told me where to hunt he even told me where to park my truck. While many would believe that this Southwestern state is nothing but desert, Arizona’s ecosystem is perfect for a variety of wildlife. It wasn't until the 1973 Endangered Species Act that the federal government was mandated to recover the quail. Hunters without dogs should try to predict when a bird is likely to flush. Arizona Quail Hunt, Day 1 & 2. What I'd never done was hunt Mearns quail when their numbers were as high as they were last December. What’s Happening Now-Season Opener Oct 18 2019, What’s Happening Now-Post Season 2018-2019 Spring Report, What’s Happening Now-Season Opener Oct 19 2018. “This is the second summer of widespread 'nonsoons' instead of monsoon moisture. Brian joined me and Brett on an all-day Mearns marathon while the rest of our troop accepted the Herculean task of finding a Gambel's quail or two. If you look carefully, you will still have the opportunity to learn where and how to hunt quail most effectively. “Even with one good year of production — and hopefully more to come — statewide numbers will expectedly be lower than historical numbers, but hunting Gambel’s this fall should still be exciting.”. An added benefit of lighter loads is that the shotgun will kick less than it would with heavy loads. The general bag limit is 15 quail per day in the aggregate, of which no more than eight may be Mearns’ quail (when the … On private lands, no shooting is allowed within ¼ mile of any occupied structure or from or across a road or railway. Among flushing game birds, quail accelerate fastest and seem to have an uncanny ability to put obstacles between themselves and the shooter. (Photo by … I had called an Arizona biologist and he was really helpful. Arizona’s quail season runs until Feb. 9. Large coveys seem to evaporate as individual birds hide from the hunters. There is no sneaking, stalking or crouching in camouflaged concealment. Anglers are not required to buy a hunting license to fish in AZ. It's been many, many years of releases, and you really can't say we're fully succeeding here, to be honest." AZQuailToday.com — a website with the goal to provide complete and updated information regarding quail and quail hunting in all of Arizona. Wait. Arizona hunters primarily pursue three species of quail: Gambel’s, scaled and Mearns’ (Montezuma). Every day after the school bus dropped us off, I left my friends to watch “Gilligan’s Island” and solve their Rubik’s cubes while I took Dudley quail hunting. 6 Years. Meanwhile, hunters should note that the season for Mearns’ quail doesn’t begin until Dec. 6. Reliability, weight and fit are more important than action type for a quail-hunting shotgun. As far as the legal aspect of it. Be persistent: Learning to kick cactus and other cover to flush tight-holding birds offers some of the most exciting moments in quail hunting. Gambel's quail (Callipepla gambelii) is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. Whether you are hunting for a day or for a week, we can customize your hunt to achieve the objectives you desire. A modified, improved cylinder or skeet choke works best. To hunt quail, I was required to buy a combination hunting and fishing license for $160 and had no intention to fish whatsoever. Another resource for both new and experienced hunters alike is “An Introduction to Hunting Arizona’s Small Game.” Written by Randall D. Babb, the 196-page, full-color book covers where and how to hunt small game birds (like quail), squirrels, rabbits, ducks and geese. Here’s what I look for. Sporadic, localized summer rainfall determines Mearns’ quail numbers, which can be good in one mountain range and poor in another. 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