39 replies to this topic

[mackeralboy]

I've been out tromping around in the brush more than ever this year and have not seen many quail. This goes for both the public and private land I've been on. All the places I've been have plenty of water and a good food supply. I was talking to a couple of other hunters I ran into yesterday and they had notice the lack of quail on their hunts too. I'm not looking for anybody's honey holes, but I'm just curious if anybody else has noticed this apparent lack of birds?

[turkeyman85]

Not with quail,but did notice it with chukar.Some of the clubs land are reporting good hunts across the board.

[True2ThySelf]

I haven't been out too much, maybe 3 times since the start of the season. I've been hunting in Kern county but I haven't noticed a lack of quail.

[gsummers]

My quail spot has more quail than normal. During deer season I could not walk to a ridge without busting a covey of quail. The deer archery and quail season had a brief overlap and I wasted a couple arrows trying to get one, I will get a quail with a bow one day.

[DirtyDave]

I have not had a chance to get out other than for Chukar on the opener. Not many Chukar, and a buddy of mine went to check out some of my good quail spots and said there were no birds. After Deer season I will have to go see for myself. ( I haven't seen many quail while deer hunting either)

[BCF]

I heard Chukar was really bad. I don't even know if I'm going to go this year. Maybe if I go coyote hunting I'll climb a mountain or two, but not really motivated. It's strange because I saw lots of them while out coyote hunting over the summer, and thought it was going to be a good year. Last year was really good.

I've seen tons of quail though in many different areas....Out off Jayne ave on the way to Coalinga, Tehachapi/Kern, Los Padres, Desert out by palmdale, Gorman, Sequoia forest near Porterville. I've seen them all over. The biggest ones were out in Coalinga....fat suckers out there. Ate a couple of them for dinner last night, probably polish off a few more tonite.

I think you're just having some bad luck. I don't really listen for quail to find them, because a lot of times they are quiet, and the one you hear is just a lost loner trying to regroup anyways. For the most part, I look for terrain that looks good, and just start hiking. Or, I road hunt looking for a loner, and figure there's a covey nearby. I have not been finding them right on top of water. I find them better near rock piles.

I will say that I haven't seen as many up off the 33 as I was expecting. I went up there twice to fish, and didn't see any quail.

[mackeralboy]

Thanks for the input guys. It seemed that I was running into some good covy's while I was out hiking and scouting this last spring and summer. Maybe just some bad locations cause it seems like enough of you are seeing them. Just have to switch my locations I guess.

[ratassassin]

I usually see them whenever I'm not carrying a shotgun.

[Bisley]

They are there, aways are and aways will be. Last year was a great year, they come along every now and then, but that always leaves everybody complaining the following year. Not every year is a great year, some years, like this year, you will actually have to earn them again. And as far as chukar go, I have never heard a chukar hunter say it was a good year for chukar in the over 25 years I have been hunting. They are always there also. Heard them again while we were out this year. Don't believe everything you hear, ever.

[sxshooter]

I just talked to a friend that said Red Mtn, Ridgecrest, Inyokern, etc, have been very low on chukar. I haven't been out for chukar in CA yet. Jim Matthews of Western Bird painted a bleak picture for all upland birds this season.

[mackeralboy]

RA, It's funny how that seems to work out. I can be out hiking with the girlfriend and be kicking up covy after covy. All I have to do is throw a shotgun on my shoulder and all I kick up is a bunch of crickets. LOL

[ShooterJohn]

Take the girlfriend Mac. Apparently she is the secret to you finding quail.

[TonyS]

Got a couple on opening up at Lake Isabella. 'They are out there.

[bretmoua]

After shooting my turkey this past Monday and going to retrieve it, I spook two groups of about 10-15 birds. That was only for a 20 yard walk. I'm sure if I had walked more and all around the spot I normally hunt turkeys and quails, I would run into more.

[sxshooter]

The reproductive (mating) behavior of the California quail is tied to rainfall. Years like the one we just had lead to less reproduction overall. The remaining carryover birds will covey in larger numbers to ensure surviveability of the covey. This presents hunters with this 'feast or famine' kind of hunting.

The last couple years in southern AZ were bad for Mearns quail. The Mearns is a highly prized quail by diehard quail hunters. Most Mearns hunters travel far for them and spend a lot of time and money in pursuit of them. There has been a lot of hunters of them that are advocating a voluntary moratorium on them due to the harsh drought and dwindling numbers. At least until the drought passes and the numbers rebound.

4-5 years ago we had a severe drought that dwindled the quail population in SoCal. I laid off the few remaining birds on my friend's property at his suggestion. This is up in the Cuyama area. I continued to hunt them in many places new to me across all of SoCal to see if I could find them in good numbers. I found places where the birds had decent or large number coveys. But they were few and far between. When we found them we could often pursue the same covey until we either had our limits or eliminated the covey. We decided to leave most to allow carryover to the next season.

[Bisley]

You should use a year like this for other purposes also. There are plenty of birds out there, always are, but they are not always in your usual spots. If you have the weekend, do like we do many times and hunt hard as Hell on Saturday, then spend most or all of Sunday recharging and looking or new spots. Scouting during the summer is fine, but does not always give a clear indication of how many (or if) birds are there. Now is the time to look. It can be as close as a mile or two away from your normal spot in a canyon you have never seen or checked out, or many miles away. How/why do you think I have so many fall back places with easy terrain to hunt? My hunting partner and I usually have a conversation that goes like this on Sunday mornings:

You sore Hoss?
As Hell.
Feel like chasing birds today?
Still alive ain't I? What about you? You feel like chasing them?
........N........Y.......N.....Maybe?........
Fill the ice chest with liquid muscle relaxers/anti-aging elixir and scout a new canyon instead and see if we see anything?
Awright, but what if we do see something?
I'll try to run it over with the truck.
And if you miss?
We'll think about getting out and chasing it.
Sounds good. Wake me up in an hour........

And that is how we have found many a great hunting spot, not to mention birds where we have been told there are none. Just a thought/suggestion.

And as a side note, these chukar hunters that tell you every year there are none, haha, these are the same kind of guys we heard at the end of the evening while we chased whiskey and heard them tell all how they come out here once a year to hunt chukar. Once a year on opener huh? Now that's dedication . Then ask another member on here how much sign he saw in that same area (that I don't hunt anymore) this year .

[turkeyman85]

Saw lots of sign bisley,So much I know they're there but need to get back out there a chase them. Hunting something once a year doesnt get it done! Cant kill'em on the couch!

[sxshooter]

Anyone interested in learning about quail might find this book worth the read. It's entitled "The California Quail" by A. Starker Leopold, University of California Press.

[dabob]

I've been out tromping around in the brush more than ever this year and have not seen many quail. This goes for both the public and private land I've been on. All the places I've been have plenty of water and a good food supply. I was talking to a couple of other hunters I ran into yesterday and they had notice the lack of quail on their hunts too. I'm not looking for anybody's honey holes, but I'm just curious if anybody else has noticed this apparent lack of birds?

This year I noticed in the areas I work and hunt the quail did not pair up and have chicks. There is a fair amount of quail around but they are all adult birds.

For the amount of grass and cover we had it really surprised me to not see the birds paired up. There was big coveys of quail during the months that quail would normally be paired up.

[sxshooter]

I haven't been up behind Taft this season, but last season the usual places along the ridge where the guzzlers are was a bust the few times I was able to get up there.

[Ithaca37]

I went up opening day and only saw one small covey. It was extremely dry.

[GSP4Runner]

My understanding is since last year we did not get alot of rain the quail and chukars did not have many hatches. I saw alot more wild quail last year. I plan to explore some new spots for chukar in Dec and January but not expecting to see alot. Supposedly Red Mountain was terrible this year.

[Frank]

You should use a year like this for other purposes

Totally agree! I mean, when better to chase coyotes, right?... if not every year!

[Mac1124]

It was a tough year on our place for quail, grasses didn't grow tall and matured earlier than normal. Numbers are down 20% or so from 2010. My observation is exactly whats already been said - its tied to rainfall.

[Bisley]

Totally agree! I mean, when better to chase coyotes, right?... if not every year!

I'm sure you meant ducks, right Frank? That's OK, I'll let that one slide

My understanding is since last year we did not get alot of rain the quail and chukars did not have many hatches.

You obviously have not been looking in the right spots, or talking to the wrong people. I know of a couple spots with 2-3 hatchings this year, but again, I hunt over a several hundred mile radius and not just one or two spot/counties

Supposedly Red Mountain was terrible this year.

Does everyone talk to and believe the same people??? If I had a nickel for every time a chukar hunter told mr it was a "good: year there, I would still be broke . Close your ears, open your mind and eyes, and go check it out!!! That area is NEVER without chukar, I should know, I have hunted it forever. Who ever told you that does not know where to look . Heck, even when they were saying it was a "bad year" many years ago, they still transplanted thousands of them in Nevada to help them flourish. So please tell me again what a "bad year" it is out there

[sxshooter]

I know the locals in Red Mtn. Bob's right, there's always chukar there. During the droughts, they hang out in the town and in the mine shafts around water in the hot season until some winter rains sprout some green stuff they can get water from. Still, it reduces their reproduction in general when there's no rains. The locals get really pissed at hunters shooting close to their houses. Most of them live there because they hate a crowd and someone shooting around their house. Since I know people there, I avoid hunting around there.

[Bisley]

The locals get really pissed at hunters shooting close to their houses.

Yep, the Officer I have come across several times tells me that this is actually their biggest problem up there. He was supposed to roll in five Officers deep this year on opener and really lay down the law on it. Have not seen him since, but curious how it went. The bad part is that the locals are in the right, as most of these dipsticks hunt tight on top of their yards. Sure gives us a bad rap.

On another note, FORGET THE RED MOUNTAIN PART OF RED MOUNTAIN, THERE IS A TON OF DESERT OUT THERE WITH MORE BIRDS THAN YOU CAN SHAKE A STICK AT, EVERY YEAR. DARE TO BE DIFFERENT AND FIND AN AREA WHERE 99.9% OF THE HUNTERS DO NOT GO AND YOU MAY, JUST MAY ACTUALLY FIND SOME BIRDS Don't know if I can make it any clearer? Spot amd stalk the birds running up and down the hills on their way to or from the many springs and guzzlers out there, then go chase them. This is actually one of many cases where having no dog is an asset. See the birds running the hills in the distance, park off the road, pursue. It's hard because they are fast, but it can be done, I should know, I did it for many, many years and have taken more chukar out there than I care to count. We used to scout while riding dirt bikes back there.

I will say it just one last time, forget about the mainstream madness of being right there at (Blood) Red Mountain and venture if you want to find birds. They don't all live in area, and where do you think they go to when that area gets hunted so hard? Can't help you much more than that, short of shooting them for you. I told someone to do this earlier this year, and guess what, they found tons of fresh sign. This is my surprised look

[turkeyman85]

I couldnt believe the amount of sign. I was Shocked,and the other spot I located doing my home work was just as good if not better.The sign in that spot was a few hours old.

[sxshooter]

A quail has a potential lifespan of 10-12 years. But turnover year to year is actually 60-77% normally accounting for all types of attrition. So in two years, a covey could die off if reproduction doesn't keep up. When there's no rain at the right time of the year, reproduction is stalled. No rain, no woody. .. No woody, no little woody-woodpeckers.

[Bisley]

I'm more in reference to the standard yearly "There's no chukar at Red Mountain" reply I have heard every year for the last 26-26 years. Go a few miles away from the war zone mountain and you will still find huge coveys all year long. Even if they quit breeding altogether, it would take years, maybe even decades, to clear out all the chukar in the surrounding areas. There have been some big granddads we've pulled out of there over the years. Darn near chicken size! But it doesn't hurt that they are much harder to hunt and don't have near as severe a mortality rate like quail do for sure.

I couldnt believe the amount of sign. I was Shocked,and the other spot I located doing my home work was just as good if not better.The sign in that spot was a few hours old.

Use your vest as a seat cover and put your shotgun behind you in the bed o the truck with the zipper partially opened and drive around the hills in a 1/2 mile to a couple mile radius near water about 30 minutes after the sun comes up and watch for the little black dots running around the hills. If nothing else, even i you can't catch up to them, you will know which way they are coming and going from. Once you know that, it's game on. Or so I've heard