2022-2023 Arizona Quail Reports
Host: Bob Corley
Gambel's & Scaled: Oct. 14, 2022 - Feb. 12, 2023
Mearns': Dec. 2, 2022 - Feb. 12, 2023
Gambel's & Scaled: Oct. 14, 2022 - Feb. 12, 2023
Mearns': Dec. 2, 2022 - Feb. 12, 2023
Summary of 2021-2022 Season: After a very dry 2020-2021 winter, our state's Gambel's population was way down. Reports from Mearns' country were mixed -- with mediocre being the most common descriptor. Pockets of scalies were huntable in the southeast.
I hunted 24 days or partial days and ended on Dec. 12 with an injured right knee. My Gunner just turned 8 and had a good year. Young little Sadie will turn 1 year old Mar. 28. At 10 months when I began hunting her more and more solo, she turned on.
I hunted 24 days or partial days and ended on Dec. 12 with an injured right knee. My Gunner just turned 8 and had a good year. Young little Sadie will turn 1 year old Mar. 28. At 10 months when I began hunting her more and more solo, she turned on.
Early Spring, 2022
Mar. 19, 2022 As I dream of next year, it's time to re-read some favorite authors: First, Robert Jones' "Dancers in the Sunset Sky."
Some quotes: "I won't hunt with a man who mistreats a gundog. I won't hunt with a game hog, nor with a man who shows contempt for what he's shooting. Competition has no place in the hunting field. It turns birds and animals into mere prizes in a tawdry game. . . Save the testosterone for the skeet range."
Some quotes: "I won't hunt with a man who mistreats a gundog. I won't hunt with a game hog, nor with a man who shows contempt for what he's shooting. Competition has no place in the hunting field. It turns birds and animals into mere prizes in a tawdry game. . . Save the testosterone for the skeet range."
Mar. 30, 2022 Good low front brought 1.50" here at the home place. Most other areas of the state also received good moisture. New green and wildflowers should really pop now.
Apr. 16, 2022 Re-reading Ben O. Williams', "Best Day Yet". "Each year the hills appear steeper, the birds seem to fly faster, and my shooting becomes a little more erratic. So solitude softens my innate anxieties -- I don't want an audience."
And Gear Time: There is an interval between fishing and hunting seasons. "This is the time I sort out every piece of equipment by category, fondle it, admire it, tell stories out loud, test equipment for strength and accuracy -- and for the joy of cleaning it." Apr. 19, 2022 Each spring I also like to re-read Thoreau's "Walden." And the quote that always speaks to me: "I went into the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to confront only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." Powerful. And a good reminder. Apr. 27, 2022 The posted Quail Forever forecast of a bird hatch in NM and AZ is pretty bleak with drought conditions continuing throughout the Southwest. |
Summer, 2022
June 9, 2022 From the Nat'l Weather Service: La Nina has built up in the Pacific. This pattern typically leads to winter weather patterns with below average precipitation in SW deserts. If this becomes true, our desert bird populations will be affected negatively.
This quote from Randy Babb's book, "Hunting Arizona's Small Game."
"In years with poor breeding conditions, Gambel's quail may postpone nesting or prolong the nesting season, resulting in birds nesting throughout the summer. Gambel's quail nesting late in the season, June through September, is a bad sign and bodes poorly for the numbers of birds the following winter."
"In years with poor breeding conditions, Gambel's quail may postpone nesting or prolong the nesting season, resulting in birds nesting throughout the summer. Gambel's quail nesting late in the season, June through September, is a bad sign and bodes poorly for the numbers of birds the following winter."
Sept, 2022
Reminder: Dove Season Sept. 1 - 15 is a great time to introduce young bird hunters to wingshooting.
"It's the celebration of old passions once more rekindled, for the colors and aromas of impending autumn, for eager gundogs quivering at heel, for the gleam of fine guns in motion and the musk of burnt powder. . ." Dove season is the "harbinger of good things to come." Robert Jones, "Dancers In The Sunset Sky." Sept. 8, 2022 I've been out for dove shoots now at several locations. Reminder: Pick up your empty hulls and trash. It gives all hunters a bad name and you can be cited for littering. My dear ol' Dad's rule was: "Leave it cleaner and better than you found it." Also, remember when cleaning your birds to leave a wing attached until you get home or to where the birds will be consumed. Important because different species have different regulations and limits. |
Oct, 2022
Oct. 2, 2022 Ariz Game & Fish Small Game Forecast
https://www.azgfd.com/hunting/species/smallgame/forecast/
https://www.azgfd.com/hunting/species/smallgame/forecast/
Oct. 13, 2022 To be the predator with every sense heightened. Walking slow. Enjoying the dogs. It's time to plan some camps. The evening campfire with a setting sun. Age 75 this month with a new knee. And I thank God every day that I'm still blessed to be able to hike these hills. Tired muscles. Sore feet. Hot and sweaty, not covering as many miles. Little dogs who hunt their hearts out. So, so good for the soul. See you in the hills with my Britts. Bob C.
Oct. 18, 2022 Another word of caution about rattlers. Snakes will be out until we get our first hard freeze. I feel slow, sluggish, half a second behind. Everyone is talking about how wild the birds are acting. In trees, staying in the brush, flushing wide and all together. Tough shootiing for sure.
Oct. 21, 2022 Latest report from Ariz Game & Fish titled: Don't Expect a Gangbuster Season
https://www.azgfd.com/quail-outlook-dont-expect-a-gangbuster-season/
Britts and I have now seen two large rattlers on our hikes.
https://www.azgfd.com/quail-outlook-dont-expect-a-gangbuster-season/
Britts and I have now seen two large rattlers on our hikes.
Winter, 2022
Nov. 17, 2022 Finally. After a week of travel, a bout with a head cold, and a new A-fib diagnosis, hiked some beautiful country with the Britts. Still averaging lots of miles with a covey every hour or two. Birds of they year were running between 50-75% depending. Ol' steady Gunner put birds in the bag the first two hours while young Miss Sadie ran yahoo like a young colt who had been in the corral too long. From about 11:00 until the end of the hunt little Sadie settled down, started hunting slower, and was excellent. Briits had a good morning. After a two week layoff neither dogs nor hunter were in very good hunting shape.
Dec. 2, 2022 The Mearns' opener. And as is my custom, I will either stay home or chase desert birds somewhere. It's been two years now since I have hiked for Mearns' down south. We had some decent monsoons in the south, but until dogs are on the ground, no one knows for certain what the Mearns' population will be this season. Their habitat in Arizona is so geographically limited and isolated, Remember, coveys are typically small in the 8-10 range. Most serious Mearns' hunters advocate "shooting the rise" then move on to the next covey. In the words of a friend of mine, Dan Priest, who has hunted Mearns' since the '60's, consider "limiting your limit." It's all about sustainability.
Dec. 17, 2022 Hiked an area that I've hunted since the 1970's. Bumped 5 coveys of 10-12 Gambel's. They flushed wild, wide and ran far. Almost no follow-up singles. These carry-over mature birds had been hunted already this year. Probably multiple times. I took one bird and the rest returned to the gene pool. |
Dec. 26, 2022 There are no secret hunting places. After hiking way back in off the 4WD two-track, I found empty shotgun hulls. Aargh! Yup, there are NO secret places. Today was a special hunt with a good friend who shares a love of the Ariz outdoors and the birds we love to hunt. We stole the hunt.
Aldo Leopold describes a stolen hunt in "Sand County Almanac":
"The sweetest hunts are stolen. To steal a hunt, either go far into the wilderness where nobody has been, or else find some undiscovered place under everybody's nose." Find that area that 95% of the hunters will not dare go. You may have to start early, put in the miles, and get back to camp late, but -- perhaps not often, but just once -- make the effort and relish the memories.
Aldo Leopold describes a stolen hunt in "Sand County Almanac":
"The sweetest hunts are stolen. To steal a hunt, either go far into the wilderness where nobody has been, or else find some undiscovered place under everybody's nose." Find that area that 95% of the hunters will not dare go. You may have to start early, put in the miles, and get back to camp late, but -- perhaps not often, but just once -- make the effort and relish the memories.
Jan.Feb, 2023
Jan. 10, 2023 Shout Out to Quail Forever Editor, Chad Love, re: his "To Climb a Hill" in Winter 2023 QF Journal. It's about birds and bird dogs, but much more. Much deeper. I, too, am a solo Ariz quail hunter 90% of the time. But it's oh so much more human to share that campfire, to share that hike, to share that sense of awe out in the hills. And make that human connection. Wow. What a reminder! And this year -- at age 75 your reminder was even more poignant.
Jan. 18, 2023 Took son, Matt, and another jumper air attack MT friend, Nick, down south on the only days they had available. Almost impossible to camp and hike. Roads mudded up, ground soaked, hunters and dogs dripping wet after hiking. Needed snowpack has hit our high country. Flagstaff's total snowfall for the season in now at almost 6 feet.
Jan. 18, 2023 Took son, Matt, and another jumper air attack MT friend, Nick, down south on the only days they had available. Almost impossible to camp and hike. Roads mudded up, ground soaked, hunters and dogs dripping wet after hiking. Needed snowpack has hit our high country. Flagstaff's total snowfall for the season in now at almost 6 feet.
Feb. 1, 2023 When the winter storms move on through and the temps start to slowly warm, it's a spectacular time of year. I still want to hike with the Britts but am conflicted. The birds that have survived until now will be this spring's breeders. Each hen I take now could equal 15 chicks in May. Ah, to be both the taker and protector of these beautiful birds. As the season draws to a close I can sense that it's time -- to clean the guns, love on the Britts, reflect on the blessings of hikes with friends. And know that, already, I just can't wait until next year.
Feb. 3, 2023 Climate models and predictions for our Ariz spring: Temperatures below average and precipitation below average. |
Feb 6, 2023 Solo hike today and found a few Gambel's coveys. Took a few -- for the edification of the dogs and the glory of the table. Oh yeah, they had been hunted already this season. Made an effort to give the grayer females a pass, but most of the time, impossible. Make chicks, young lady; here's to nests loaded with eggs. Tough to ID in the flurry of a flush. At the end of the hikes ran into a fire fighter, John C., from Phoenix with his Eng. pointers. He was mentoring a younger hunter, showing him the ropes. Kudos! I love that. We ALL had a dad, an uncle, a friend, who mentored us on the joys of hiking the hills and wingshooting.
I found very little new green growth in this area. Interestingly, crops were filled with mostly small black seeds and almost no green. GPS showed 6.5 mi today with the new knee. I feel blessed.
Feb. 7, 2023 I always smile and shake my head when I see various videos and posts of hunting Ariz birds. Highlights featuring point after point, shot after shot, retrieve after retrieve, nice walking, few rocks, flat land with few cacti, no catclaw, no shin dagger. It looks so easy. Everybody with a shotgun wants a piece of that. Believe me folks, most days it's not that easy. Sore feet, muscles burning, "armed hikes seeing no birds", and exhausted dogs with sore or injured foot pads are more common. If you are used to walking soft plowed ground or flat pheasant country, or you got in shape at the gym in Minneapolis, the desert can put a hurt on you. Ah, can't wait until next year!
I found very little new green growth in this area. Interestingly, crops were filled with mostly small black seeds and almost no green. GPS showed 6.5 mi today with the new knee. I feel blessed.
Feb. 7, 2023 I always smile and shake my head when I see various videos and posts of hunting Ariz birds. Highlights featuring point after point, shot after shot, retrieve after retrieve, nice walking, few rocks, flat land with few cacti, no catclaw, no shin dagger. It looks so easy. Everybody with a shotgun wants a piece of that. Believe me folks, most days it's not that easy. Sore feet, muscles burning, "armed hikes seeing no birds", and exhausted dogs with sore or injured foot pads are more common. If you are used to walking soft plowed ground or flat pheasant country, or you got in shape at the gym in Minneapolis, the desert can put a hurt on you. Ah, can't wait until next year!
Feb. 16, 2023 Reflections: Another season come and gone. I feel so blessed to be able to hike these hills in the Arizona Sonoran. Explored some new dirt. Really enjoyed hunting with new and old friends behind the little Britts. They would not win any field trials, but I would not win any wing shooting contests either, so we make a good match. Only made one muddy camp trip down south after Mearns'. I'm a desert bird guy at heart. Mearns' for me is a novelty. . . . . a unique experience in unique habitat. Mearns' country has become way too crowded for this ol' desert rat.
Feb. 18, 2023 The Upland Bird Hunting Paradox: It is important for our sport to encourage, and even mentor, new, especially young hunters. We need to see more diversity in the upland field. But birds are a public resource and, as such, can be taken by anyone with a license, i.e., traveling hunters, unlimited number of legal guides, those who hunt the same area, or same coveys, day after day, week after week. (And that fact may need to be addressed by Ariz Game & Fish.)
The paradox:
When and if we see more hunters in the field, that overcrowding, that hunter pressure, can negate the joy of the entire upland experience for us all. I'd rather hike all day and see few birds than compete for a place to hike on a crowded ridge with other groups of hunters. And I saw exactly that this season. Ah, to encourage other younger hunters to enjoy this passion, while seeking the quietness of a solo hilltop. A paradox.
The paradox:
When and if we see more hunters in the field, that overcrowding, that hunter pressure, can negate the joy of the entire upland experience for us all. I'd rather hike all day and see few birds than compete for a place to hike on a crowded ridge with other groups of hunters. And I saw exactly that this season. Ah, to encourage other younger hunters to enjoy this passion, while seeking the quietness of a solo hilltop. A paradox.
Summary of my 2022-2023 Season: Statewide, our Gambel's numbers were down again, but better than the poor years of 2018-2019 and 2021-2022. As was predicted by AGF, not a bonanza for sure. Late season coveys were typically smaller. Not a good sign. Pockets of scalies were decent, even though I only made one camp for scalies. I only camped for Mearns' one time and got rained out.
I hunted 38 full or partial days and traveled a lot in every direction. Many miles, many places, and often 4WD, and never the same covey twice. Young Sadie ran into two large rattlers. Quite a few loops were "armed hikes", but fewer skunks than last season. My Gunner just turned age 9 and little Sadie is not yet age 2.
I hunted 38 full or partial days and traveled a lot in every direction. Many miles, many places, and often 4WD, and never the same covey twice. Young Sadie ran into two large rattlers. Quite a few loops were "armed hikes", but fewer skunks than last season. My Gunner just turned age 9 and little Sadie is not yet age 2.
Robert Ruark, "The Old Man & the Boy."
"Hunting ain't a competition. Hunting is watching the dogs work, taking it easy, shooting just enough, walking slow enjoying the day."
He hated noise in the woods.
"Hunting ain't a competition. Hunting is watching the dogs work, taking it easy, shooting just enough, walking slow enjoying the day."
He hated noise in the woods.
Summary of my 2022-2023 Season: Statewide, our Gambel's numbers were down again, but better than the poor years of 2018-2019 and 2021-2022. Not a bonanza for sure. Late season coveys were smaller on average. Not a good sign. Pockets of scalies were huntable down south, even though I only made one camp for scalies. I only camped for Mearns' one time and got rained out.
I hunted 38 mostly partial days and traveled a lot in every direction. Many miles and often 4WD. Young Sadie ran into two large rattlers. Quite a few loops were "armed hikes," but fewer skunks than last season.
I hunted 38 mostly partial days and traveled a lot in every direction. Many miles and often 4WD. Young Sadie ran into two large rattlers. Quite a few loops were "armed hikes," but fewer skunks than last season.
Reminder: Rainlog.org https://rainlog.org/map
Can search for any Arizona location and specify date range. Rain Maps>Select Date Range>Get Report> Zoom in on map for specific locations
Can search for any Arizona location and specify date range. Rain Maps>Select Date Range>Get Report> Zoom in on map for specific locations
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