AZ Quail Season opens
- Thread starter Buzzard
- Start date
Go get 'em.....
The only tip I have is keep a keen eye and be ready for a fast shot....
Our south eastern bobwhites are under foot before flying and will flat spook you off your game making a shot real tuff... i have shot only one in 20 years and since I don't target them i leave them alone as one is hardly a meal and the lowlife pet snake don't deserve them as they are not over abundant.
Brent
The only tip I have is keep a keen eye and be ready for a fast shot....
Our south eastern bobwhites are under foot before flying and will flat spook you off your game making a shot real tuff... i have shot only one in 20 years and since I don't target them i leave them alone as one is hardly a meal and the lowlife pet snake don't deserve them as they are not over abundant.
Brent
Brent, Here in AZ I see groups of 20+ running in front of me when I ride my quad in the desert area. I decided to give it a try this year and see how it goes. I have never hunted for just quail , only shot a couple when squirrel hunting in SC as a kid..am 52 now....if nothing else it will get me out of the house.......
Ours are in a severe state of decline for many years. I see never more than 5-10 in a covey and never seen 2 coveys in a day except once...
I blame the ferral cats and booming yote population along with invasive plant species that choke out preferred flora.
Best of luck and I hope to see a report on the hunt...
Brent
I blame the ferral cats and booming yote population along with invasive plant species that choke out preferred flora.
Best of luck and I hope to see a report on the hunt...
Brent
When you first get into a big covey of Arizona quail, you want to scatter them.
Whether you kill any at first or not, try to scatter them out so that they'll hold in cover. As a group, they'll usually outrun and/or fly out ahead of you.
Once the group is broken up, you can wander through the area jumping singles, doubles, or small groups. They'll also oft-times call to each other, making locating them a lot easier.
Get yourself a quail call if you can find one, too.
Oh, and hunting from a vehicle is illegal.
Daryl
Whether you kill any at first or not, try to scatter them out so that they'll hold in cover. As a group, they'll usually outrun and/or fly out ahead of you.
Once the group is broken up, you can wander through the area jumping singles, doubles, or small groups. They'll also oft-times call to each other, making locating them a lot easier.
Get yourself a quail call if you can find one, too.
Oh, and hunting from a vehicle is illegal.
Daryl
FrontSight
New member
Do I have to say watch out Cheney?
All joking aside, quail is def dangerous & I can see how it happenned...they fly so low and fast that it can happen to anyone.
All joking aside, quail is def dangerous & I can see how it happenned...they fly so low and fast that it can happen to anyone.
Arizona Fusilier
New member
This is only my second year giving it a go, so no advice here (other than bustini' those coveys up).
Best of luck.
Best of luck.
I've been hunting them since I was 8 years old...so, about 34 years now.
Crazy thing is, I still hunt them with the same old Win 37 in 20 gauge that I started with. Tried some others, but this one is light, handy, and I can carry it all day up and down mountains without feeling it. My dad got it used when he was a kid, and it's still going strong.
Daryl
Only tip I could give would be get a good dog or find a freind with one. Man they are find with a good dog, not to take away from walking them up but a good dog is somthing to watch, tail in the air and skaking from excitement, what a cool site it is.
We hunt them here but on a preserve because it so hard to find any land that has wild birds andgrea get permission to hunt is like a no no here because all the deer clubs have the land sewed up for the most part.
I am in a deer club here that has wild birds, I know because I saw several covey's last year while deer hunting and still can't hunt them because the landowner hunts them.
We do have 3 really great dogs and one puppy that's coming along pretty well and should do great by the end of season.
Try it sometime if you can, loads of fun.
We hunt them here but on a preserve because it so hard to find any land that has wild birds andgrea get permission to hunt is like a no no here because all the deer clubs have the land sewed up for the most part.
I am in a deer club here that has wild birds, I know because I saw several covey's last year while deer hunting and still can't hunt them because the landowner hunts them.
We do have 3 really great dogs and one puppy that's coming along pretty well and should do great by the end of season.
Try it sometime if you can, loads of fun.
Either gun will do fine, sounds like you have some good places to hunt, just remember it never fails come opening day they all seem to know it and hole up tight lol. I have hunted them a few diffrent ways over the years, you can stop park and work an area on foot, and I have also driven until I spook a covey then dismount and go get them. Anyway one definitly isnt a meal but you get your limit wrap the little guys up with bacon and a jalepeno with a piece of cheese, making what I call quail poppers, they are always a hit. Good luck and stay safe.
I used to do this every day in the season back in the 50's here in eastern North Carolina. There is no better hunting. Especially with a good dog. But now there are no quail here. The last pointer I got, I just kept him as a pet. No dog will love you like a good pointer. I had a friend that hunted big game in Africa and he said the best hunting he ever done was quail hunting.
Arizona Fusilier
New member
Yeah, I'll second the gun swingin" thing.
As fond as I am of my camouflage, wearing blaze orange makes great sense for upland bird hunting. I think a really high-speed pair of ballistic glasses (not just shooting glasses, but the expensive ones proof to birdshot) makes a heck of alot of sense, too.
As fond as I am of my camouflage, wearing blaze orange makes great sense for upland bird hunting. I think a really high-speed pair of ballistic glasses (not just shooting glasses, but the expensive ones proof to birdshot) makes a heck of alot of sense, too.
Fat White Boy
New member
In Kingman, you will be hunting Gambel's Quail. The little buggers are tough and run like hell. I would use the 12ga with #6 shot...If you go further south, down around Tucson and below, you will run into Mearns Quail. they hold tight and you will need to hunt them with a dog. I have stepped within 6 inches of one and it would not flush. The 20ga with 7 1/2' will work fine. You may also run into some Blues down there. They, too, run like hell and you will need the 12Ga...Buenas Suerte
Save up some cash for a repeater- A used 870 or its equivalent will add more than a few birds to your bag. Love those follow up shots...
Save up some cash for a repeater- A used 870 or its equivalent will add more than a few birds to your bag. Love those follow up shots...
A repeater CAN add to your bag, but it's not necessarily so.
Many years ago I hunted with a couple of fellas I knew. They were both using pump 12 gauges, and I was using my old single shot 20 gauge.
They gave me a hard time about my little single shot on the way out to hunt, and I gave them a hard time on the way back. When all was said and done, Van ended up with 3, Steve had 4, and I had a limit of 15.
You just have to hit them the first shot.
I used to hunt with a 12 gauge Remington 1100, and it was great. I can remember taking 3 birds in three shots when a group got up. It happened many times.
Thing was, I got tired of limiting out early, and then having to wait for other folks to hunt all day to either get a limit or until it got dark.
I like my little single shot, and most times leave the repeaters at home.
Daryl
Many years ago I hunted with a couple of fellas I knew. They were both using pump 12 gauges, and I was using my old single shot 20 gauge.
They gave me a hard time about my little single shot on the way out to hunt, and I gave them a hard time on the way back. When all was said and done, Van ended up with 3, Steve had 4, and I had a limit of 15.
You just have to hit them the first shot.
I used to hunt with a 12 gauge Remington 1100, and it was great. I can remember taking 3 birds in three shots when a group got up. It happened many times.
Thing was, I got tired of limiting out early, and then having to wait for other folks to hunt all day to either get a limit or until it got dark.
I like my little single shot, and most times leave the repeaters at home.
Daryl