I planned to do a little bit of scouting for the 2016 javelina season, and on a whim I decided to bring the shotgun along just in case I found a covey of Gambel’s. After hiking up the first hill, I busted the first of 6 coveys for the day. With birds plentiful and very vocal, I didn’t spend a whole bunch of time glassing for pigs, and instead spent the rest of the morning chasing Gambel’s quail. By the end of the morning, my vest was heavy with a half dozen birds, and I headed for home.
After putting gear away and cleaning the birds, I deboned the breasts and legs and got out the fixings for quail nuggets. Within minutes, my little sidekick had pulled a chair over to the kitchen counter picking at the tasty fried morsels and honey mustard. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as completing the circle and taking game from the field to table.
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Hello and I love reading Azwanderings. I’m a disabled vet and this year have just gotten back into hunting with dove with getting exclusive rights to farming property here in Buckeye area. I’m wanting to learn more about quail as well but don’t know areas to start scouting, I also planning on putting in for tags this year for multiple species- sincerely noah
Noah,
Great to hear from you. There are a bunch of great online resources to learn about quail, habitat and hunting. One of the best ones to get started at is http://www.AZQuailToday.com. This is a great website with tons of good info. There is also a new Quail Forever group that has started up in the valley called the Valley of the Sun Quail Forever Chapter (http://www.valleyofthesunquailforever.com/). They hold monthly meetings and can be a great place to meet other hunters and pick up new info. Best of luck on your outdoor journey.
Ben
Best kind of days, those! And I have to say, desert in the winter doesn’t look a whole lot different than desert in the summer, to my untrained eye. 🙂
Thanks Corey. Yeah the desert always kind of looks the same, but there is definitely more green in the winter. It’s a harsh place no matter what time of year.
Ben
“There’s nothing quite as satisfying as completing the circle and taking game from the field to table.” – I couldn’t agree more! And the little one looks like she’s enjoying the nuggets. What’s your recipe?
Thanks Lisa. I used a bastardized version of this recipe – http://www.nevadafoodies.com/parmesan-chukar-and-quail-nuggets/.
Ben
Great post! I started doing a little quail hunting in AZ a couple of years ago (I live out of State). Haven’t been able to make it out yet this year but hoping to at least make one trip before the end of the season. Wonder what part of the State you do most of your hunting (other than the SE part of the State). I would like to come to AZ this season but the Southern part of the State may be too far for me to travel as it would require too much time off work. Can you recommend any general areas closer to Utah.
Ron. I do most of my hunting within an hour or two of Phoenix. Areas close to Utah? I know there are quail in the Fredonia/Kaibab area. That would be a good place to start. Take care.
Ben
That desert is incredibly beautiful in the winter Ben. I can almost smell the mesquite, sage, and whatever those prickly things are. Thanks for the post. With El Nino this year and coming off of many dry years, our deserts here in So Cal this February will be busting out with blooms almost as pretty as your little kitchen helper and quality control expert.
Thanks Alan. I’m hoping this rain bodes well for the next couple seasons and we can fill up the lakes. It certainly does make our desert green and beautiful. Take care.
Ben