As me feet hit the pavement of the parking lot, my eyes picked up the silhouettes of running quail. A small covey must have been roosting close to the parking area that bordered this particular parcel of BLM land. Too close to really hunt, I shrugged into my upland vest and shouldered my shotgun in anticipation for my last hunt of this Gambel’s quail season.
I spent the morning slowly walking through a fairly flat couple of miles in search of Gambel’s quail and was able to scare up a couple of coveys. The first group of birds took flight and I swung on a fat male that folded nicely to the desert floor amidst a cloud of smoke.
Since the terrain was flatter than the stuff I normally hunt, I found these birds were more apt to run instead of flush. Hunting Gambel’s quail that are going to run all day is difficult and frustrating. I was finally able to turn a covey towards a hillside and after several flushes brought one more male to the game bag.
It was more than a little sad, making the trip back to the truck. Every season is full of memories and lessons from the field and it makes me thankful to have the opportunity to experience God’s creation in this way. The season closes tomorrow and ultimately my hunting is done until next fall. It must be time give the gun a thorough cleaning and turn my attention to filling the fly boxes while thinking about big brown trout to the north.
On a side note: Even though quail season is over, the Quail Hunting Forum will be launching on February 12th. Lend your voice to the discussion and fill everyone in on your season and thoughts. If you are interested in a sneak peak or a cool button to post on your blog, shoot me an email.
Great post. Beautiful birds. The arizona mine field cracked me up, I had the new pooch out on Wednesday and she learned the HARD way to watch out the “mine fields”.
Thanks Ryan. This desert landscape it tough on pups. I have two lab mixes that I would love to take some time on a walk/hunt, but ultimately those idiots would be more work than I care to think about. I have enough trouble keeping myself out of the prickly stuff. Thanks again for the kind words.
Ben
They still amaze me these birds. Such a pretty thing.
Following your blog it seems like you had a pretty good season, but that doesn’t mean much when now you have to wait half a year to get out there hunting them at the moment.
And that mine field looks bloody prickly!
Thanks Rohan. These birds are truly spectacular and pretty tasty too. It is going to be a long eight months until the season opens back up. Luckily the fishing should turn back on over the next several months. The cactus here are certainly gnarly. Nasty stuff to walk through.
Ben