Mearns season opened here in Arizona and I headed south with a couple of buddies on our annual pilgrimage to hike the southern hills and see how the Mearns quail faired over the winter and summer. We had an action packed day with plenty of birds on the bag and an epic tailgate lunch. By the end of the day, all three of us had completed the Arizona quail slam with Mearns, Scaled and Gambel’s quail in the game vest. Arizona quail hunting at it’s finest.
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Always a pleasure, great report!!
Thanks Kyle. Looking forward to the next time.
Ben
Solid work and color me jealous. Why oh why did my brother have to get married on opening day of Mearns?
Thanks dude. Looking forward to getting out with you.
Ben
I’d be there just for the tacos & Mexican Coke!
Looks like a great day afield.
There is always a sport for you Mike if you make it out this way. Hope all is well.
Ben
Ditto for Great reporting, looks like a great day!
Thank you Robert.
Another slam? Go easy on those poor birds! No slams yet but having lots of fun chasing all 3 species. As always, great pictures Ben.
Bryan,
Thanks. The reason we end up shooting all three species is so we don’t take too many Mearns. We usually hunt them in the morning and give them a break in the afternoon by hunting the desert birds. Good luck on your quest.
Ben
I agree Ben, no shortage of desert birds this year. And it is a lot easier to seriously hurt a Mearns covey than the other 2 species.
Keep getting those AZ slams and making me envious!
Just curious to know how the quail call worked out? Saw it on your top ten Xmas list.
Looks like a fantastic day!
Todd,
The Jim Matthews Call is a gem and I really like it. I should have a review up here before the end of the season and am hoping to have a little video to go with it. Thanks.
Ben
Wow, a QUAIL SLAM! KUDOS. How fantastic is that. That should have been part of your briefing last night, or are you keeping your quail spots / success a secret!
DAB
Thanks Doug. This spot is definitely a secret. It’s produced the slam two years in a row for me. Thanks.
Ben
Great day afield!
Looking forward to getting out this weekend – but will probably be too close to the valley to get much more than Gambel’s. Regardless – worse day outside is better than…
Best of luck 33.
Ben