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,…
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…
For the first time since living in Arizona, I skipped the opening weekend of Arizona quail in favor of heading north to some cooler temperatures, grouse hunting and Apache trout. But in the weekends following, I laced up my boots and braved the heat to chase Gambel’s in the Sonoran desert. The summer reports seem…
I scored a free Saturday morning and got a chance to head out into the field with my good buddy DJ and his up and coming pup, Ranger. We planted a couple birds and let the nose on the dog work out the rest. With quail season just around the corner, it was nice to stretch…
The last weekend of Arizona quail season has come and gone. I had a few hours to head out to an area that I wanted to hike in to and explore for future deer and javelina hunt. Although I toted the shotgun in, the shells never left my pocket and I spent quite a bit of…
The dog went on point, and as I eased into position, a Mearns quail flushed in front of me. The bottom barrel barked and the bird folded to the ground as another Mearns quail burst out of the grass to my left. Before I knew it, I was swinging on the flying quail and the…
Hunting birds in the desert has a way of clearing my head. It had been a long morning of hiking hills and busting brush. We had moved a couple coveys, but my vest was still empty. We were making a loop back to the truck when birds busted in front of us. One bird peeled…
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the desert so green and full of growth. Combine the extra cover with the birds being very shy and quiet, my first morning in the field was a slow one. DJ and I hiked several hills and pushed a few coveys, but when the smoke cleared, there were…