I just spent 5 days out looking for these little guys. started out in the obvious areas south of Patagonia. In three days we only found two small 4-5 bird coveys in areas the same dogs would find 15+ coveys a day just three yrs ago. We had 3 guns and 7 great dogs and it was tough. After three days we decided to pack up camp and try to salvage our hunt so we headed west. This was not any better as we only found 1 more small 3 bird covey the last two days, hunting right next to the Mexico border.
Just as hunter1026 mentioned there where poeple all over the place down there. Even with the numbers being down I still see a ton of out of state plates.
Its funny I hunted one of the most remote areas I hunt and have not seen anyone down this road in three years. I headed down the slopes to my honey hole and I ran into two guys with 5 britts as I was walking down the same canyon they were walking up. I asked them where they parked cuz I didnt see their truck. They said they had been walking all day and had jumped a few fingers and found NOTHING! They were not very friendly and seemed bothered that I wanted to chat.
I guess people get grumpy when your not finding game. Still had a great time camping and even saw a Mt lion one of the days so that was cool. I think we still need a couple more years for these birds to recover.