Red Rabbit Report post Posted January 2, 2007 Had the pleasure and enjoyment of hunting mearns for four days after Christmas in the oak grasslands surrounding Sonoita. The adventure started by meeting Mark from Flagstaff, James and his wife Terry from CA, and their boys and Griffons for a day of hunting near Sonoita. Mark took us to his better spot somewhere (I was blind-folded and my GPS was confiscated). We located five coveys on a day after four inches of snow the prior night. A good lunch on the tailgate and some clay shooting made for a great day. For the next three days, I hunted with a friend Jim, who lives in Williams, AZ. He brought his GSP's to help Rica, my GWP, find some mearns. First day we (more correctly, the two dogs we hunted behind, Rica and Abby) found 8 coveys walking the bottom of the oak lined draws. Almost got our limit, but we were held back by some shooter errors Most of the coveys were found feeding near the bottom of the sunny, southern exposures. Jim and Abby after a morning's hunt. The day was capped by walking back to camp with a horizon of snow-covered mountains turned pink by the setting sun. The next day uncovered some more six more coveys in some side canyons. I even got a double from a sizeable covey that flushed under Rica's nose. Jim's young GSP named Rabbit pointed a covey at the end of the day with a solid lock-on, and was rewarded with a beautiful male Mearns. Rica and Doug with a male Mearns The final day, New Year's Day, broke with a beatiful sunrise that illuminated both the easternand western skylines. We hunted only the morning. Right off the start, Jim found a nice coues skull. We ended the hunt with both Abby and Rica both pointing the same covey. Birds flushed and lead flew, and the birds kept going. We must have stuffed our chambers with PETA loads that time as nary a feather was touched. Another trip to southern Arizona is being planned to cap the quail season. Doug~RR Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted January 2, 2007 Wow, great pics! Thanks for taking us along with you! Amanda Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter07 Report post Posted January 3, 2007 I myself have never hunted mearns but i have heard that they are some of the dumbest quail around. is this true of is it just because they havent gotten much human exposure Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Rabbit Report post Posted January 3, 2007 I don't know what constitutes making them dumb. I have not heard them call or respond to calls and give their location away like Gambels. Mearns don't seem to give off as much scent as Gambels as the dogs have needed to be on top of them before pointing, unlike detecting Gambels from fifty yards away. They also hold tight and will let you walk right on by. The coloration makes em real difficult to spot on the ground. Was told that the Mearns population was vastly underestimated until dogs were used. Doug~RR Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stanley Report post Posted January 4, 2007 Hey Doug: Can't believe I missed this post! Sounds like you guys had a great hunt down there. It's truly amazing country.... Outstanding pics as always! Thanks for sharing. S. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
