Tres Report post Posted February 12, 2017 It's over. the 2016/17 quail season is over and I learned a few things. Here they are in no particular order. 1. I need to practice my shooting. Some days I can shoot pretty well and some days I have a bent barrel. I need to shoot more in the off season to be consistent. I am my own worst enemy and my dog gets frustrated with me I'm sure. 2. Every year is a learning experience for you and your dog. Just when you think you have these birds figured out they throw a curveball at you. 3. I don't get out enough. Between all the rain, family, holidays, and work I didn't get out as much as I planned. 4. People trash this state. If you hunt down south for mearns or you hunt these desert birds you will find one common thing, people are disrespectful. Please pick up your trash. Pick up your spent hulls. I know it is exciting when birds flush and you want to chase them but please take the time to pick up your hulls. I find double barrel guys do a decent job at it but semi auto and pump shotgun shooter just blast as they walk and never turn back. 5. Our mearns are getting hit harder and harder every year. It is not just local guys now it is out of staters. Magazines, books, TV shows, and of course social media keeps talking about how great our mearns hunting is here which makes everyone and their dog come and blast our birds. game and fish has no way to track how many people actually hunt this bird and I think they are messing up badly. 6. I need to get into shape. Yes round is a shape but dang I'm not getting any younger Or smaller. 7. I've known this for a while but I think about it a lot. I really appreciate the "old timers" or "ol geezers" as they call themselves for taking the time to give me pointers and taking the time to help me become a better Upland hunter. If you ever get a chance to hunt with any of our local legends, jump at the opportunity. Just watching these guys is fun. Mr. Priest and Mr. Corley, thank you I'm already looking forward to next year. The desert is green and the hatch should be a good one. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Desert_Angler Report post Posted February 12, 2017 Good observations. I hope with all that green grass out there, the 2017/2018 season will be great. The crops and gizzards of the quail that I got were full of it. As far as tracking the Mearns harvest, I know in this seasons regulations, The AZGFD has requested hunters of grouse, chukar, and band-tailed pigeon provide feedback so they can better understand how many birds are harvested, how many hunters there were, etc. Maybe they need something similar for Mearns Quail? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jonesface Report post Posted February 12, 2017 Good write up Tres. I saw a lot more upland bird hunters this season than I have ever seen and I didn't hunt on weekends. The good news is there are still a lot of carry over birds for next season. We are getting awesome rainfall totals at the perfect timing for our desert birds. I'm hoping this rain will cause us to have a "BOOM" population growth for our Gambel's quail. I would like to see more research and monitoring of both our Mearns and Scaled quail. We don't have a lot of information on our Scaled quail. No one really knows what triggers Scalies breeding cycle like we know with Mearns (summer rain) and Gambel's.(winter rain) I also enjoy and cherish getting to hunt with the legend quail hunters we have in this state.(Bob C. and Dave L.) Those guys are not only great shots but they also know how to hunt these birds very well. I amazed how they can walk every mile we do at 60-70 years old! I hope Im in that good of shape at that age in my life. They have mastered the dog/hunter companionship. I wish I could do something off of the Matrix where I could download all of their knowledge. Looking forward as well to next season! Should be a good one. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sherman Report post Posted February 13, 2017 I learned a few things and we'll 1: my shooting improved some 2: when you invite people to come hunt with you (jonesface) the birds are gone 3: you should scout for quail like you do for deer 4: it is still awesome to be able to get out with good people or alone 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tres Report post Posted February 13, 2017 2: when you invite people to come hunt with you (jonesface) the birds are gone 4: it is still awesome to be able to get out with good people or alone #2 is almost always true #4 is true but when good people don't have the same ethics or standards as you it can make it weird. Just an example I've hunted with great people that shoot birds on the ground. Which I don't care for. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
