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Hunting Quail in California and Oregon Public Land Maps, How to hunt quail, Hunting Clubs and Ranches
Most experts expect outstanding Valley Quail hunting this year due to a mild spring and be average or a bit better But even in good years, successful quail hunters pay a price. They invest the time it takes to do map research to find areas they can hunt often. They scout for coveys during the off season. They train dogs, shoot skeet and/or trap and hike their boots off during the season. Most important, skilled quail hunters never hunt coveys smaller than six or eight birds, the minimum needed to survive until the next year. So conserve the small coveys this season so you’ll have more to shoot next year! If you can not or will not work for birds, don’t bother with Quail, chukar .
Seasons: The general quail and chukar seasons for the balance of the state run from Oct. 17 to ~ Jan. 31. Chukar season in Lassen and Modoc counties ends earlier on Dec. 27. Quail season on the northern coast also ends Dec. 27. Bag limits: Ten quail per day, 20 in possession, in the aggregate of all species. Chukar limit is six per day, with 12 in possession. Best areas: See map.
Firearms: recommends 12 or 20 gauge with improved cylinder choke. You can buy quail cards or guided day hunts at preserves that offer bobwhites. “Tame” bobwhite also offer dog training over live birds before and after public hunting seasons. Here's what you have to do to bag a limit of quail come the opener Oct. l7: I Find them: To start, use maps to find spots of BLM, national, state forest for hunting. Large scale BLM topo- graphic maps offer an excellent overview. So do maps available from most chambers of commerce’s.
. Look for the least common of the quail requirements that concentrate birds
— this year it's water, but in other years it can be food or nesting cover. Experienced
quail hunters know it is
difficult to get specific information about covey locations from local hunters who naturally do not wish to share their favorite spots.. Instead, they check with UPS, gas company, PG&E,
CalTrans and other workers who are out
in the country and able to spot birds,
but may not hunt. I Improve shooting:
Nobody can afford too many misses when
they might only put up a couple of coveys a day. So a visit to a skeet range that better prepares
you for the odd angles and wild flying
birds is a must. If you can, use 21 quail
walk approach and walk towards station 8 while your buddy tries to wrong-foot you.
This kind of practice
and the use of portable traps helps field
results. Poor gun mount causes most
misses when you rush to get on birds. So
mount your shotgun and, with snap caps or
empty shells in place to protect your firing pins, practice swinging and dry firing. I Take your time: Cover as much ground as
possible and you find more birds. Once
you find_or flush a covey, take your time
so you don't miss birds. Of course, reputable hunters never shoot coveys down past six or eight
birds needed as seed birds for next
season. D0n’t shoot too fast! Valley
quail tend to come up in waves rather
than all in a bunch. One or two laggard birds hang around until you start to reload. So move
around a bit before you rush after
pup. Try to shoot at one bird at a time!
If you flock shoot, you won’! hit much.
Some say they wait until birds cross to get two
with one shot or that they only shoot cock birds. These folks also claim their pups always come when
called, and that their If you or
pup are new to valley or mountain quail hunting, shoot a few bob white on a preserve so you
and pup can get up to speed. you might buy
a few bobwhite from a trainer and set them out so pup learns about
birds.
When you hunt, look for edges near open grasslands and cover. Watch for quail around water or
dusting on the side of the road early
and late in the day. If you hunt without dogs, try to kick each and every brush pile you pass.
Dogs are highly recommended! Look 5 or 6 feet over pup as you move in
along his side to put up birds. Practice
reloading without looking down at your
shotgun so you can spot laggard birds that flush. Mark birds that you can spot landing. Most
will move only a short distance in
decent cover and should hold better for
pups ater the second flush. Consider
a call that makes the “Chi-ca-go” of valley quail or a hawk whistle to freeze birds running
ahead of dogs. Listen after a covey flush
and you can hear birds sound their
assembly call. Experienced dogs, like experienced hunters, key in on this to find birds. With these
points in mind you need only find 21
hunting area.
Find areas near home:
Four separate areas Coast Range North, Coast Range South, North Valley,
Foothills deserve close attention for
valley quail. Each has sections that
HUNTERS who do their homework
and prescout Saturdays general opener
should be able to drop limits in areas with good numbers of the
fast—flying birds. Hunting the Parkfield foothills range from good to fabulous — these normally behind fences with “Keep Out" signs every 50 feet. We have over
100 privat eranches and hunting clubs if you would like to increase your
chances, see below for more information.
Coast Range north 'The
early coastal season in Marin, Napa, Sonoma,
Solano, Lake and Mendocino counties offers a chance to work dogs early Birds mostly on private land are
the rule in the “wine” counties where
George Carl of the Napa Valley Times
noted that “quail seem scattered.” Note:
it’s too late this year, but many vineyards have major problems with rabbits that chew through drip
tubing. Quail. like rabbits, do very
well in vineyards. If you help shoot
rabbits you can sometimes get invited to shoot quail. The most accessible shooting is in the
Mendocino National Forest along the
crest of the Coast Range.
While slopes are
often heavily covered with buck brush, working
hunters can score birds by walking creek beds or punching up through the lower slope to cover to the more
open oak and grasslands on the ridges.
Coveys that dust at dusk along roads in
early season move back into the hills after a few days of hunting pressure. Wild domestic cats and other ground predators
reduce quail numbers around population
centers, but diligent hunters can still find quail in the East Bay Hills and
around Mt. Diablo. Lots of asking is
required
Better are the valley slopes of the Coast Range in Yolo, Colusa, Glenn and Tehama counties where much unposted land eases access - lnterstate 5 gets
you there and back fast. The transition
zone from grass to buck brush habitat
holds lots of birds. Few hunters seem to get more than a couple of miles from dirt access roads. The key to action here is early scouting to find open areas that offer shots.
Most spots feature chest high
brush.
Coast Range south The
South Coast Range scatters hunting on
the ridges in San Mateo and Santa Cruz
counties where map work can find public
property, but permission to hunt private
lands seems tough to get. Hunting opens
up towards Hunter Liggett and Camp Roberts in Monterey County. Regulations,
permission and weekend hunts on the
military can be obtained by calling
408-385-I205. Further south, the Panoche
Hills Wildlife Management Area and parts
of Los Padres National Forest offers
easy access and decent birds if you
walk away from roads. Old Bums around
Big Sur and on private grazing
land: the coast hold more valley ,quail most hunters expect. The cool breeze from the
ocean beats sweating up dry canyons
further inland early in the season too. San Luis Obispo County marks the southern
limits for most Nor Cal hunters. lt has
wonderful quail hunting toward Santa
Maria and on mostly private, but largely unposted, property north of Morro Bay. We hunt
unimproved land around vineyards.
To the east in the
Tremblor Mountains in Kern County you
can expect both valley and mountain quail.
Bring lots of water and watch for snakes!
Sierra Foothills The
foothills from Gold Country second home areas up and around Lake Shasta am a checkerboard BLM,
national forest, state park and private
lands that require careful map work.
Most areas are dry, with buck brush and other shoulder- high cover to challenge
snap shots. Old burns and other areas
where the cover has thinned enough for easier shots work best. Try to stay away from Auburn, Grass
Valley and other population centers.
Smaller public areas and unposted ground
a couple of turnoffs from pavement offer the best action.
ln the Central Sierra, transition zone brush country in
the l,000~ to 2,500-foot elevation band
holds valley quail with the best
shooting concentrated along creeks away from roads. High elevation lands offer more national
forest access: below 1,500-foot
elevations BLM maps that show public ownership
seem a must. Hunters do better on
isolated public or, with permission,
private land than on wildlife areas near population centers that get hammered and, some say “overgrazed”
such as Spenceville or Oroville
recreation areas that are marginal
during the week and mobbed on weekends. Especially this year where cover did not grow as high as
usual because of lack or rain.
Above 3,000 feet, mountain quail range overlaps valley quail. Since seasons do not, you need to tell the bobbing plume of the valley quail from the two long slender strands that top mountain quail, the largest quail in America. If you stay on ridges above 4,000 feet during mountain quail season and drop to lower elevation when gunning changes to valley quail, you should have fewer problems.
Above 3,000 feet, mountain quail range overlaps valley quail. Since seasons do not, you need to tell the bobbing plume of the valley quail from the two long slender strands that top mountain quail, the largest quail in America. If you stay on ridges above 4,000 feet during mountain quail season and drop to lower elevation when gunning changes to valley quail, you should have fewer problems.
Experienced hunters
with dogs do reasonably well along streams
and around the edges of two- to three-year old burns. Tehama Wildlife Area is highly recommended if
you avoid opening day weekend and, if
possible, hunt during the week. Calls
help nail down these track stars that are not hard to locate in more remote areas off pavement.
Down birds seem particularly difficult
to spot, so a dog is a major aid.
North state Shasta,
Siskiyou, Modoc, Trinity, Lassen, Tehama and
other north state counties have the best quail hunting in Northern California. Those who drive up and
scout find birds. ln many areas mountain
and valley quail overlap to extend the
hunting season. You can add pigeons on the ridges and doves along sand bars by the river
too. A mid-August scouting trip west of
Red Bluff showed good numbers of quail
on Sacramento River islands, with access
by boat, is a favorite with locals.
To the east, Tehama Wildlife Area seems one of the best choices for upland bird hunting around the
Central Valley. It is highly recommended
if you avoid opening day weekend and, if
possible, hunt during the week. Tehama County welcomes hunters and fishermen;
Red Bluff is a “best bet” as a spot to
stay during the season. Call the Red Bluff-Tehama Chamber of Commerce for information at
9l6-527-6620.
In Shasta County, Shasta Trinity National Forest offers total access and reasonably open country. Some
drive the network of dirt roads early
and late in the day to find birds.
Dedicated hunters hike along creeks and in other areas with decent food, resting and nesting cover. The southern sections of Siskiyou County
offer shooting in the sagebrush between
I-5 and Highway 97. There are, frankly,
so many hot spots for quail in this area this year that you really need only drive up and take a
look. As always, birds do move away from
easily accessible spots towards the end
of the season.
Other options: The great Central Valley of California holds
few quail. Fence-to-fence fanning has
eliminated the berry hells, Osage Orange
rows and other cover than once blanketed the valley. Blackberry bushes seem to signal quail here,
but hunters need to be careful not to
shoot birds that will fall in thick stickers.
Tip; carry hedge shears to cut to birds pup can’t retrieve. Most stack up in heavy cover along rivers. Hunters
who float to hunt islands and unposted
spots do well. The San Joaquin, Feather
and Sacramento rivers are best bets in
areas with natural banks instead of riprap.
Other “aquatic” options worth a try are berms and islands in the Delta country if you spend considerable time scouting. Most of these offer bonus pheasant and ducks in season too. They peak early in the season when dogs need water. Take fishing tackle and you might take steelhead or salmon.
Other “aquatic” options worth a try are berms and islands in the Delta country if you spend considerable time scouting. Most of these offer bonus pheasant and ducks in season too. They peak early in the season when dogs need water. Take fishing tackle and you might take steelhead or salmon.
California hunting clubs, hunting ranches, public and even private fishing
Hunting private lands in California has several advantages over the public areas. Chief among these are much less hunting pressure, better forage and water supplies and easier vehicle access. It's a fact of life, and hunting on private ranches is almost a sure thing.
We use a hunting map site that has over 200 private ranches, with or without guides www.ranchhuntfish.com
Click on a county for Hunting Clubs & Private Ranches:
It's free, and get you access to our free map site too. Here is a copy of the home page:
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