Mearns Quail Hunting

[Ken Hill]

I didn't know you needed a gun like a 450bpe for Mearns quail! I'll have to talk with the 5-star and tell her I'll need to pick one up for the safari.

Ken

[Bob Brown]

I would have liked to see your Akrill, Mr. Davis. You don't hear that name too often considering they were in business for almost 200 years. About 15 years ago I only had one SxS in the back of the safe, an old Parker with a crack in one barrel. I'd never really handled or shot a SxS. I wandered into a gun auction that had a couple of SxS's on the list. One was a H.E. Akrill self opening, round action sidelock. I picked it up and put it to my shoulder. The horrror! Hunting birds with it only entrenched the infection. Parker, L.C. Smith, Fox, Westley Richards, Purdey, and more than a dozen other makers followed. It's been a steady spiral down. Only cure is death, I suppose.

[Chris Robenalt]

Hi George, good to hear from you. We haven't talked since I did the trigger job for your turkey hunt. Dale, Larry and myself are going for Mearns down your way on the 2nd with Phil C. He has a great trio of dogs to get us into the birds. Can't blame them or the guns if we come home empty handed or shy of a limit. Dale and I hunted Quail Saturday in the Superstitions, but ended up with 2 each. We lost a couple. Many birds, but they were running on us. We had our opportunities. Our was way off. I'll let you know how it goes this Friday.

Chris

[George "Scott" Davis]

Home last night from last Mearns Hunt for 2017-18 season. Last three days were unusually warm and it's so dry in SE Arizona. Most of the guides shut it down for the year and Patagonia was a quail hunters ghost town. Quail are there but small covey sizes and hunting conditions for the dogs was poor. My two year old American Brittany has become a very good dog.
Now the season is done the works begins, gear to clean or replace, 98 Chevy Z-71 needs minor repairs for our 23rd year of hunting trip, etc..
PS: the fun/planning booking next years trips:
May New Mexico turkey hunt (maybe) depending on my knee replacement surgery recovery
July flyfishing on the Bighorn River in Montana
September Sage Grouse in Big Timber, Montana
Early October Huns & Sharptail Hunt in Lewistown, Montana
November Pheasant Hunt in Montana
December 10 days of Mearns Quail Hunting in SE Arizona
(Time out for December Trip to College Station, TX to see grad daughter get her Civil Engineering Degree from Texas A & M)
However what new guns are needed/wanted is the fun for the summer? 12 gauge GH 1 frame barrels will be back from Michigan and restocking finished so now the 16 gauge question. Can I find a small frame GH 16 gauge 28 inch damascus gun cylinder/cylinder or will I find a Scottish or English ~6 LB gun? The search begins.

[Reggie B]

George I like your planning! My bucket list includes hunting in Seattle/Idaho area as I have a daughter in Seattle.

[George "Scott" Davis]

Mearns season had ended here in Arizona, however several groups in the Sonita-Patagona area pushed it to the very end. Arizona had an unusually warm late January and early February and the last week of the season temperatures were in the high 70s and low 80s with night time lows in the 40s. I was told yesterday he they had reports of 4 dogs bitten by rattlers the last 5 days of the season, one in Gardner Canyon was by a Mojave Green.
Love hunting Mearns but not at the risk of my dog!

[Southpaw]

Hmm that does sound tough on those dogs in those conditions. Hot, dry, limited birds and snakebit. That is a second guessing moment.