Final Hoorah in AZ

[Shawn Wayment]

My skin just started peeling from the desert sun...after spending last week chasing desert quail and Mearn’s. We saw more coveys of mearns then last year which was surprising based on the lack of monsoon rains last summer. Never seen so many Gambel’s quail before. One day a group of javelina flushed a 100 bird covey onto a hillside for us. Great trip! Can’t wait to go next year. Patagonia is a fun town to stay in...artsy-fartsy liberal town that relies on quail hunters to come...they have Quail Forever stickers in their store windows. Here’s a few pictures from last week.

[Shawn Wayment]

Few more pictures...

[George Davis]

Shawn, you must have missed the AZ residents memo. Mearns quail hunting is dangerous, filled with rattlesnakes, javelina, illegals, dry & hot, rocky hillsides, you never getting solid footing to shoot and constantly worried about falling and rolling down hill.
Yes the desert quail hunting was the best we've had in 5-8 years.
Patagonia has been one of Arizona hidden jewels unfortunately it's being run over with new California ex-residents!!!

[chris dawe]

i thought i loved bird hunting until i went chasing mearns in the hills ...now its a gnawing preoccupation these pics bring back some real good memories

[charlie cleveland]

some really nice pictures....charlie

[Garry L Gordon]

Thanks for the photos. I'm reading this on a 4 degree day with snow falling for the 4th straight day. No skin peeling here!

So, what quail species are the dogs pointing in your photos? I've never been hunting for Mearns quail, but I'd assume that was one of the other species in those photos of the dogs pointing...? I always imagined more grass cover for Mearns habitat.

[Rich Anderson]

Thats a hunt I'd love to do someday.

[George Davis]

Shawn, looks like you got all three species (Mearns, Gambel and Scales)? Next year if you plan correctly we have pockets of California Quail and excellent Chukar population. Arizona for many years has been the upland birdhunter hidden gem.

[Shawn Wayment]

Thanks for the photos. I'm reading this on a 4 degree day with snow falling for the 4th straight day. No skin peeling here!

So, what quail species are the dogs pointing in your photos? I've never been hunting for Mearns quail, but I'd assume that was one of the other species in those photos of the dogs pointing...? I always imagined more grass cover for Mearns habitat.

Gambel's were being pointed. We did get a covey of pointed Mearn's and my cocker Ellie flushed a couple coveys of Mearn's for us as well.

[Aaron Beck]

who says artsy-fartsy liberals cant hunt too? Always wanted to hunt the desert quail like that.

[Shawn Wayment]

who says artsy-fartsy liberals cant hunt too? Always wanted to hunt the desert quail like that.

You're very correct...I hunt with several of them :whistle: