Quail season opens Saturday
Mendocino National Forest offers plentiful hunting opportunities
The quail season for Marin, Napa, Solano, Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties opens Saturday and the quail population in these counties is nothing short of healthy. The spring resulted in an excellent hatch and the Mendocino National Forest and Bureau of Land Management lands in Lake and Mendocino counties offer excellent hunting opportunities.
Lake and Mendocino counties have two species of quail, California and mountain. Both can be found in abundance throughout the two counties, but California quail are the most popular. They are so numerous that they an be seen daily throughout urban areas of both counties.
The California quail is the official state bird and is widely distributed throughout the state. The male is about 9 1/2 to 11 inches long and is more colorful than the female. He has a black throat circled with a white line, and the top of his head is dark brown with a plume of short, black and curved feathers set at a cocky angle. A chestnut patch is in the middle of the stomach. His breast is scaled and his flanks are streaked with white. The female is primarily brown and the breast is scaled. The female does have a plume but it is not as showy as the male’s. The average weight is approximately 6-7 ounces for both sexes.
Like all quail, this species is monogamous in that the male takes only one female for the season and assists in raising the young. They are always found near water and are usually found in the lower foothills.
The average size of a covey of California quail is from 10-12 birds and they are considered the noisiest of all quail as they are constantly chirping and peeping while feeding. If disturbed, they’ll issue an alarm call. After being scattered, they also give an assembly call that helps the covey regroup. Hunters often use this constant chattering to locate the birds.
The other quail native to Lake and Mendocino counties is the mountain quail. Unlike their California quail cousins, mountain quail have much smaller coveys, averaging from six to eight birds, and they are much larger, averaging 8 to 10 ounces. The males and females closely resemble each other and can be identified by the long and slender erect plume feather on their head.
Mountain quail are found in the higher and more remote areas of the national forest. They stay at these high elevations until snow forces them to
migrate to the foothills. Some mountain quail have been known to migrate more than 50 miles. During the migration they usually walk instead of fly.
This habit of running instead of flying makes mountain quail a frustrating quarry for hunters. In fact, it’s rare for a hunter to hunt solely for mountain quail. Most of them are taken by hunters who are after California quail.
The Mendocino National Forest offers the best chance to bag both species of quail and they can be found in good numbers throughout the forest. Some of the more popular areas are Snow Mountain, Lake Pillsbury, Hull Mountain, Mendocino Pass, Elk,
Pine Mountain and Etsel Ridge. Hunters should check for forest closures with the Mendocino National Forest office.
Quail are usually found near water and along the many spur roads that dot the national forest. One effective hunting method is to drive the dirt roads early in the morning when the quail are often out. Flush the birds off the road and let your dog work the singles although a dog isn’t necessary to be successful. Remember, you are not allowed to shoot off or across a public road.
Another hunting technique is to wait for the birds to call. Quail are very vocal in the morning when they regroup. In fact, a few hunters even use a quail call to locate birds.
The best time to hunt quail is early in the season. By December the coveys are much smaller even if they aren’t hunted. In the wild, less than 25 percent of the quail survive the winter. Disease, lack of food and predation by hawks, eagles and other animals takes a tremendous toll on these birds.
Quail season runs through Jan. 31 and the daily limit is 10 with a possession limit of 30. In addition to a hunting license you must also have an upland game stamp.
The best time to hunt quail is early in the season.