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QUAIL-CHUKAR OPENER EXCELLENT -- Jim Matthews-ONS -- 23oct03
Quail and chukar opener was excellent thanks to good hatch
Hunter's reports from throughout Southern California point to an excellent quail and chukar season if the opening weekend is any indication of how things will go this fall. The Mojave Desert regions were particularly good.
"It was great in some places and in others guys I checked didn't have a bird," said Andy Pauli, a Department of Fish and Game biologist who checked hunters in the Mojave National Preserve opening weekend. Pauli said that of the 70 hunters he contacted 36 had quail with an average of three birds per hunter.
Pauli did say, however, that it was highly likely that hunters he checked early found more birds later in the day. For example, he ran into six hunters near Hole-In-The-Wall Campground at 8:30 a.m. who already had 32 birds between them and they were still hunting.
"Three of us limited out in the Van Winkle area," said Bob Slamal of Riverside Ski and Sport, who hunted on the preserve opening weekend. "We saw six or seven coveys, a total of probably over 200 birds."
Slamal, Scott Reed, and Kent Crozier, all Riverside, had 10 Gambel's quail each on opening day, but it took hard hunting to get limits of the little runners in the Mojave National Preserve.
Slamal said most of the birds they bagged were young birds, and that jives with Pauli's counts of birds this year. Pauli classified over 400 Gambel's quail this year in 38 broods and the broods averaged 10 birds.
Chukar hunting in the West Mojave and in the Red Mountain area in the El Paso and Rand mountain ranges was very good for those willing to buck the steep hills. Both Pauli and Sierra DFG biologist Rocky Thompson reported good broods for chukar in their counts earlier this year and that translated into good hunting, thanks to lots of young birds.
Jim Monroe, a Lancaster hunter, took three hunting buddies into the El Paso's near a favorite guzzler, or small game and bird watering device, and they had an excellent hunt.
Monroe lamented that he sprained his ankle early and only was able to get three birds, but first-time chukar hunter Rick Bae of Valencia managed four birds, while Dean Hill and Ronnie Wright, both Mira Loma, each had limits of six chukar.
Dave Stuck of Simi Valley hunted near a guzzler in the Granite Mountains northeast of Apple Valley and managed to get four birds before fleeing the heat on Sunday.
“I found the guzzler in the morning to be covered with fresh tracks, but it wasn't until later, hunting southeast in a jumble land of rocks, that I found the birds. One flock had 100 birds and a second flock had about 50. I ended up with four for the day. If I'd stayed longer I could have easily limited out,” said Stuck.
"I think we're going to have a good season overall," said Pauli.
[Hunters can e-mail Jim Matthews their reports and photos from the ongoing upland bird season at odwriter@earthlink.net, or you can call Matthews at 909-887-3444.]
Quail and chukar opener was excellent thanks to good hatch
Hunter's reports from throughout Southern California point to an excellent quail and chukar season if the opening weekend is any indication of how things will go this fall. The Mojave Desert regions were particularly good.
"It was great in some places and in others guys I checked didn't have a bird," said Andy Pauli, a Department of Fish and Game biologist who checked hunters in the Mojave National Preserve opening weekend. Pauli said that of the 70 hunters he contacted 36 had quail with an average of three birds per hunter.
Pauli did say, however, that it was highly likely that hunters he checked early found more birds later in the day. For example, he ran into six hunters near Hole-In-The-Wall Campground at 8:30 a.m. who already had 32 birds between them and they were still hunting.
"Three of us limited out in the Van Winkle area," said Bob Slamal of Riverside Ski and Sport, who hunted on the preserve opening weekend. "We saw six or seven coveys, a total of probably over 200 birds."
Slamal, Scott Reed, and Kent Crozier, all Riverside, had 10 Gambel's quail each on opening day, but it took hard hunting to get limits of the little runners in the Mojave National Preserve.
Slamal said most of the birds they bagged were young birds, and that jives with Pauli's counts of birds this year. Pauli classified over 400 Gambel's quail this year in 38 broods and the broods averaged 10 birds.
Chukar hunting in the West Mojave and in the Red Mountain area in the El Paso and Rand mountain ranges was very good for those willing to buck the steep hills. Both Pauli and Sierra DFG biologist Rocky Thompson reported good broods for chukar in their counts earlier this year and that translated into good hunting, thanks to lots of young birds.
Jim Monroe, a Lancaster hunter, took three hunting buddies into the El Paso's near a favorite guzzler, or small game and bird watering device, and they had an excellent hunt.
Monroe lamented that he sprained his ankle early and only was able to get three birds, but first-time chukar hunter Rick Bae of Valencia managed four birds, while Dean Hill and Ronnie Wright, both Mira Loma, each had limits of six chukar.
Dave Stuck of Simi Valley hunted near a guzzler in the Granite Mountains northeast of Apple Valley and managed to get four birds before fleeing the heat on Sunday.
“I found the guzzler in the morning to be covered with fresh tracks, but it wasn't until later, hunting southeast in a jumble land of rocks, that I found the birds. One flock had 100 birds and a second flock had about 50. I ended up with four for the day. If I'd stayed longer I could have easily limited out,” said Stuck.
"I think we're going to have a good season overall," said Pauli.
[Hunters can e-mail Jim Matthews their reports and photos from the ongoing upland bird season at odwriter@earthlink.net, or you can call Matthews at 909-887-3444.]
