The Arizona Quail Hunting Camp       
Host: Bob Corley, Globe, Az.

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2009 - 2010 Arizona Bird Season
Oct. 2, 2009 - Feb. 7, 2010  Gambel's & Scaled
Nov. 27, 2009 - Feb. 7, 2010 Mearn's

Latest Quail Reports:
June 20, 2009  From the Ariz Republic:  "Coolest June since 1913 !!"  Teenagers! !
May 23, 2009  Three days of rain. Male calls, still guarding nests.
May 13, 2009  First brood of hatchlings
Feb. 12, 2009  Use of a Quail Call.

2009 - 2010 Bird Season Quail Reports
2008 - 2009 Bird Season Quail Reports
Bob Stevens' Traditional Apache Hunting Website

            Max & Rusty & my favorite little 20 ga. Beretta Blackwing                                Ah, yes.  The best days of the rest of our lives.  Jan., 2009

 

• Carry a leatherman. Remove cactus, repair your glasses, remove a jammed shell hull. I also carry a small comb for flipping cacti out of the Britts.  Depending upon circumstances and type of cacti, works well.
• Carry water. I use a hydrapack or Camelback with 70 oz.  for Britts and me.
• Wear light, Gortex lined, waterproof, uninsulated hiking boots.  My favorite brands are  Merrills.  Insulated boots are overkill in Arizona. Once you start walking your feet will be warm.
• Wear a blaze orange vest and/or cap. For safety reasons but also so hunters in your group can find you when you are a ridge or two away.  The last few years we have begun carrying small radios with ranges of 2-5 miles.  They are a great in-the-field communications link.
• Pants.  I like either heavy jeans or Carhart-type. If you are hunting in catclaw, definitely get the type with reinforced material on the front.  I don't wear snake leggings.
• Shirts.  Layer.  Most days  Nov.-Feb. I wear a light cotton long sleeve.  Roll it up when the day warms.
• Quail call:  I use a Lohman's wooden call to locate Gambel's.  With practice, you can do "covey clucks" and the more familiar "Chi-ca-go" call to locate and regroup after the covey is split.  Wait.  Sometimes the giveaway cluck is several minutes after you call.  Early season  the birds can be very silent, but later in Nov./Dec/Jan. many times a return call will give away the covey location. I always start with the covey cluck and wait before ever using the Chi-ca-go.
  
• Gloves.  Both left and right batting or shooting gloves are great on cold days and for pushing your way through mesquites and catclaws.
• Guns & ammunition: The Corley clan has gone to 20 ga. the last 25 years shooting 7/8 oz shot,  reloaded for 1,200 ft/sec.   We have never "needed" size 6 shot, but many recommend 6's for the second shot or if birds are getting up wild. The last several seasons we have loaded size #7 shot. Love it. Still a good pattern with 7/8 oz. but a bit more knock down or fewer crippled birds.  My personal preference is an over/under Beretta with improved cylinder/skeet.  I love the Beretta light weight and balance.  My father and son have had great success with Remingtons.  Dad used a lightweight 1100 auto and Matt a lightweight 870 pump both 20 ga. with improved cylinders.  My "back-up" gun is now a Benelli Montefeltro semi-auto inertia driven, lightweight 20. Choke of choice remains IC.
  
• For the Britts:   I use "PadHeal" and "Tuff-Foot" as first aid and dog pad conditioners.  I use Lewis Dog Boots (out of Okla.) if I hunt the Britts several days in a row and they need the added reinforcement or protection.  Use Vet Wrap to protect the ankle underneath the boot, then medical tape or ductape to attach the boot then to Vet Wrap.  I much prefer to toughen up their feet and run them barefooted.
• Carry a light, disposable or digital camera for that point and photo of a lifetime.
• Get your muscles and your feet in shape.  If you are used to Nebraska corn fields, soft Iowa plowed ground,  Texas flatlands, or Michigan woods, the Arizona desert can put a hurt on you.  Your feet will notice it before your muscles do!!
• See you in the hills with my Britts!
• Email: Robert O. Corley, Globe, Az.

• How do you identify juvenile birds of the year?
  Mearns:  "adult carry-over Mearn's have distinct barring on the wing coverts compared to irregular barring in the juvenile birds of the year." David Brown, "Arizona Game Birds", c. 1989, pgs. 116-117.   His study and data from 1965 - 1978 shows Mearn's birds of the year percentage ranges to be from 57 - 88% depending almost completely on June - August precipitation and protection from overgrazing, i.e., the higher the percentage, the better the hatch and survival of young.
  
  Gambel's and Scaled:  Brown also tells you how to ID Gambel's and scaled juveniles using the secondary coverts. pgs. 6 and 163-164. A great resource if you haven't checked it out.

Arizona Game & Fish Department
San Carlos Recreation & Wildlife Website
Bob Stevens' Traditional Apache Hunting Website
Amanda's Coues Whitetail Website  Great whitetail site if you are planning to hunt our small Arizona deer.  Amanda is a biologist and includes tons of information.
French Brittany Gun Dog Association
French Brittany eGroup   E-mail group of French Britt lovers.
GunDogs Unlimited.com   Dog training, vets, shooting, on-line periodical.
Bird Dog & Retriever News   Hunting and gun dog site.
Varmint Al's Hunting Page  Great hints on enjoying hunting in the off-season.
Arizona Sportsman's Journal & Azuho Productions Arizona television production of hunting/fishing shows and links to outdoor sites.
Arizona Outdoors Arizona Hunting, Fishing, Boating, Archery and much more.
Outdoor Rendezvous
Az Game & Fish Quail Hunters' Online Logbook

Pass on the tradition -- circa 1984, in the Tonto Basin
L-R:  Matt, Bob, Ted, Jason, Olan G., Kenny, Ken (K-9)

Quail Reports 2005 - 2006
Quail Reports 2006 - 2007