A day in the Sierras

Well I made it back up Friday. The quail seem to be trickling into the most prime areas and making for some very good hunting if you can find these areas. I was reluctant to hit my honey hole again but I figured I better put the two newbies I brought along on some birds. The covey on the migration trail has grown considerably since opening day and now has north of 20 birds in it. I took three more quail out of it and the two guys I brought both missed on their only opportunities. I don't think I'm in particularly good shape but after seeing what a five or so mile mountain hike did to the other guys I guess I'm in a little better shape than they are. I knew another big hike was not in the cards for those two so we stopped at two more spots down the hill where quail can normally be found not far from the road but they didn't produce any flushes. Another great day in the high country for me with two buddies who I'm sure now know that dedicated upland hunters are in fact bat s**t crazy.:D

Sorry no pics, I was to busy giving my friends a hard time to snap any.:cheers:
 
quail hound said:
I knew another big hike was not in the cards for those two
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This made me laugh. As a young man I'd do something similar when guys would bug me to go hunt places I'd spent the effort to find. I looked good because I took them and they never wanted to hunt there again. I almost ended up with a brand new Model 70 Winchester when a guy I was deer hunting with said he couldn't carry it any more and was going to leave it. I said just put it down, walk away, and when I pick it up and carry it back it's going to be mine. Anger helped him find new strength.
Sounds like you'd profit from exploring to find more cover, Robert. If there are birds in that type of cover there should be birds in similar cover in the area. Google Earth and Apple Maps(if you have an Apple) have found me any number of places to hunt everything from Snipe to pheasants. Sitting in a valley and finding stringer meadows to later hike to for Blue Grouse was a very successful method.
 
Not the greatest pic, was on zoom, but nice size mountain quail

Oh, I let him go :)



This is why they call em "Mountain Quail"

 
Great pics SG! Not a blade of green grass in my mountains, glad the north got a little early moisture.:thumbsup:
 
Thanks

Its very dry and dusty up here now, had some weather come thru a couple weeks ago.....hope weather comes back soon!

Quail population pretty good this year in my area even with drought.....seeing lots of youngsters, must be late hatch....saw a covey of 12-15 but didnt shoot, a little to small, will let em get bigger :thumbsup:
 
wild grouse chase

I took a trip up to the real high country to look for some grouse in an area I've seen a few before, no birds in hand but boy was the view worth the hike. I talked with a guy fishing on the way out and he said he watched two grouse flush across a cove and land about 300yds behind me while I was across the lake from him. :(

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Great Pics Robert and sooty. Welcome back sooty long time no hear from. Man those mountain Quail are big.
 
Mountain quail are definitely a nice sized bird. Closer in size to a chukar than to a bob white.
 
Was out deer hunting above north fork, lots of spring and creeks with water trickling down canyon, thought for sure Id run into some quail...nope, I think the fire that rolled thru here years ago took out some of the population in this area......saw deer tracks and bear scat that was it





 
Jakeismydog2 said:
You guys have any update on the Applegate fire? We lived in Auburn for a while and know that area quite well.
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Looks like its about 67% contained at 450 acres burned and evacuations are being lifted. 10 structures were destroyed including 6 houses.
 
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