CA Quail Hot, Quail Forever’s Forecast
CA Chukar On Fire Too
Quail (and chukar) are looking “fantastic” in California, according to several reports, and California also is a standout in Quail Forever’s 2010 quail forecast.
A few highlights on California from this newspaper column:
> The prognosis is for an excellent hunting season, thanks to a good carryover of birds from last year and a terrific hatch of young this spring.
> John Shaver, president of the High Desert Chapter of Quail Forever, spends a lot of time poking around the desert and getting a feel for bird numbers. I asked him if he thought the fall hunting season was going to be as good as that of 2005. As a frame of reference, on a one-to-10 scale, the 2005 hunting season for quail and chukar was a 10 in the southern half of California. Shaver was quick to answer: “I think its going to be better,” he said.
> Everyone I’ve spoken with is seeing evidence of multiple broods, with two or three hatches reported in a lot of areas. Large broods are also on the ground everywhere. Bob Stafford, a Department of Fish and Game senior biologist for the Central Coast and Carrizo Plain region, said his region’s birds produced multiple broods in 2010. In June, Stafford said he already was seeing two distinct hatches of birds and was expecting the quail to “pull off some third and fourth clutches. We’ve certainly had the second and into the third right now.”
> Chukar numbers look to be just as good. In fact, Shaver was mostly talking about chukar when he said he thought this year would be better than 2005. Hunting buddy Chris Coston of Orange said he was out in the west Mojave this past week scouting one small area and said he “saw maybe 400 to 500 chukar.”
Holy crap! Trip to Cali anyone?
Category: 2010, CA, Chukar, Forecasts/counts, Quail, Quail Forever
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Idaho had a banner crop this year too!
Great blog! Glad I found it!
Shawn