They live in high elevation alpine habitats at low densities from the Sonora Pass south to Sequoia National Park. This is the smallest species of ptarmigan and the only one found in California. The white-tailed ptarmigan is a non-native grouse that was introduced by CDFW to the Sierra Nevada in the early 1970s. A light gun is helpful because a fast swing is often necessary. Grouse are easily frightened and will sometimes fly in a zigzag pattern when flushed. Dogs are useful companions for grouse hunters, due in part to the grouse’s tendency toward a fast, explosive flush. A third species, the greater sage-grouse, can be hunted by permit only.Īlthough they are fairly large birds, grouse camouflage themselves very well. A map of the hunt zones for sooty and ruffed grouse can be found on the CDFW website. For sooty and ruffed grouse, the bag limit is two (all of one species or mixed) and possession limit is triple the daily bag. The general hunting season for both species extends from Sept. Sooty grouse occur in the mountainous regions in the northern and eastern parts of the state, while the ruffed grouse is restricted to the extreme northwestern part of the state. Not surprisingly, California quail is the most frequently bagged of the three species.Ĭalifornia has two species of native forest-dwelling grouse: the sooty (or blue) grouse and the ruffed grouse. CDFW reminds hunters that wasting game is both unethical and illegal.ĬDFW estimates that in the 2014/15 season, approximately 470,000 quail were bagged across all three species by 69,000 hunters over the course of 550,000 hunter-days. Because of their ability to blend in and the brushy habitats, hit quail can be a challenge to find, and dogs can be useful for both locating and retrieving birds. A modified or improved cylinder choke is recommended to avoid excessively damaging the bird. Quail are most commonly hunted with 20, 16 or 12 gauge shotguns. Once they are away from cover and foraging, quail tend to stay on the move throughout the day. Quail have distinctive calls that can provide clues to the birds’ roosting spot or direction. Successful quail hunters know to look for freshly turned soil depressions in a circular shape, which can indicate where the birds have been taking dust baths. Like most upland birds, quail are most active in the early morning and later afternoon. Grass and forb production was better than the previous year and summer broods averaged seven chicks in drier areas, and eight chicks in wetter areas. Despite the ongoing drought, the winter and spring conditions of 2015 were moist at times, providing some beneficial conditions and encouraging reproduction in wetter areas. 3-4 for young hunters with junior hunting licenses in Mojave National Preserve.įor all quail species, the daily bag limit is 10 and the possession limit is triple the daily bag.Īll three native species of quail have high reproductive potential with large hatches following good years of late-winter and early-spring precipitation. Finally, an additional two-day early hunt season will be open on Oct. The remainder of the state will open to quail hunting Oct. 26, the early general quail season opens in several coastal counties between San Francisco and Mendocino. 16 and covers much of the mountainous region of northern and eastern California (the zone map can be found on the CDFW website). The early mountain quail season starts on Sept. Gambel’s quail are California’s most desert adapted species and can be found in the arid lands of southeastern California. Mountain quail are also widespread, and live in steep and rugged mid to high elevation terrain. California quail (the state bird) are common and widespread throughout the state in brushy areas with good cover and abundant food. There are three species of quail found in California: California quail, mountain quail and Gambel’s quail. Quail are one of the state’s most popular native game birds.
Additional information about each species can be found below.
Specific information about each of these opportunities, including zone maps and information about daily bag limits and possession limits for each species can be found on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Upland Game Bird Hunting webpage. 12-20) and band-tailed pigeon (the northern hunt zone only will be open from Sept. 12) white-tailed ptarmigan (general and archery seasons will be open from Sept. 31) sooty and ruffed grouse (general season will be open in various northern and eastern counties from Sept. 16, and Zone Q2 will be open for all quail from Sept. September openers include quail (Zone Q1 opens for mountain quail only from Sept.
SeptemThe 2015 general hunting season will open in mid-September for various upland game bird species in specific zones around the state, providing hunters with many opportunities to bring home some delicious table fare for the upcoming holiday seasons.
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