Author Michael Dickerson shot these valley quail near Lake Nacimiento. Habitat conditions throughout the state have left populations of valley, Gambel's and mountain quail in excellent condition for the 2005 hunting season. Photo courtesy of Michael Dickerson

Add water, watch and wait.

That's the simple recipe for producing lots of quail in California. Unfortunately, Golden State quail-hunting aficionados have been watching and waiting for many long years -- watching less-than-average precipitation year after year, and waiting for bird numbers to show some sign of recovery to historic levels.

The waiting has officially ended.


With parts of the state recording the second-greatest amount of precipitation ever recorded in a single year, the entire food chain -- particularly in Southern California -- has leaped directly from a slow idle into overdrive.

"I'm not kidding when I say I think this season could be a season to remember," says Sonke Mastrup, deputy director of the DFG's Wildlife and Inland Fisheries Division. "If you're going to hunt upland game, you have to seriously consider this season."

If Mastrup thinks it's going to be a great season, you might consider getting in some serious practice on clay birds. Mastrup should know. He literally wrote the book on the subject. He's the author of the DFG-published Guide to Hunting Quail in California, which is updated every couple of years and serves as an excellent reference for locating public-land quail-hunting opportunities in the state.

The reason for Mastrup's optimism was clear to anyone who ventured afield this spring and witnessed the phenomenal wildflower blooms and a green-up that was off the scale in intensity. At one point, the hills of Death Valley looked more like the hills of Ireland -- an event that had never before happened in anyone's living memory.

"We're anticipating that this season may be one of the best we've ever had," says Dick Haldeman, western states regional director for Quail Unlimited. "Water conditions are excellent. We're coming out of a really drastic fire season, and we're into our second year of strong growth of early successional habitat, which is good for both nesting and brood rearing -- and it's also easier to hunt.

"This is one of the few years that I don't have a bad area to talk about," he adds. "Everything looks really good. One clue is when you're driving up and down the state and you have to stop at every rest stop to wipe the bugs off your windshield -- you know you're looking at a good season. We've had lots of bugs this year, and lots of wildflowers."

Quail, like wildflowers, require sufficient rain to reproduce. That's why it's axiomatic that good wildflower years generally translate into good quail seasons. Late winter and early spring rains create the green-up that's essential to quail reproduction. New green forage provides the body conditioning and energy reserves to see hens through the stressful process of laying their eggs. Experts believe that the vitamin A in green feed actually stimulates reproduction.

Moreover, precipitation is responsible for all of the food available to quail throughout the year. It produces both the green feed needed by adults and the insects required by chicks. As insects decline, young birds eat seeds produced by the spring green-up.

Although annual quail population surveys had yet to be completed as this issue went to press, the amount and timing of the rains in most areas of the state appear to have been nearly perfect to produce bumper crops of feathered buzz bombs. Here's a region-by-region breakdown of what upland gunners can expect this season.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
From Bust To Boom
"If I were in Southern California, I'd be loading shot shells," says Mastrup. "When you get this kind of rain in the south with a good base population, you have the potential for an outstanding year. The signs are all good."

The devastating wildfires of the last couple of years are playing a significant role, he says. "That early successional habitat always helps, particularly with California quail. That's their forté -- their primary habitat -- and they make the most of those conditions. With the carryover and good nesting conditions, it should be pretty good. The nice thing about upland game is they're real responsive to a good year or two of weather. They can come back darn fast."