Johnathan O’Dell, Small Game Biologist, Arizona Game and Fish Department, sent us a very nice write-up of the conditions in ARIZONA:
“Gambel’s, scaled, and Mearns’ are all very sensitive to the amount of
precipitation and its timing. For nesting success, Gambel’s respond to
winter rains, scaled spring rains, and Mearns’ summer monsoons.
However, rain is not evenly applied over the landscape so pockets
develop that hold better quail numbers than others. Serious scouting and
rain gauge data are two of your best resources for a successful hunt.
“The 2011 call count resulted in the
lowest numbers we’ve seen since the surveys began. Of course, this was
well below the long-term [forty-year] average and is likely to have
negatively impacted harvest. The 2012 call count index is still below
the long-term average, but is on par with the ten-year average. These
low numbers are primarily explained by the severe drought Arizona has
experienced in the last few years.
"Drought conditions in the first half of
2012 produced little in the way of favorable conditions for either
Gambel’s or scaled quail. Young Gambel’s quail were first observed this
year in April, but later hatches occurred in some areas. The La Niña
weather patterns dominated all of Arizona from January through June.
This year’s monsoonal rains did arrive on schedule and have dropped a
fair amount of water. The bottom line is, expect a slightly better year
than last for all three quail species, but no better than what we’ve
seen in the past ten years.”
NEW MEXICO
is still feeling the effects of a prolonged drought throughout the
majority of the state, says Dr. Joseph Sands, program coordinator.
Fortunately, May and June got some rain showers to offer some
relief. “Biologists have observed that broods of scaled and Gambel’s
quail are relatively more abundant than in 2011,” adds Sands. “The
Department is cautiously optimistic that the 2012-2013 quail season
will represent an improvement from a hunt quality standpoint, though
populations may remain at relatively low abundance.”Winter and spring conditions were favorable leading up to the breeding season of all three quail species in most areas in CALIFORNIA. The northern region will likely see improved numbers of quail; however, it’s been a hot summer in the southern part of the state, which could negatively affect quail populations.
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