Are you searching for a mountain quail hunting guide to complete your upland slam? If we had to choose one upland bird to hunt the rest of our life, it would have to be the mountain quail. If it wasn’t for the beautiful landscapes they call home, they win the award for craftiness and excellent table fare. As the name implies, these are the birds of the mountains. The mountain quail loves brush choked hillsides next to water. It’s common to find mountain quail in the vicinity of sooty grouse, ruffed grouse, band-tailed pigeon, and squirrel, depending on the part of the state. We often find valley quail in the same spots as mountain quail in lower elevation locations, especially late in the season. Folks often call amidst the season and ask if “now is a good time to hunt mountain quail?” The answer is always yes. While some years have better hatches than others – there isn’t the annual fluctuations in quail numbers like you might find in desert quail species. Mountain quail hunting in the early season is very different from the late season; however, no part of the season is better or worse. The early season the quail are more spread out across the mountains but never far from water. In the late season the snow pushes quail lower which concentrates the birds along lower elevation brushy south facing exposures. The season starts early, runs late, and bag limits are generous. There is no place better than California to chase mountain quail. We use pointing dogs that are also trained to retrieve for quail hunts.