Got some directions from the neighbor about where a ton of Jack's were on Friday. Woohoo! Time to get some trigger time in!

So up with the chickens on Saturday, trundle down the mountain to the high dez, get to the spot, sun comes up and....uh....totally wrong habitat for Jack's. Buuut....it looks like perfect hab for quail. Hard, mesquite/salt bush and rock festooned mesas and deep, vertical gorges. Perfect!

Wasn't long into my stroll until "pit pit pit, peep peep peep" then flushing wing beats were heard. "BRRRRRRRR!" It's thick, but I'm getting glimpses of "cartoon feet" twixt the bushes as well. Every few min's I'm bumping something.

Managed to wander onto a Reserve as well. It's open for a while during quail season. Small window but a good one.

My stroll took me a little over 5 hours and covered some pretty gnarly terrain. Didn't see any Jack's, or pull the trigger (Quail starts 10/3 here), but I got some needed miles in and learned more about a new spot. I also had the whole area to myself. Not a sound or a soul anywhere.

Haven't made a kill in almost two years I think, due to a lot of reasons, and that's how it goes sometimes...but this year is looking good to break that spell. And as always, it's nice to be alive and kicking bushes again.

Pics:

1- biggest saguaro ever...at least 30' tall. It's all by itself too...really odd but beautiful. This is also the most open spot around there. Once in season I'll be shooting through "keyholes" in 8' tall mesquite and salt weed and cholla!

2- if you don't know what cholla is, you dont wana know what cholla is.

3- good boots: Red Wing Irish Setter Black Bear's. Best boot on earth. 3rd season on these. I can kill a pair of boots in one hunt, but these keep going. Check in with one of our fine sponsors here at the 'Nut and order a pair- insul or non-insul. They are water proof and bomb proof. If I can't kill these, I doubt anyone can.

4- I think you kids call this a "selfy"...or some stupid interwebs name. Hahahaha...see the first set of foothills? Yup. There and back in 100* heat doing big figure "8's". Bring yer walkin' shoes ladies.

AAHHHHhhhh wabbits in the desert, I love the quest. This is what I used to do, find a high spot under a tree, sit down and scope the shade behind sahuaros and trees, that's where they sit during the heat of the day. If you find one, you'll find lots more in the same area. You can get pretty close if it's really hot out, I use to shoot them with my .32 magnum pistola. From a hill top we also used to chase them with a .22 semi auto rifle (it's not a very nice thing to do, but it's fun). Check the liver if you're going to eat them, either high desert or low desert, (I don't remember) is suspect for rocky mt. spotted fever and some other nasties (wear gloves). They like to eat creoste bushes and grasses. Good luck!



Suz

Looking real flash there Stovey. Do your rabbits build "pill hills"...little mounds of rabbit droppings. Over here, the rabbits from each warren crap in the same spot and it is a sure sign of an active warren...assuming the scat is fresh.

Keep scouting mate, as we used to say in the Army...time spent in reconnaissance is never wasted.

yip look in the shade..when we shot in Tarras it got to stage that if you saw a rabbity looking rock in the shade you shot it 9 times out of 10 in was a bunny.

LOL keep looking Stoves, you will find them wabbits.

Be wewy quwiet tho!

Try to wave your foofoo's and you will make them very cureous...
then you whistle like a carrot to get them closer...
and when they see you and start laughing, you get about 2 seconds to shoot when they're trying to get some air between the laughs.

Easier done than explained...