California Quailing

    Our fathers taught us that it was “unsportsmanlike” to shoot California quail on the ground as they ran uphill like deserting soldiers. One behind the other, they can put distance between themselves and you quicker than a track star. Never try to outrun them either—you’ll lose every time. Even a dog can have trouble overtaking them. But this particular morning we must confess: It was tempting to “ground sluice” a few to stop their hasty retreat.
    California quail are one of six species of quail in the US (others being Gambel’s, scaled, mountain, Mearns and bobwhite). Centuries ago they were exclusive to Mexico and California, but now they have migrated or been transplanted to Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and even Hawaii. Hence, the more common term for them has become simply “valley quail.” The valley quail is slightly larger than the bobwhite and has the distinctive black-teardrop topknot on its head. The male is slightly bigger than the female, with a larger topknot and distinctive brown, black and white facial markings. The female has a grayer body and lacks facial markings.
    The birds’ diet consists of the seeds of broad-leaved annual plants (forbs), acorns, waste grain, fruits, berries and insects. Very social birds, they often roost together off the ground in tall woody vegetation. Water must be close by, especially in summer and early fall.
    The aboriginal tribes of central California trapped valley quail for food and feathers. When the Spaniards began colonizing California in 1769, their farm crops began to supplement the shrubs, briers, trees and surrounding grassy areas that provide quail with food and cover. The valley quail population grew explosively over the first hundred years of colonial rule, but then factors ranging from market hunting to habitat destruction led to declines. Today, thanks to conservation efforts begun in the early 1900s such as predator control, water augmentation, habitat plantings and grazing limitations, the valley quail has begun to flourish again.
    On the morning mentioned we were in Paso Robles, California, where we had been invited by Geoff Miller, Managing Director of John Rigby & Co., to hunt quail, visit the Rigby factory and “test drive” the new Rigby over/under shotgun that made its debut at the 2009 SCI Convention, in Reno. The one caveat was that Geoff had asked us to bring—and use—vintage Rigby double guns so that his crew could admire them and gain even more appreciation for the heritage with which they’d been entrusted.
    We were driving the dirt roads of a big ranch north of Paso Robles in a “hunting rig” —a four-wheel-drive vehicle with a roofless back designed to accommodate hunters seated but ready. Doug Roth, our ranch host and guide, and Geoff were in the enclosed front cabin of the vehicle. We were in the back with Brandon Holquin, one of the Rigby factory workers. It was a classic California ranch, with rolling valleys covered in oaks and native grasses, and grapevines on the flats. The cattle ponds that dotted the ranch were augmented by quail guzzlers—watering sources with wire enclosures to keep out predators.
    Doug stopped at an area he thought would hold quail, with water nearby, plenty of roost trees, a dirt road for dusting, and ample feeding areas of valley oaks and low scrub. “I’ll stop the rig here,” he said. “Stay put and listen for calls.” From not far ahead came the familiar call of feeding valley quail, the ut-ut-ut they use to communicate when in cover and unable to see each other.
    “Bingo!” Doug said.
    We exited the vehicle on full alert. Doug and Brandon advanced toward the covey while we flanked them. The idea was to bust the covey, shoot a few birds on the rise, and then influence the covey straight ahead with our flanking maneuver. Without flankers, the covey might break in every direction.
    “Get up to the covey as fast as you can,” Doug said. “We don’t want them to scatter and run in all directions. And keep in a line, with the flankers slightly ahead.”
    As we approached, we could see that some birds already were running, obviously aware of our presence. “Don’t shoot them on the ground,” Doug said. “Wait for the rise. Just keep up with them.”
    The quail then switched to the pit-pit-pit call signaling alarm and danger. Valley quail prefer to run, but there are usually a few nervous birds that eventually panic and fly, drawing the rest of the covey into the air. Which is exactly what happened, as several birds flushed and were joined by about 50 of their comrades.
    Doug was using the new Rigby over/under 12-bore ejector and shot one bird that went down like a pillow coming apart. Brandon was carrying a vintage 1868 Rigby 12-bore pinfire side-by-side hammergun. He dispatched another bird on the rise, but it was tough to find the second shot through the smoke. Roger downed a quail with a Rigby 12-bore centerfire side-by-side hammergun made in 1876, and Steve got a double using a 12-bore Rigby side-by-side hammerless gun made in 1901. Our first covey rise had set the score at five birds—although we listed Doug’s as “SBR” (shot beyond recognition).
     Coveys hate to be broken up, and when it happens, individuals tend to hold tight and issue the assembly call chi-ca-go. After a covey rise and the first shots, it’s often best to retrieve any downed birds, stay close and use a quail call to locate the escapees. Solo birds often will answer and give away their positions. In the next half-hour we added seven birds to our bag using these tactics.
    We didn’t have dogs with us, but both pointers and flushing dogs are well suited for hunting valley quail. After the initial covey rise, a pointing dog can be especially helpful in finding singles that hold tight. Likewise, dogs are handy when you retrace your steps to the area of the first covey rise looking for stragglers. Those birds typically will hold extra tight.
     Where was Geoff during all of this? He had remained in the truck, preferring to watch us and “his” Rigbys in action. The grin on his face when we returned to the truck was a combination of “proud papa” and “Cheshire Cat.”
    “Boys,” he said, “you have to think John Rigby is smiling down on us right now from gunmakers’ heaven.”
    On another occasion Geoff joined us carrying his favorite gun: a new Rigby 20-bore side-by-side sidelock ejector. Despite our flanking maneuvers, however, the covey decided to scatter uphill. Chasing valley quail upslope where they can run and hide requires more exertion than Geoff or Steve were up for, so Geoff gave Brandon his gun and returned to the truck with Steve while the rest of us soldiered on. Doug knew that the only way to confuse “upwardly mobile” valley quail is to get to them as fast as possible by running uphill and then try to disperse them. After that, the hunters can concentrate on singles trying to circle back to the site of the initial rise.
    Geoff and Steve wound up being incidental beneficiaries of this as they shot birds that flushed downhill toward the truck.
     Valley quail rarely venture far from their roost, feeding areas and water. After sunrise, when the earth has warmed, a covey goes to its feeding grounds, where it stays until midday. Then the covey finds suitable cover in which to rest or seeks out water. Birds may come out of the cover to dust their feathers in bare soil. In the late afternoon the covey again seeks feeding areas, where it dines until it’s time to return to the roost. The best times to hunt are early morning and late afternoon, when the covey is on the move. As you search for birds, occasionally stop and use the assembly call (commercial versions of which are available), and scan for tracks and dusting areas. Watch, too, for “sentinel” birds perched atop fenceposts or tall bushes. These birds are usually the ones that respond when you use the assembly call.
    We returned to the truck and continued on, and it wasn’t long before we had a few 10-bird limits and enough photos to make the idea of retiring for the day sound good.

    Back at the Rigby factory, it was “show and tell” time with the staff. Many of the firm’s craftsmen had seen older double rifles that had been returned for adjustment or repair, but none had seen Rigbys made more than a century ago. As Geoff Miller had expected, their pride in working for a gunmaker that can trace its beginnings to the 18th Century was reflected in their faces and voices as they pored over guns made by their predecessors in the Old World.
    It had been a proud day for all of us as appreciators of both quality gamebirds and the fine guns used in their pursuit.

    Authors’ Note: California’s Central Coast is legendary for its valley-quail habitat. Ranches here tend to be large, and many, such as Doug Roth’s Camp Five Outfitters (www.camp5outfitters.com), provide lodging and guides. Others allow fee-based trespass privileges for self-guided hunters. Army and National Guard installations, including 200,000-acre Fort Hunter Liggett (www.liggett.army.mil) and 43,000-acre Camp Roberts (www.calguard.ca.gov/cprbts), provide public access.

Roger Sanger is the founder and past president of the California Side by Side Society. He co-founded the Gold Medal Concours in 2001 and the Western Concours in 2008. Steve Helsley, a retired California law-enforcement executive, is currently a consultant for the NRA. He is also a collector of vintage British firearms and an avid reloader.