Quail Hunting Info >> Quail Hunts

The Mountain Quail ( Oreortyx pictus ) is more often heard than seen and prefers areas of dense cover in the wooded mountains and foothills of the United States west coast. The mountain quail populations have been declining over the last 50 years although the bird’s secretive nature makes it rather difficult to accurately census. The mountain quail is one of the largest birds of the quail family with a long and straight head plume. There aren’t any noticeable differences between the male and the female mountain quail, they both have gray heads and breasts, maroon-colored throats and chestnut bellies that are marked with bold white bars, brownish-gray upperparts and rufous under tail coverts.

These birds are hard to be detected but during the spring and summer time the males’ “queark“ calls announces the presences of mountain quails in the area. The mountain quail can be found year-round in the mountain areas of U.S. west coast, the Sierra Nevada, Coast Ranges and Cascade. Mountain quail populations have greatly reduced in the eastern part of Washington, eastern Oregon and the state of Nevada during the last half of the 20th century and in Idaho,where once there was a large number of these birds, the mountain quail is nearly extinct.

Unlike other species of quail, the mountain quail is capable of utilizing high elevation habitats, occurring during the breeding season at respectable elevations of up to 3,000 meters in Sierra Nevada, Coastal Range and the Cascades. In the fall the birds undergo an altitudinal migration, supposedly walking ( rarely flying ) downslope to lower elevations maybe because of the appearance of snow. During this period these birds travel in coveys and in the spring season the migrants travel back upslope alone and in some cases in pairs.

Regarding their nutrition, the mountain quail has a varied diet and employs a number of foraging techniques. Plant matter consists the mountain quail’s main type of food but they also eat invertebrates in some cases. In central California in the summer season, the mountain quails dig in the ground for bulblets and also climb trees looking for seeds and fruits. Also in California, these birds feed heavily on acorns in the autumn and mushrooms in the winter.

Mountain quails can be found in shrub dominated areas ( with dense vegetative cover ) during their breeding season. They are most common in coniferous forests, chaparral and pine-oak woodland. Their nests consist of shallow depressions on the ground and usually contain 10 up to 12 eggs. The incubation period lasts approximately 24 days and the young quail leaves the nest just only a few hours after hatching. The young mountain quail feed itself but they are directed towards food sources by one or two adults.

Apparently the greatest threat that faces this specie is habitat destruction, mostly because of the human interference. An example would be the urbanization in the mountain areas of southern California that led to the decrease of the populations. Another example would be the increased development in Sierra Nevada. Hunting this specie has been banned in Idaho and the eastern part of Oregon due to the fact that the populations are declining.

Useful Info :

Gallery :