A California quail pair and their brood on shaded ground in Richmond. Photo: Michael Warner / CC BY 4.0 — source
Updated Oct. 7, 2026: added the adopted 2026-27 season dates and limits by zone.
The 2026-27 California quail and chukar season is set. Most of the state opens for valley quail and chukar on Saturday, Oct. 17, and everything runs through Jan. 31. Zone Q2 opened for all quail on Sept. 26, and mountain quail opened early in Zone Q1 on Sept. 12.
Zone Q1, mountain quail only (early season): Sept. 12 – Oct. 16. Daily bag 10, possession 30.
Zone Q1, all quail: Oct. 17 – Jan. 31. Daily bag 10, possession 30.
Zone Q2, all quail: Sept. 26 – Jan. 31. Daily bag 10, possession 30.
Zone Q3, all quail: Oct. 17 – Jan. 31. Daily bag 10, possession 30.
Chukar, statewide: Oct. 17 – Jan. 31. Daily bag 6, possession 18.
The quail bag is 10 a day in any combination of species. Zone boundaries are on the map in CDFW's upland game bird regulations; confirm your zone and dates there before you drive.
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How the California Quail and Chukar Season Stagger Works
California's quail season opens in waves. Mountain quail open first, in mid-September in Zone Q1. Zone Q2 follows in late September with all quail. On a single mid-October date the rest of the state opens for every quail species and for chukar, and the whole season runs through late January. The stagger lines up early mountain-quail hunting in the high country with cooler weather while holding valley coveys for the broader October opener.
Bag Limits and Validations for the Quail and Chukar Season
The numbers have held steady: a daily bag of 10 quail in any combination of species, six chukar per day, and a possession limit of triple the daily bag for both. Beyond a hunting license, every quail and chukar hunter needs an Upland Game Bird Validation; buy it before opening week rather than at a license counter on Oct. 16. California also requires nonlead ammunition for all upland hunting statewide, so pattern your nonlead load before opening morning. Our nonlead ammunition planning piece covers what to buy.
Using the Season Calendar to Plan Scouting
A staggered quail and chukar season is a planning gift for California hunters. The mid-September mountain-quail opener rewards hunters who scouted high Sierra and Coast Range slopes in late summer; Oct. 17 is when valley coveys and desert chukar canyons come into play together. Block trips around those windows, and watch the agency's hunting news page for the annual outlook and any zone-boundary changes. For the birds themselves, start with the California valley quail hunting guide and the mountain quail hunting guide.
Conservation Tie-Back
The Upland Game Bird Validation is not just a permission slip; it funds the habitat work that keeps quail and chukar on the landscape. Validation revenue supports guzzler maintenance, brood-habitat projects, and the population surveys that shape each season's outlook, work that groups like Quail Forever extend with volunteer crews. Buying the validation early, and treating the season's bag limits as a floor rather than a target, is the quiet conservation arithmetic behind a sustainable California quail and chukar season.
Matt Gehrmann grew up hunting the Central Valley for pheasant, quail, and dove, and is based in the Bay Area. Read more → · Subscribe to the weekly digest →