Planning a First Trip to San Diego County Quail Country: The Closure Map Comes First
San Diego County holds California quail on hundreds of thousands of acres of public land, and stacks four layers of closures and restrictions on top of it. A planning guide that starts with the legal map, not the birds.
Hunting the Overlap: Sooty Grouse, Band-Tails, and Quail in the High Sierra in September
Three days hunting sooty grouse near Hope Valley, two empty ones, and a band tailed pigeon Peter shot on the last afternoon.
California Public Land Designations: Where Upland Hunting Is Legal, Restricted, or Closed
The map app shows you green. Green is not a designation. What BLM, national forest, national monument, state wildlife area, refuge, and state park each actually mean for a shotgun — and the two-minute check that settles it before you drive.
Reading Recent Burns for Birds: The New Fire Layer on California's Upland Map
We added California's recent wildfire perimeters to our upland species map, colored by burn age — because the one-to-three-year window after a fire is some of the best quail country in the state. Here's why burns matter, and how to read the new layer.
The Four Weeks That Decide October: Quail Prep While Dove Is Still Open
The dove split closes on the 15th and quail is a month out. That gap is the most useful four weeks on the California upland calendar and the easiest to waste. What we are actually doing with ours.
What Changes in a Sacramento Valley Dove Field After Opening Weekend
The field you scouted in August is not the field that exists on Sept. 8. Four things move in the first week of the season — pressure, water, cut dates, and the birds themselves — and the hunters still shooting on the 14th are the ones who tracked them.
Last-Minute Opener Checklist
Nine days to the California dove opener. The checklist we run before every September 1 — paperwork, shells, pattern, field and backup, water and ice, the dog's heat plan, and the ten-minute regs check that saves the morning.
Where to Camp Opener Weekend: Sac Valley CDFW Areas
Most Sacramento Valley CDFW wildlife areas are day-use ground — so where does an opener-weekend hunter actually sleep? The logistics pattern: the day-use default, the shooting-time math from a campsite 30 minutes out, gates and check-ins, ice resupply, and the river, forest, and commercial options nearby.
California Dove Regulations 2026-27: HIP, Limits, Lead-Free Zones
The 2026-27 California dove regulations are final: September 1 opener, 15-bird aggregate limit, HIP validation, nonlead statewide. The pre-opener check to run against the CDFW booklet before you load the truck.
Scouting Summer Dove Fields in California: Reading Sunflower, Safflower, and Grain Edges Before the September Opener
A summer guide to scouting California dove fields: how sunflower, safflower, and grain stubble pull mourning doves, plus the water and roost lines to map now.
Planning the 2026-27 California Quail and Chukar Season: Zones, Dates, and Bag Limits
The 2026-27 California quail and chukar season by zone: when each zone opens, the bag and possession limits, and the validations to buy before opening day.
How to Scout Public Land for Upland Birds Without Leaving Your Couch (Then What to Do When You Get There)
Field notes for California upland hunters — chukar, valley quail, pheasant, and the country and dogs that put them in the bag.
Planning a Modoc Plateau Chukar Hunt: A NorCal Scouting Guide
Modoc Plateau chukar planning for NorCal upland hunters — public land, water sources, basalt rim country, and how to scout the spring before the October opener.
Mapping Chukar Water in the Off-Season: A NorCal Hunter's Approach
Mapping chukar water in California's off-season — a NorCal hunter's approach to springs, seeps, and guzzlers across the eastern Sierra and Modoc Plateau.
Sacramento Valley Dove Field Prep: A Pre-Opener May Drive-By Method
Sacramento Valley dove field prep starts in May — what to look for in sunflower and sorghum plots four months before the September 1 opener.
Sooty Grouse Spring Scouting in NorCal: Hooting, Habitat, and a Plan for Fall
NorCal sooty grouse spring scouting peaks in May when males hoot from Douglas-fir ridgelines — how to locate the birds now and bank waypoints for fall.