On the Calendar in California: November
Pheasant, dove's second season and fall turkey all open Saturday, Nov. 14. Around it: a CDFW pheasant-draw deadline for juniors, families and new hunters, a stamp-art contest, and a month of bird-dog trials.
Hunting California Quail Without a Dog: First Light to the Cooler
No dog yet? The first morning on California quail on foot: listening for coveys, walking them up, working singles, and finding the bird you hit.
CDFW's November Pheasant Draw Closes Oct. 25, and Most Hunts Take Your Dog
Applications for CDFW's Nov. 14–22 planted pheasant hunts close Sunday, Oct. 25. Most hunts take a trained dog, and Family hunts are open to any licensed hunter.
Reading Alan: What a Flushing Dog's Posture, Tail Set, and Cadence Tell You About a Covey
Your gundog is telling you where the birds are. Here's how to read posture, tail set, head carriage, and cadence — three seasons with an English cocker on California cover.
California Chukar Hunting: Planning a First Season on Alectoris chukar
The pillar planning guide to California chukar — the Eastern Sierra, the Modoc Plateau, and the Mojave ranges; water as the limiting resource, escape cover, the narrow elevation band that holds birds in October, and the boots and lungs the east side asks for. Refreshed each year.
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.
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.
The California Mountain Quail Hunting Guide: Where, When, and How to Hunt Oreortyx pictus, the West's Most Overlooked Upland Bird
The pillar guide to California mountain quail — the chaparral-and-conifer mid-elevation country from the Trinity Alps to the Los Padres, the calling cadence, the running habit, and the early-season opener almost nobody hunts on purpose. Refreshed each July.
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.
Your Upland Stamp at Work: California's $10 Validation Funds Wild Bird Habitat
Your $10 California upland game bird validation funds real habitat restoration. Here's exactly where that money goes and why it matters for quail and pheasant.
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.