As I began waiting for some snow to help slow the Chukars down, we began to do a little Pheasant and Quail hunting which led us to a Thanksgiving trip to Arizona. Killing two birds with one stone, we headed to Pheonix by way of Utah to visit some family for Thanksgiving. But what was on my mind was the Quail hunting that had been on my mind for nearly 20 years and the bucket list of upland game birds that I have been wanting to get started on. Huge Thanks to my buddy Tyler Bell. Without him I would have been lost for sure with no idea where to start. After a week of exploring the desert with nothing but a struggle. Me and the dogs were growing frustrated, beat up and tired. We were attacked by Javelina and every Cactus you think of, including the Cholla Cactus that nearly ruined our trip. A couple covey finds early in the week was enough to keep us putting one foot in front of the other. After picking Cholla out of Cash's face for 3 days, Tyler finally showed up and our luck changed. Although the experience was priceless for all my young dogs and I did shoot Gambles Quail and Scaled Quail. I was left feeling like Arizona won the fight. But I demand a rematch. I will be back to check Mearns Quail off the list.
- Ryan Fortier
