Why was AzQA formed in the first place?
   AzQA was formed after the 2000 hunting season for the reasons covered in the following letter: "The 2000 Season in Review"

What is the first thing that AzQA wants to accomplish and why?
   The reduction of the bag limit for Mearns quail in Arizona. There are two problems caused by too-high a bag limit: too many birds are killed in one season and is hurting the chances of the Mearns' ability to reach otherwise natural numbers the following one. Secondly, the population of Mearns quail gets reduced at too fast a rate within a season. No wonder that now 90% of the hundreds of Mearns quail hunters that have filled out AzQA field questionnaires this past season, want the bag limit reduced. Most want a bag limit between five (5) and eight (8) birds. In the beginning of this past season, only four (4) hunters were members of AzQA, By the end of this past season 28%% of the hunters that answered the AzQA questionnaires became members of our organization.
   The second initiative we will like to champion is a 3-year study using strictly "Radio Telemetry". This is an exciting technology now available for the management of even such a small species as the Mearns quail. A study only conducted with this technology will finally answer the many questions that remain unanswered today. For an outstanding reference book on this subject please obtain a copy of Fred S. Guthery's new book "The Technology of Bobwhite Management: The Theory behind the Practice" (March 2002). It is available via Amazon (www.amazon.com) or Barnes & Nobles (www.bn.com). This book examines the past, present and problematic future of the Bobwhite quail. The Mearns quail is in most respects very similar to the Bobwhite quail, in fact it is by far more vulnerable to hunting pressure.

Is AzQA interested in any other agenda to achieve its purpose?
   No. We are NOT trying to limit the number of hunters, limit hunting access, eliminate the guiding for upland gamebirds in Arizona, or are opposed to out-of-state hunters. On the contrary. Nor change the means or methodology of hunting. Nor promote a permit system or a special "Mearns Quail Stamp".
   We feel that just lowering the bag limit for Mearns quail to a level that will conserve and protect the species and the quality of Mearns hunting for all hunters, throughout the entire season, will make it unnecessary to promote any other agendas.

So what is the present role of AzQA?
  For the present, AzQA can serve as the means for your direct participation to the management of this bird. We want to know how you stand on the present management of the Mearns quail by going directly to you the hunter through this web site and the hunting questionnaires you saw in many locations this year throughout the Mearns quail country of southern Arizona. Our double-mail-box stands (see photo on left) are now in most popular hunting locations and some are to be found alongside AGFD 'wing boxes' or in commercial businesses in Patagonia, Sonoita or in the Arivacas. Your input, will be what will be taken directly to the Game and Fish Commission meeting coming up each April.

    New this season (2002) will be greater information on the biology of Mearns quail and what can you do to insure the best season Mother Nature allows us to have.
  

What could be the future role of AzQA once the bag limit is reduced?
    1. Hunter Education. The Mearns quail needs to be viewed as a sporting bird, not an alternative shooting target. We will start promoting a set of 'hunter suggestions' for Mearns quail hunters that will give hunters some guidelines, albeit strictly on a volunteer basis, that will help the bird be back every year in dependable numbers. It may also help solidify today's Mearns quail hunters, who are composed of longtime vs. new hunters, from out of state vs. from Arizona, and local hunters vs. from other cities in Arizona. In other words, the Mearns quail has to develop its own "Mearns quail culture", as the one that now exists for the Bobwhite quail. An example of the Bobwhite culture is that not only is it considered bad form, but outright sacrilegious to ever shoot a covey of Bobwhites below six (6) birds. The Mearns quail hunters need to develop this sense of contentiousness among its fraternity, and above all, Mearns quail hunters need to appreciate, for starters, just how vulnerable this bird is to extreme hunting pressure.

    2. Start a "Radio Telemetry Program" initiative, in cooperation with the AGFD and other hunting and conservation groups. It has never been done for the Mearns quail. Its benefits include that it will enlighten us on the true survivability of the Mearns quail and its movement during a hunting season. Also on their ability to repopulate an area dangerously shot out after the hunting season. Thirdly, their success in raising a successful clutch during the most important time of the year for this bird - July and August.

   3. Improvement of Mearns quail habitat.  Well beyond just curtailing the degree of cattle grazing. Can we further improve the quality of the habitat by the reintroducing of certain native grasses which the Mearns quail depends on and where there in original abundance? Can we transplant Mearns quail to new areas where they originally were found? Can we bring back the water-guzzler program, that will help to at least preserve as many adult pair as possible during drought years, and when we come out of a dry cycle, the population can bounce back that much quicker?

    There are a number of improvements waiting. The only thing required is imagination and effort. And anything can be accomplished with the right amount of effort. After all, the first Mearns quail identified (1935) was found in Prescott, AZ. Scaled quail were transplanted to the San Carlos reservation long ago.

What is the difference between the Arizona Game and Fish Department  and Arizona Game & Fish Commission  and what are their functions?
   Bag limits are set by the Game and Fish Commission that conducts public hearings once a year (April) to allow public input. Generally, the Arizona Game & Fish Department gives their recommendations based on their biological understanding and barring some decisive counterpoint by the public, the Commission follows the AGFD recommendations.

  The Game and Fish Commission will consider a "social" request from the public, for example a lower bag limit, even if supposedly divorced from 'biological fact', if enough numbers of hunters support it. However, we feel we asked for a lower bag limit, not for social reasons, but for biological reasons. The bird was indeed overharvested during the 2000 season. Despite nature's cooperation during the summer of 2001, the bird did not rebound as AGFD predicted. The 2001 season was about 50Z% of the previous one, and this coming season (2002) will show another decline from last year. Our request for a lower bag limit was based on the biological reality - that the population of the bird is now going backwards as a direct result of too much hunting pressure during the hunting seasons of 2000 and again in 2001, both had a fifteen (15) bird bag limit, which now has been rolled back to ten (10) birds for 2002. 

   The second argument can indeed be considered 'social'. The population of Mearns is being reduced at too-fast-a-rate and that affects the ability of the AGFD to sell licenses or local economies to depend on visiting hunters to show up in the first place. It is causing many that do show up after the first 2-3 weeks in the season to leave disappointed. In the long run, a too-high a bag limit lacks common and social sense.

How and to whom may I address my concerns about Mearns quail in the Arizona Game & Fish Department?
   Duane Shroufe, Arizona Game & Fish Department, 2221 West Greenway Road, Phoenix, AZ 85023-4012.  Attn: Director Shroufe.

Who are the members of the Arizona Game & Fish Commission?
    Michael M. Golightly (Flagstaff);  Joe Carter (Safford);  Susan E. Chilton (Arivaca);  Hays Gilstrap (Phoenix);  Joe Melton (Yuma).

The Sport of Mearns Quail Hunting:

What is the essence of the sport of Mearns quail hunting?
  Mearns quail hunting is exemplified by watching your dog cover beautiful grass-covered canyons and hills and actually seeing when he snaps on point. For the sporting dog enthusiast, this bird has become very dear. Out-of-state hunters prize him especially in those years when the Bobwhite populations are low in other states, which has been the case now for a number of years. There is no better hunting scenario anywhere else in the country or a more cooperative bird for the sporting dog enthusiast than the elegant Mearns quail.

What do you mean by the 'quality of the hunt'?
   Most Mearns quail hunters today would define quality as: "To see a lot of birds and kill a few, not to kill the few they see". Quality also means to have a reasonable number of birds available throughout the length of the season. We are observing striking decreases in covey size much too quickly in the season. This happened during the 2000 season, despite the fact we started with the best population of Mearns quail in nearly twenty (20) years. In that season, the bird population plummeted by January 10th, despite the fact the season lasted until the middle of February, five weeks later. This past season (2001), the drop off was more rapid and dramatic and took place by December 10th, a mere three (3) weeks into the 12-week season.

What is the point of having a long season if the bird population gets reduced at such a quick rate?
   Excellent question! That is what we have been asking of the AGFD and the Commission. After all this is nothing new. Past studies have suggested how and why 70% of Mearns quail can be shot out the very first two weeks of the season - especially if the bag limit is too high from the outset. This is what happens when the outdated "Compensatory Theory" (covered below) is blindly applied to every species without exception.

Management:

What is the present management of Mearns quail in Arizona?
    There is no specific management of the Mearns quail in Arizona, with the exception of the prescribed season which differs from that of desert quail (Gambel and Scaled). In all other respects, he is treated similarly as Gambels and Scaled quail in Arizona.

Why should the Mearns quail have a different management policy than Gambels or Scaled quail?
    The Mearns quail is totally a different bird in not only distribution, being an 'island population', but in nature and habits. A species with a distribution that constitutes an 'island population' is oftentimes not able to recover from predation (which includes man) like those species that have a widespread distribution. Note the localized distribution of the Mearns quail on the map on the left.
    The Mearns quail main defense is to freeze and hold when he encounters danger, like the Bobwhite quail. He is not a strong flier and will go only a short distance, unlike a Bobwhite quail who tends to disappear after the first covey rise. This has made him naturally precious to the "sporting dog enthusiast" and very vulnerable to the hunter interested in killing him in maximum high bag limit numbers - the "high bag limit hunter".
   Conversely, a Gambel's or Scaled quail prefers to run when man approaches. He aggregates in large numbers, posts guards and when he does fly, he flies great distances, well away from danger. The survival skills of the desert quail are very different from that of Mearns. Why they all have the same management policy by the AGFD is beyond most hunter's comprehension who actually hunt both types of quail species. 

What is the Compensatory Theory?
  This theory is deeply imbedded in the wildlife management culture. However, it is no longer adhered by many state game & fish departments, and it has been thoroughly discredited in the past 20 years. Yet it persists. The proof lies in the fact that every state uses a number of ways to limit the impact of hunting (see below). This theory, is used to explain that the harvest by hunters on bird population will not adversely effect the bird population since those birds would die anyway (doomed surplus) by the time the breeding season begins. Hunters are only taking what natural mortality will eliminate anyway. Meaning, hunter impact is 'compensatory' (has no effect) vs. 'additive' (having an impact).

   In actuality, all hunting has an 'additive' effect on all species, but to what degree is the issue. If it is so light as to be negligible than it could be concluded as harmless. When hunting pressure exceeds a certain point, which tends to happen as the hunting season progresses, than hunting pressure can be quite dangerous. When that hunting pressure starts eliminating the birds that will make the best candidates for a species 'brood stock' the following breeding season, is when a species will be prevented from coming back to otherwise natural numbers.

What is the "Self Regulating Concept"? 
   As a bird population disappears, the 'Self-Regulating' concept is oftentimes relied on by game and fish departments. This theory states that as the population of birds declines, hunters will turn to other species, and hunting pressure will subside. Thus hunting pressure is 'self regulating'. Those who want to hunt Mearns quail however, are expected to move their act to another quail species or accept a low and certainly hard-to-find bird population. The underlying message of this theory, which some would consider it asinine, appears to be, "Sorry, most of the birds have been already removed for the season, but do not worry, their long-term survival is ensured because surely enough have survived. They will be back in maximum numbers next season (Compensatory Theory). Go and hunt something else. See you next season". It is the low standards of this concept that should be unacceptable to hunters wanting to hunt Mearns quail every season in enough appreciable numbers to be fun.

How do state game and fish departments limit hunting impact?
   In a number of ways, but the fact that they do in the first place, regardless of methodology, tells you they know hunting has an impact on every species. The fact is that all departments have a season for a species, have limits in the first place, have a time frame when you can hunt it and even limit the means and methodology how you can hunt. The four ways that hunters are regulated are:

     A. Length of the season.
    B. Time of the season.
    C. Bag Limits.
    D. Means & Methodology.

    The first option is interesting since once, we had a 2-day season for Mearns in Arizona, today it is 81 days long.
    To get the time of the season right is why the AGFD uses 'wing barrels'. Bird maturity is what determines the timing of a bird season.
    The third is why we do not have a 100-bird limit, even if it is not suppose to make a difference.
    The fourth option is also interesting since it is quite relevant to what we are throwing at the Mearns quail today in the form of better hunting dogs, armed with better technology (beepers) and no restriction on type of shotguns (doubles vs. automatic shotguns).

    The upshot is that limiting the impact of hunting is exercised for every species and in varied ways by every state, and as hunting pressure rises, further controls need be implemented.

What should be the overall concept of Mearns quail management today?
   The 'most good for the most number' should be the policy that governs Mearns quail policy in this day and age. AGFD should balance what is best for the bird along with what is best for most hunters.

Present Situation:

What are the two principal problems the Mearns quail faces today?
    Though overgrazing on public lands remains a problem in many areas, all of today's ranchers lands are not 'overgrazers'. Besides, the elimination of grazing, is not a panacea to a high Mearns quail populations since there are many, ungrazed areas in the middle of Mearns country, that have poor or no populations. The proper degree of grazing is important to a healthier food-producing habitat for Mearns.
  
   In our view, Hunting Overharvest is another problem for Mearns quail. Habitat and precipitation will not ensure the survival of the breeding stock if enough birds are not allowed to survive in the first place. Overharvest can cancel out the benefits of even a perfect habitat, as exemplified by canyon after canyon this past season that never looked better, but showed one fourth (25%-50%) of the birds of last season. We attribute this to a Mearns quail harvest that jumped 266% in a single year last season. Conversely, those canyons that escaped the slaughter, showed better numbers than the previous season.

Besides habitat and overharvest, what other issues affect Mearns quail?
    1.Limited distribution in the state, which concentrates hunters to small areas. The Mearns quail range in Arizona constitutes only 2% of the state. Much of the population is in steep-sided canyons, which further concentrates hunters to those areas with easier access and are easier to reach.  
   2. No specific management of the Mearns quail; he is simply lumped with other quite-dissimilar quail species. 
   3. A greater amount of hunters and hunting dogs armed with better technology (e.g., hawk screaming beeper dog collars) making hunters today that much more efficient than in the past. There are now a dramatic rise in the commercial guiding of the Mearns quail.
   4. The vulnerable nature of the Mearns quail. If they stay the same, they will be slaughtered. If they change, we will have another running bird in the state of Arizona, which we have enough already in the form of Scaled and Gambel.

Biology :

How populous can the Mearns quail become?
  If the Mearns quail is not overharvested during those years of favorable weather patterns and habitat, there is the potential for twenty (20) plus coveys per square mile. The highest numbers we saw before the 2000 season was thirty-three (33) coveys per square mile. Old timers report even higher numbers.

Can Mearns quail, or any bird population, be 'stockpiled' from one season to another?
  No. An area cannot support more birds that it can maintain by virtue of its food supply. But the above numbers suggest how high the population can reach. Since natural mortality is a percentage (%) of the birds that survive a hunting season, stands to reason that the more birds we leave after a hunting season, the more pairs will tend to exist at the beginning of the next breeding season.

Bag Limits:

What is the bag limit in Arizona for Mearns, Gambels and Scaled quail?
   The daily bag limit for Mearns, Gambel's and Scaled quail was fifteen (15) birds a day during the 2000 and again 2001 Mearns quail season. For this coming year (2002) it is ten (10) birds a day.  The daily bag limit in most states for Bobwhite , which the Mearns quail resembles in nature, is only eight (8) to ten (10).

How have the hunter and harvest numbers changed over the last 10 years?

Why was the daily bag limit increased from eight (8) birds a day to fifteen (15) birds a day for the 2000-2001 season?
  Good question! The population of Mearns quail in the beginning of 2000 was outstanding, so everyone jumped on the temporary good fortune with little long-term considerations.
   The position of the Arizona Game & Fish Department has always been that the size of the bag limit, regardless of bird species, will have no effect on a bird population. During the years 1996-1999, one member in the Arizona Game& Fish Commission, a Mr. Fred Bellman, pushed ardently for a lower bag limit of five (5) a day, though he compromised for eight (8) birds a day in the end. Unfortunately, when he passed away recently, there went the champion of the lower bag limit for the Mearns quail.
   The hunting group Western Gamebird Alliance pushed for a return to a fifteen (15) daily bag limit for the Mearns quail, and they got their way in the April Commission meeting of 2000. This group deserves a lot of credit for the efforts they have made toward the improvement of the habitat for the Mearns quail. Their position on the daily bag limit is where we strongly disagree.
   Arizona Quail Alliance is the latest to carry the torch for a lower bag limit in Arizona (New Mexico has a limit of five (5) and in Texas there is no season for Mearns). Many have come before us, and many individuals even within the AGFD have advocated for special management and lower bag limits for the Mearns quail for years. This is not a new issue, and one can surmise that it will never go away until this bird is properly managed or at least protected once and for all.

What has AzQA witnessed during this Mearns quail hunting season?
  The founders of AzQA live in Mearns quail country the entire hunting season and we interview many hunters who witness or will themselves kill a fifteen (15) bird limit every day in the field, especially in the first three weeks of the season. Seasonal harvests of certain hunters that we know of have reached (legally) 423, 534, 700 and 1,000 Mearns quail. The latter by two hunters.

Why would the AGFD recommend and continue to insist on a high bag limit?
   A high bag limit is oftentimes no more than a "The Perception of Opportunity". If a hunter 'thinks' that he can get fifteen (15) birds, even if he practically speaking can not, a high bag limit still has inherent 'value' for a game and fish department because it helps to sell the illusion of great "recreation" even if it is not there. Many states have very high bag limits for species and in areas that do not support it - biologically. But since many departments still sincerely believe that a bag limit has no appreciable effect on the next year's population, there must lie the reason why they continue to suggest too-high a bag limit. But many state departments have found out differently in the last 20 years.
   Secondly, having all three quail species with the same bag limit makes things simpler. Simplicity in regulations is very importatnt to game and fish departments since it makes the rules easy to follow. Things can get complicated when it requires hunters to make exceptions in certain areas or for a particular species (Mearns quail vs. desert quail).
   None of the above reasons for a high bag limit however, has anything to do with biology, but really are based on social reasons. So you see, game and fish departments use a quasi-combination of social and biological reasons for their recommendations.
   The question remains, exactly when does a bag limit finally "crosses over" and becomes harmful to next year's bird population? We believe this is what is happening today when there is a too-high bag limit for the Mearns quail.

What else is the problem with a high bag limit?
   When a bag limit is high, it creates a goal, an expectation for hunters. A more reachable, lower bag limit makes more hunters happy. 

What could be the effect of the practice of guiding on the Mearns quail population?
  Touchy issue. Like every group of people, guides come in different forms and understandably will exert different impact on the Mearns quail population. Generally speaking, guides help visiting hunters, especially those from out of state to have a better hunt. Those hunters spend a lot of money on our local economies and through the buying of licenses help our own AGFD. That is a plus.
  There are many conscientious guides that advocate a self-imposed limit of 4-5 birds a day and care deeply about the Mearns quail. On the other hand, there are those that are shortsighted and will allow their customers to shoot as many birds as the limit allows, with little loyalty toward the welfare of the bird, and in this case they are part of the problem of a 12-week Mearns quail season taking a plunge prematurely. During the 2000 and 2001 seasons, our impression was that there were a lot more guides, and Mearns quail hunting camps than ever before.
   As with any other sport, conflict between guides and people hunting strictly for recreational purposes will arise, especially when guides develop an attitude that what they are doing takes moral precedent over a hunter hunting for mere pleasure, and not for a 'living'. It is no wonder this practice has been abolished in many states, when things get out of hand. The question remains however, does the AGFD and the Forest Service have a handle on this whole guiding business? Are the laws being enforced? We hope so.

Why is the quick reduction and dispersal of Mearns quail coveys dangerous?
  The quick reduction of the Mearns quail population in general and of the size of their coveys, especially so quickly in the very beginning of the season, before the coldest part of the year (December 20- January 20), may also be leading to excessively high natural mortality, during the hunting season, that would not occur otherwise. Mearns quail coveys depend on at least 4-6 birds to constitute a surviving covey and to protect themselves from freezing weather conditions.

What is the field reality of hunter impact as it relates to the Mearns quail?
    Lets imagine what 10,000 hunters would have meant for a 100-day season in a mere fifty (50) Mearns canyon areas, as that is all the huntable areas you will find east of Interstate Highway 19 (Tucson south to Nogales, AZ). Using the Department's 'data', each hunter will hunt only four days (3.96 to be exact) the whole season, which translates into 40,000 'hunter days' roughly. Divide that by 100 days (the season is really not that long, but lets use it for the sake of argument), which will mean that 400 hunters will be after Mearns quail in any given day throughout the Mearns quail range.
    Divide four hundred (400) hunters by fifty (50) canyons and you have eight (8) hunters in every canyon each day. A game warden commented to me, how comical it was to see a car arrive every two hours at a specific canyon, none aware that the canyon was already hunted that day. If you are wondering why some of you saw so many hunters during the 2000 and again during the 2001 season, this may suggest why. If you are wondering why the birds were killed so quickly, or left the area entirely, then this may give you some idea. And remember all these hunters were armed with a new whooping fifteen (15) bird bag limit as of the 2000 season.

What could be the difference between a fifteen (15) bird bag limit vs. an eight (8) bird bag limit on the Mearns population?
   The columns "Numbers of Mearns Quail Hunters", "Days Afield per Hunter" and the "Total Hunter Days" come from the Arizona Game & Fish Department for the 2000 Mearns Quail Season. We are sticking to the Department's 69,429 birds killed. The Department always figures out a "Total Hunter Day" figure - meaning how many times a hunter was in the field. A total of 8511 hunters supposedly hunted Mearns quail in the 2000 season and on the average each hunter hunts 3.97 days during the whole season. Multiplying those two numbers gives us the 33,643 "Total Hunter Days" as show below. The total harvest then uses that "Total Hunter Days" and multiplies it time (x) the average 2.06 average harvest per day and that is how they arrive at the seasonal harvest of 69,429 total birds killed.

       Now that we got to the 33, 643 'Total Hunter Days' in which a Mearns hunter was in the field, imagine a couple of plausible scenarios. If only 1 out of 10 of hunters (10%) for only one day (1) take fifteen (15) birds vs. eight (8) birds, the results (shown in green below) translates into another 23,548 birds for everyone else to enjoy and/or that many more birds survive the season. The second scenario (purple) shows again if only 1 out of every 10 hunters again, take a limit of 15 birds vs. 8 birds but in this case on two days (2) during the entire season, it results in a difference of 47,096 birds overall, left for others to hunt and more birds to survive the season - serving to improve our chances for a better season next year.

What is the plausibility of 10% of hunters being able to get a 15 bird limit just one day during the whole season?
   In the fly fishing industry 5% of the fisherman take 95% of the fish, it is no different in Mearns quail hunting. We think a lower bag limits spreads the fun for all, gives the birds that much more time to acclimate to the hunting pressure and leaves that many more birds to ensure a great season next year.  We know many hunters that kill fifteen (15) birds every day during the season from start to finish, especially in the first half of the season. We were told from 'reliable sources' that two hunters from Tucson killed over 1000 birds (who left piles of 58 and 112 'breasted birds' during two of their trips in one canyon!) and we know personally individuals that reached seasonal harvests of 423 birds, 534 birds and 600 birds. You should see what we see during the season. All these 'harvests' or 'slaughters', depending on your point of view, were done legally.

Does anyone need to kill more than eight (8) Mearns a day to have fun?
   For those that do, the Mearns quail shouldn't be asked to accommodate them. That should be their problem, not all of ours. After all, every species shouldn't be ask to accommodate every single hunter's personal wishes without general compromise.

What should be the main point concerning bag limits?
    "We limit our kill now, or kill our limit"

The 2000 vs. the 2001 Hunting Seasons:

Why was the population of Mearns quail so high in the beginning of 2000 season?
   Two reasons. The bird population was coming from poor years during 1994-1998 (when many hunters stopped hunting them altogether) and started climbing during 1999 (the start of favorable weather conditions). The bag limit was only eight (8) a day during the four years between 1996-1999. These realities helped the population of Mearns quail to reach its highest potential in twenty (20) years. The high population of 2000 of Mearns can serve as a rare but true example of how dense the Mearns quail can become if they have a favorable environment and weather conditions AND a lower bag limit.

How would you compare the bird population between the last two seasons?
   The numbers at the beginning of last season (2001) in heavily-hunted areas, were only 33%-50% in comparison to the previous season (2000). This was despite the fact that we had cooperative weather during the breeding season during the 2001 summer. This was evidenced by the large covey sizes we found before the 2001 season, averaging 13-16 birds, suggesting the surviving pairs did pulled off a great hatch. We used the word 'hatch' to signify the size of the average clutch, not the overall population.
   Of the 37 canyons we surveyed before both seasons, the population dropped from 20 coveys per square mile last season (2000) to an average of 7-8 coveys per square mile this season (2001).  

On what does AzQA base their numbers?
  We spend a total of 182 days on the field sampling 37 canyons during the entire 2000 season and again during the 2001 season. We predicted an overharvest did take place during the 2000 season when we followed a total of 683 Merans quail coveys. The movement and mortality of these coveys were followed and plotted on 7.5 degree map data in a computer. Of the original 638 coveys, 534 totally disappeared from the original locations they were found at the beginning of the season. We suspect an unusually high natural mortality may have also taken place because those coveys were reduced so quickly in size during the 2000 season, which was colder and had a lot more snowfall than usual.

What was the prediction of the AGFD concerning Mearns quail hunting for this season (2001)?
   The AGFD was quoted many times before this season stating that the 2001 season will be "the best Mearns quail season in ten years". This prediction was made after the Mearns quail breeding season, so they cannot blame Mother Nature for not cooperating.
   This bold prediction is again based on the assumption that hunting does not affect Mearns quail populations. In their way of thinking, the extraordinary harvest of last season (2000) means an extraordinary numbers of birds must have survived (Compensatory Theory), and we were destined to have even a greater season this year. Which did not happened. Unfortunately, the Mearns population did not bounce back from the 2000 hunting season as assumed. We suspected and predicted that hunters did 'overharvest' the bird during the 2000 hunting season and we would be paying the price during the 2001 season, which we did.

What other biological realities make the Mearns quail vulnerable to hunting over-pressure?
He is an extremely territorial bird who lives and dies barely 100 yards from where he is born. Mearns coveys consist of a single-family unit during the entire hunting season. The coveys are not only easy to find in a given area (just look for fresh scratchings, as those shown at left) but easy to relocate day after day. The coveys, once they are heavily hunted, adopt an unfortunate suicidal tendency to flush one or two birds at a time vs. all at once as in the very beginning of the season, making them that much more vulnerable to hunting.

Has the behavior of the Mearns quail changed in the last two seasons (2000-2002) as a result of too much hunting pressure?
   Yes! We have been hunting Mearns for twenty years. Last year, the Mearns quail often began to run when hearing a hunter and ran from a dog on point. They began abandoning their holding behavior that endeared them to pointing dog enthusiasts. This should give us a clue that the bird is fighting for his survival and that perhaps the 'essence' of Mearns quail hunting is also changing.
    The question now is: do we want to put such pressure on this bird as to actually cause him to become a different bird than the tight-holding one that we have come to expect? We think most hunters would agree that we have more than enough running birds in the state of Arizona with the Gambel and Scaled quail.

Can hunting 'overharvest' one year affect the following hunting season?
   It is a mathematical certainty.  An overharvest reduces the number of breeding stock for the next year.  Consider the following scientific quote (D. Brown, AGFD 1979):  "survival is normally more important in determining Montezuma [Mearns] quail population levels than reproductive success. This is similar to the findings for bobwhite and contrary to the findings for Gambel's".  Meaning, it is imperative for the Mearns and Bobwhite quail to be allowed to survive a season, and just not gamble on getting a extraordinary 'hatch'.  We could have had another exceptional season this past season (2001), but that became 'opportunity lost' when foresight and control was not exercised by way of tighter regulations.

Hunting Harvest:

What is the average annual 'harvest' of Arizona quail?
    The annual harvest of Mearns quail, averages a mere 25,000 birds annually since he is found in a postage stamp size area of the state of Arizona. The annual harvest of Scale and Gambel's quail is approximately 1,000,000 since he is found throughout the entire state. The Mearns quail traditionally constitutes only 1/40 of the total harvest of quail in Arizona each year.

What was the Mearns quail asked to do in the years 2000-2001?
    It would seem absurd for one type of quail whose annual harvest is a mere 1/40th of the combined total harvest in Arizona, to ever compensate for the lack of the two other quail (Gambel 's and Scaled).  But that is precisely what the Mearns quail was asked to do when the AGFD conducted an aggressive advertising campaign during the 2000 season which directed the attention of all hunters to the Mearns quail through fliers and even specific hunting maps handed freely in all major sporting good stores. The hunters came and the harvest of Mearns quail leaped to 70,000 birds, though we suspect the harvest may have been much higher.

Was the overharvest last season (2000) a disaster or a Godsend?
   Both. The disappearance of the Mearns quail during last season, even when starting with such exceptional numbers, gave rise anew to hunters like yourselves to get involved. I say anew because every five years the issue of the overharvesting of Mearns quail flares up, this is not a new argument. AzQA's activism has led to the reexamination of how the AGFD manages this bird and the minimal data on which it bases its estimates. It also got the members of the Commission to become more directly involved with the welfare of the Mearns. Even the Forest Service now wants to take a closer look at this whole harvest issue, since the overgrazing of the Mearns quail habitat was supposedly the only culprit in the past.

What is another long term danger of overharvest of the Mearns quail?
  The chances of Arizona having favorable weather conditions from year to year is almost nil since this is a state suffers continual seasons of drought about every five (5) years. If we do not get the summer rains this coming summer, and the bird population is taken down to such low levels as a consequence of another overharvest, it will take many years for the Mearns quail to bounce back even after the drought cycle ends which may be years from now.
  In the state of Arizona, all game management decisions must take into consideration its risky and highly cyclical rainfall pattern and must move with an added degree of caution in the management of its game species.

Hunters and Demographics:

Is the conflict of mentality today only between hunters and game & fish departments)?
   No. The conflict also lies also within the different types of hunters. There is an conflict of interest between the High Bag-Limit Hunters and the Sporting Dog Enthusiasts.

What do you mean by the "High Bag-Limit Hunters" vs. "Sporting Dog Enthusiasts"
    Those who promote high bag limits concentrates on reaching the goal of the bag limit. Achieving a limit is a benchmark of accomplishment.   They are champions of the infamous Compensatory Theory and Self Regulation concepts which serve to give their hunting method moral standing. The AGFD should keep in mind that this group go where the action is and tends to disappear quickly when a bird population becomes low. This group is not a loyal customer to local economies, nor to the AGFD for that matter. They will be hunt in another state if Arizona doesn't have a dependable bird population.
   On the other hand, the sporting dog enthusiast is thrilled with fifteen (15) points and killing only five (5) birds. His restraint not only results in fewer birds killed, but also gives the bird more of a chance to adjust to the hunting pressure. This 'spreads the wealth' and gives other hunters a chance to find good coveys for a longer duration in the season. It also helps the bird bounce back to maximum population levels the next season.

How are bag limits attained in the field by these two groups?
  What really takes place at 'ground zero' is what is the most revealing matter when looking at the two types of hunters. Generally speaking, the promoter of high bag limits wants fifteen (15) birds a day and may not be bothered if he gets them from the first five (5) coveys he encounters in a single day to achieve his daily goal. Without limiting the take to a few birds per covey and none from very small coveys, hunters can scour a three-mile canyon from top to bottom, and leave it nearly cleaned out of birds for the rest of the season.

Can we accommodate the demands of both types of hunters?
No, the high bag limit hunter makes an inordinate demand on a limited resource. The faster the population of birds declines, the quicker the season plummets in quality (number of birds available) for all. No one will be happy.

Where does AzQA really stands?
  By now, there should be no mystery of whose cause we (AzQA) champion - that of the sporting dog enthusiast. That is why we will continue to push for a lower bag limit, one even below the new ten (10_ bird bag limit. Ninety-one percent (91%) of the Mearns quail hunters we have surveyed thus far want the bag limit reduced, and describe themselves as sporting dog enthusiasts. They understand that even a perfect habitat can not compensate for overharvesting the birds one year and paying the price in the form of a less than an optimal bird population the next.

How has the average age of hunters changed in the last ten years?
   The core group of quail enthusiasts, loyal to the Mearns quail come year after year to hunt this species, regardless of bird population. The average age of Mearns quail hunters, according to the AGFD data, now has moved from an average of thirty-nine (39) years of age in 1990 to fifty-one (51) years old in 2000. Who would argue that one's perspective and priorities changes with age? Ten years ago (I am 54), I thought killing a full limit of birds (15) every day was important, today killing only 4-6 birds (two birds per dog) is more than enough and leaves more birds for someone else to enjoy. One hopefully grows less selfish with age. If the average age has changed, has the opinion and position about bag limits of most hunters that hunt the Mearns quail today also changed? We think so and our questionnaires returns are clearly showing most also feel this way.

Why bring out the average age of hunters?
   It is plausible that today the sporting dog enthusiast far outnumbers the high bag limit hunters, and if so it is time they are heard from and become part of the decision process concerning the Mearns quail which is so important to them.

Economic Value of the Mearns Quail:

What could be the economic importance of the Mearns Quail to the state of Arizona?
   You would be surprised.  The Mearns quail, could be an economic 'Golden Goose' for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, if they were to look at him in a new light.  Where else will you find such a tight-holding bird, in public land and such a beautiful country as southern Arizona? Such a perfect combination does not exist anywhere else in the country.
    This season, I started looking at the different groups that do hunt Mearns quail and what do they spend per harvested bird:
     1. The Nonresident Seasonal Hunter "Retiree": Age usually is in the 60's, hunts an average of 50 days, kills on the average 100 birds a season and spends $3,500 in hunting licenses, gas, food, lodging, etc.collectively during their stay. Average expenditure per bird: ($3500/100) = $35 per bird.
     2. The Nonresident Week Hunter, the "Vacationer": Age 40's-60's, hunts 8-10 days, kills 50 birds during their stay and spends $800 again in licenses, gas, food, lodging, etc during their stay. Average expenditure per bird: ($800 / 50) = $16 per bird.
     3. Resident "Weekender" Hunter or Guided Out-of-Stater: Typical hunter living in Phoenix, Prescott, Yuma, Flagstaff, Yuma or Payson.. Ages 40-60's, hunts 2-3 days, kills 14-15 birds and spends $225 in, gas, food, lodging, etc per trip. The short-term guided hunter of course, needs to incur the cost of a guide, but that is a private affair. Average expenditure per bird: ($225/15) = $15 per bird.
     4. Local Hunter. Exemplified by the typical Tucson hunter. A lot of the country where Mearns quail are found is local (within an hour's drive) to the city of Tucson (population 750,000). The Tucson Mearns quail hunter need not incur any of the extraordinary expenses the above groups would have to (outside of a one-time license cost of an Arizona hunting license $26), and boils down to a mere box of shells ($4) and gas (approximately $11) or total expenses of $15 a day. He usually has supreme knowledge of the area and where the birds will be. If he kills fifteen (15) birds a day his economic reality is ($15/15) = $1 per bird. A most fortunate and 'interesting' scenario.
   By the way, of the seventeen (17) out-of-state "Retirees" I surveyed, three (3) bought $100,000+ motor homes in Tucson (Beaudry RV) for no other reason that they came to hunt the Mearns quail.

What are some examples of what a species can be to a state's economy?
  There are many examples of what a game species could be worth to a state's economy. The AGFD should look at other states for some examples of more visionary management. The state of South Dakota jealously guards its pheasant population and allows only three (3) birds a day, and enjoys a $88 million dollars benefit that the birds brings to the state's economy consistently every year. Texas protects its redfish population with a three (3) bag limit since it means $211 million dollars to its economy. They found out in the 70's that each pound of redfish commercially harvested brought only eleven (11) cents to the state coffers and made a few very rich. Texas now makes $76 dollars a pound through sport fishing. How valuable can the Mearns quail be to the state of Arizona if managed correctly? We could only surmise.

The Future:

Can the Mearns quail be all things to all people?
   The Mearns quail should never be used as a substitute for other quail whose numbers have been allowed to decline. The Mearns cannot accommodate the need of the high bag limit hunters who emphasize killing big numbers and also satisfy the sporting dog enthusiast who wants a lot of points for his dog and kill a few birds in the process. The sporting dog enthusiast, whether he comes from Phoenix or Timbuktu, now has to be taken into consideration since he is of great economic value to the AGFD, to all local economies and is the one exerting the least impact on a limited resource we are all suppose to share.

Can game & fish departments have it both ways?
   No. Bold predictions based on computer models will not make one iota of difference to the field reality that the hunters really have to contend with. Many game & fish departments continually manage to 'find' fantastic numbers of quail coveys in their office computers, which leads them to make bold predictions (such as this year's claim that "this will be the best Mearns quail season in ten years"). It does not change what we hunters encounter in the field. Bold and optimistic predictions sell licensees in the short run but can undermine the quality of a sport in the long run.

Why even the new lower ten (10) bird bag limit for Mearns quail indefensible today?
   Three reasons. Biologically, because the bird population is going backwards and is being put at risk, especially since we face a long drought.  Socially, because most hunters today appear to want a lower bag limit, judging by our own survey (91%), which is the only one conducted so far among Mearns quail hunters in the field.  Economically, because the absence of hunters or shortening of their hunting trips, once they find out the bird population is not there or as predicted, hurts not only local economies, but the AGFD itself.  Better regulations results in the guaranteeing of a good bird populations that will help the AGFD draw hunter numbers (which will buy licenses) in the first place!

Where do we go from here?
    We believe that the Mearns quail merits special consideration. We believe that the harvest of the 2000 season and the dramatic decline of the following one (2001) demonstrates that the time has come for special rules concerning this bird in the form of either a much lower bag limit, one in the order of five (5) birds a day. For all the reasons already covered previously.  It will lead to a better hunting experience for all, since it serves to leave more birds for us to enjoy another day and to survive and breed, leading to a better season next year. We cannot find anyone that claims they need to kill more than eight (5) Mearns quail a day to have fun.

Good Hunting!

Fred Arbona