Story by Shane Jahn

Yesterday morning’s five-mile hike involved a short jog mixed in with a steady-paced stride. No, I’m not seriously contemplating jogging long distances anymore, my knees aren’t as limber as they once were.  I’m just trying to keep my lungs strong enough to recover quickly with the increased pace. Moving with a purpose, if you will. Trying to stay fit? Sure, that’s the main goal, but there’s an additional motive for my exercise; quail hunting! More specifically scaled or “blue quail” hunting.

This little Chihuahuan Desert native thrives in the harsh shrublands of west Texas and their highest densities are often found in the rugged Trans-Pecos region. The feather patterns and coloring of the grayish-blue scaled quail looks like he does in fact wear scales plus his plumage takes on a blue tone. His mohawk topknot is tipped in light colored feathers that gives him his other nickname, “cotton top.”

Hunt him enough and he might take on a few other choice words that are not printable in a family magazine! The blue quail will test your patience and stamina, and his sprinting antics will frustrate and puzzle the best of bird dogs. He’s a Texas treasure and one of my favorite critters to watch, hunt, and eat.

While this is of course a Texas-based hunting magazine and his home is found in much of the western third of the Lone Star State, he also thrives across New Mexico, southeastern Colorado, western Oklahoma, southeast Arizona, and deep into Old Mexico. Out here in far west Texas he lives in the low desert where he shares space with Gambel’s quail along the Rio Grande and up to the higher elevations where the docile Mearns, or Montezuma, quail is sometimes encountered. There is no open season for Montezuma’s in Texas, and I see no mention of Gambel’s quail on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website, although I have seen them near the river in Presidio County.

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