Last year, Mearns' hunters did well. Mearns' hold tight for a dog on point. They have a limited range and live around oak-covered hills and valleys. Focus around Patagonia, Sonoita, Parker Canyon Lake and the Huachuca Valley or in the hills west of Interstate 17 (near the Mexican border), and you can find Mearns'.

Work up and down the hills to find the birds, Barnes said. A dog is highly recommended. As you move up and down the hills, look for scratches in the ground.

TIPS
"For Mearns' quail, it's about looking for the digs," said Barnes. "Typically you can tell if that sign is fresh." He offers the following suggestions:

• Concentrate on areas of standing water and stock tanks, especially when hunting scaled quail.

• Cover a lot of ground. A 10- or 15-minute loop won't roduce many birds, particularly late in the season.

• For Gambel's, it helps to carry a call and use it early in the season, particularly mid- to late morning, just after the birds have stopped calling.

The longer the season progresses, the less effective this technique can be. But carry the call anyway. You never know!

• When hunting Mearns', work the hillsides until you find birds. If you find them high, keep working high. If you find them low, stay low until your dogs come up empty. Then start working back up.

NEW MEXICO
Across the state line in New Mexico, some rain has fallen -- though exactly what this means depends on whom you talk to. Mark Madsen, of the New Mexico Game and Fish Department's Roswell branch, said this fall should be a really good season.

"Especially the blue quail," he said. "Blue quail" is a regional term for scaled quail.

Southern New Mexico
Southern New Mexico has a mixture of short-grass prairies, sand dunes, mesquite flats, draws, arroyos and mountains. And you can find scalies in all of it. They also like to stay fairly close to water. Look for scalies near the southeast New Mexico towns of Roswell, Clovis and Jal. As you push east of Roswell, you'll find BLM and state trust land.

Larry Kamees, a state biologist, said that you'll find birds all along the eastern third of the state. The problem is access. Public land gets scarcer the farther you go north.

Even in the southeast portions that offer plenty of public land, access can be tricky. Sometimes ranchers, who lease portions of this land, lock gates, said guide Gary Sanders.

Over the years, Sanders has gained access to some of these ranches by having another rancher ask for him. If he's allowed on the property, he tries to make a good impression.

"I pick up trash that's already lying there," Sanders said. "I want to make sure I'm a welcome guest."

In most cases, ranchers just want to know who is on their land.

"Do a little bit of research," said Gabe Chavez of NMGF. "We've got some good landowners out there. All they want is for people to ask permission."

Bobs In The East
In the southeast portion of the state, another species to look out for is bobwhites, particularly around Roswell and Clovis, Mathis said. You can find bobs near the Texas state line and in agricultural areas and grasslands in the Pecos River valley.

A few Gambel's also live in the Pecos River valley. Although you may find these species in the southeast region, most of the time you'll find scaled quail, too.