Mearns quail need better management
Having spent the last 25 winters in Patagonia, I feel it is certainly our second home (Montana is our primary residence). Many of our long term wintering friends are in Patagonia to enjoy your town and the people, but also to pursue Mearns quail when populations are solid.
I appreciate the metal cutout sign on the west entrance to the town featuring Mearns quail, which signifies the cultural importance of Mearns quail to Patagonia. As you likely know, hunting Mearns quail is economically important to Patagonia, and of cultural significance too. We rent or buy houses or rv spaces, buy groceries, eat in restaurants, buy beer and attend events.
Virtually all of my quail hunting friends study the quail populations and care about their well being. We are concerned Mearns quail are in serious trouble, no thanks to the recent vote by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission.
With a limited US range, hunters from around the country flock to the oak grasslands of southeast Arizona. Increasing in numbers, hunters bring trailers of bird dogs and some hire outfitters.
Mearns populations are largely dependent on the strength of the monsoon season. Following a 2024 weak monsoon and a long hot summer, Mearns quail were seriously depressed. Some seasoned Mearns hunters chose to not hunt them in 2024/2025 due to seriously depressed populations.
This year’s nearly nonexistent monsoon season means there will be nearly no Mearns reproduction again this summer/fall. AZGF biologists recognize these back-to-back nesting failures requires significant reduced hunting mortality to save the few Mearns remaining on the landscape.
AZGF biologists recommended a significant reduction in both the season length as well as the bag limits to give Mearns a chance to recover. While Patagonia Commissioner Buchanan and Pinetop Commissioner Kerr voted to support both changes, the other three Commissioners voted to keep the same liberal season and limits.
Unfortunately, the extremely low Mearns population will be even further decimated by retaining a long season and a liberal bag limit.
Greg Munther
Patagonia winter resident
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