Bird lovers: Forget the turkey—the Mearns’ quail season opened Nov. 28, the day after Thanksgiving.

“This will probably be one of the best Mearns’ seasons in my lifetime,” Randy Babb, an ardent quail hunter and the Information and Education Program Manager for the Game and Fish Department’s Mesa regional office.

This season might be one that will go down in the record books, report Game and Fish biologists. Last year’s season (2007-08) was one of the best in years. When you combine that with the well-timed seasonal rains this summer, the result should provide superb back-to-back seasons.

“The amount of coveys we encountered last year on any given day of hunting was easily in the double digits, depending on how long we hunted,” said Babb.

Babb says the rainfall that came in spring and summer of 2008 should provide all the ingredients for excellent reproduction from the healthy holdover populations of last season.

“Hunters should also keep their eyes open for cottontails while they hunt the rolling scrub oak- covered grasslands in southern Arizona. Their numbers are up due to the excellent conditions, and they make a tasty addition to any quail dinner,” Babb adds.

The Mearns’ quail season runs from Nov. 28, 2008 until Feb. 8, 2009. The daily bag limit for this challenging polka-dotted game bird is eight. A general hunting license is required for hunters 14 and older. Hunters are reminded that a 2009 license is required to hunt beginning Jan. 1, 2009. Licenses are available at all department offices and more than 300 license dealers statewide.

The southern Arizona country where Mearns’ inhabit will be very active this time of the year with other outdoor enthusiasts, including rifle deer season. Hunters are encouraged to wear “hunter orange” when taking to the field to make their presence visible to all other users in the field.

For the full version of this article, including tips on Mearns’ quail hunting, visit www.azgfd.gov/artman/publish/article_1035.shtml and scroll down the article.