Forecast: New Mexico voluntary harvest reports received in 2015-2016 indicate hunters bagged double the amount of birds compared to the 2014-2015 season. Additionally, average birds per hunter was about 30 percent higher last year compared to prior years, according to resident game bird biologist Casey Cardinal with the New Mexico Game & Fish Department. Despite the exceptional nature of last year’s numbers, Cardinal expects “more of an average hunting season” this year. “Nonetheless, there should be good hunting opportunities across the state, with above average hunting in the southeast corner,” she said.
Nesting and brood-rearing success was average to slightly below average across the state. The average covey size ranged from 10 to 20 birds, which is more typical of an average year, and quite similar to two years ago, according to Cardinal. “There have been fewer reports of multiple clutches this year, with some reports of late season hatches,” she said. “Last year, we had excellent conditions and coveys were averaging 30-plus birds, and we had multiple hatches reported across the state.”
New Mexico endured a hot, dry summer, and most areas across the state received below average precipitation. These conditions led to lower nest success and brood survival than observed last year. Monsoon season came in late July, bringing much needed rain to many areas across the state. “There was some late season green up,” Cardinal said, “which likely provided a food source for any broods that had hatched out. These late season rains may have helped facilitate some late season hatches, and will provide a good food source going forward into the hunting season.”
Still, current reports indicate populations are down from a high 2016. “There are still reports of a fair number of quail on the eastern side of the state,” Cardinal said, “though there are very few reports of the extremely good numbers we had last year. Reports of Montezuma (Mearns’) quail numbers are up this year, after a good production year in 2015.”
The sandhill country on the eastern side of the state has both state and federal lands that still have a fair number of scaled quail, as well as bobwhites in some areas. Fair numbers of scaled and Gambel’s quail have been observed on BLM lands south of Deming and on public lands along the Rio Grande valley. U.S. Forest Service land in the Sacramento and Capitan Mountains, as well as the Gila National Forest, have had good reports of Mearns’ quail.
Season Dates: November 15, 2016 through February 15, 2017 (scaled, Gambel’s, bobwhite, and Mearns’ quail)
Daily Bag Limit: 15 (maximum of 5 Mearns’ quail)
Possession Limit: 30 (maximum of 10 Mearns’ quail)
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