AZ Quail Today Podcast

The desert looks alive after all the rain, and we compare our early-season Arizona hunts to figure out what’s really happening with Gambel’s quail. We talk covey counts, juvenile ratios, dog work, and why thick ground cover changes everything from flush distance to finding downed birds. • comparing hunt stats like hours, miles, and coveys found • how heavy vegetation makes quail hold tighter and fly shorter • why birds may run and split up ahead of the dogs • bad shooting days paired with great dog days • juvenile percentage running around 40 to 50 percent and what that suggests • how winter rain and summer heat shape hatch success and survival • expectations for scaled quail and Mearns quail after drought years • retrieval headaches including hard mouth and dropped birds • pack rat nests as the ultimate place to lose a bird • what quail may be eating in a green desert and why doves show up too To help further our work, please consider making a tax-deductible gift. Visit us online at azquailtoday.com and be sure to follow us on social media for the latest information and updates. Check out Mollicone Kennels Facebook - Tell em Ryan sent you!  Join the cause and/or find out more about Fathers In The Field Ministries: https://www.fathersinthefield.com You can get your copy on Amazon Today.Connect with us: Email us at [email protected] —we'd love to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram at @azquailtoday

We sit down with Mike Roden to compare real Arizona quail hunting field notes, from bird numbers and covey size to what pressure does to the pockets that still hold birds. We trade observations on rain, heat, washed-out roads, and the dog work that makes tough seasons worth chasing. • Mike’s background as a lifelong hunter in the Prescott area • Running English pointers on Arizona quail and traveling for pheasants • Early season results, bird age ratios, and what they suggest about the hatch • Covey sizes, heavily hunted areas, and finding overlooked pockets • How moisture and conditions change scenting and pointing • Record rain, summer heat, grazing pressure, and why “green” can still hunt tough • Backcountry access, washed roads, and avoiding dangerous wash crossings • Timing hunts after storms when birds get active again • Closing stories of great points, honors, and clean retrieves To help further our work, please consider making a tax-deductible gift. Visit us online at azquilltoday.com and be sure to follow us on social media for the latest information and updates. Till then, remember to get outside. Check out Mollicone Kennels Facebook - Tell em Ryan sent you!  Join the cause and/or find out more about Fathers In The Field Ministries: https://www.fathersinthefield.com You can get your copy on Amazon Today.Connect with us: Email us at [email protected] —we'd love to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram at @azquailtoday

Quail season is here, and we dial in a practical early season plan built around cooler mornings, higher elevation country, and safe dog handling. We also share truck loadout essentials, simple calling tactics to locate Gambel’s quail, and an honest story about an opening weekend hunt that completely fell apart. • hunting higher elevations to manage early season heat • timing the morning for Gambel’s quail movement • rotating dogs to avoid overheating • using snake gaiters and staying alert in thick cover • comparing and maintaining quail calls and dealing with dry rot • locating coveys by stopping, calling, and listening before moving in • planning for second and third flush shot chances • trying Meta glasses for first-person hunt footage • packing a truck with backup calls, guns, maps, and recovery gear • cooling birds quickly and delaying cleaning for a day or two • building a tailgate bird cleaning station with water, soap, and bags • carrying dog water, first aid kits, charged collars, and a phone charger • learning from a windy, birdless opening weekend and keeping perspective To help further our work, please consider making a tax-deductible gift. Visit us online at azquailtoday.com and be sure to follow us on social media for the latest information and updates. Till then, remember to get outside. Check out Mollicone Kennels Facebook - Tell em Ryan sent you!  Join the cause and/or find out more about Fathers In The Field Ministries: https://www.fathersinthefield.com You can get your copy on Amazon Today.Connect with us: Email us at [email protected] —we'd love to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram at @azquailtoday

We take another quick look at how weather and timing shape Arizona quail hunting, from Super El Nino optimism to the very real effects of heat on Gambel’s chick survival. Kirby Bristow gets practical about hunting strategies, dogs, calls, covey behavior, and how to turn a flush into real shooting chances. • why Arizona climate swings matter for quail numbers and hunter expectations • how hot, dry summers can limit Gambel’s quail chick survival even after good winter rain • corrected Arizona quail season dates: The 2026-2027 Quail Season: Gambel's and Scaled Quail: October 16th - February 7th | Mearns' Quail: December 4th - February 7th• what wetter winters can mean for spring green-up and dog scenting conditions • using a quail call to locate Gambel’s and scaled coveys rather than pull birds in • sticking with a covey until you break it into singles that hold • why Mearns hunting starts later and depends on dogs more than calling • prioritizing the covey rise on Mearns and not over investing time in low-scent singles • shot size and load considerations across species and typical engagement distances To help further our work, please consider making a tax-deductible gift. Visit us online at azquil today.com and be sure to follow us on social media for the latest information and updates. Till then, remember to get outside. Check out Mollicone Kennels Facebook - Tell em Ryan sent you!  Join the cause and/or find out more about Fathers In The Field Ministries: https://www.fathersinthefield.com You can get your copy on Amazon Today.Connect with us: Email us at [email protected] —we'd love to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram at @azquailtoday

We sit down with retired Arizona Game and Fish biologist Kirby Bristow to connect Arizona’s 2026 monsoon rainfall to real-world quail numbers. We break down what that rain means for Mearns, Gambel’s, and scaled quail, why coveys can feel scarce after drought, and how hunters can set expectations for the season ahead. • Kirby’s background in quail research and a lifetime of hunting • How the 2026 monsoon performed across Tucson, Phoenix, and Southeast Arizona • Why summer versus winter rainfall patterns shape quail distribution statewide • How rain boosts forbs, insects, and warm-season grass cover that improves survival • Why Mearns quail are especially tied to monsoon-driven grass and dog work • What low base populations mean for covey counts even in a better year • What harvest age data and percent juveniles reveal about Gambel’s reproduction • How scaled quail breeding timing and habitat conversion affect long-term numbers • How to tell juveniles from adults using wing coverts and molt clues Please consider making a tax deductible ball. Visit us online at azquiltoday.com and be sure to follow us on social media for the latest information and updates Check out Mollicone Kennels Facebook - Tell em Ryan sent you!  Join the cause and/or find out more about Fathers In The Field Ministries: https://www.fathersinthefield.com You can get your copy on Amazon Today.Connect with us: Email us at [email protected] —we'd love to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram at @azquailtoday

Nick Shobinger and Ryan continue to talk and in this episode they break down how the Arizona Quail Initiative turns donations and grant funding into real habitat improvements for Arizona quail. They  also get practical about what scaled quail and Mearns quail need most, how drought and monsoon timing shape populations, and what hunters can do to help. • what the Arizona Quail Initiative is and how it differs from farm bill programs • how the RCPP grant funding gets used on the ground • why mesquite encroachment changes scaled quail habitat and hunting strategy • how invasive grasses can look good but feed birds poorly • what rain timing means for long term quail numbers • the biggest habitat pressures in Mearns quail oak woodlands and Sky Islands • which water improvements help wildlife most, from solar wells to wildlife friendly troughs • how monsoon storms can be pockety and how to plan hunts around moisture • ways hunters can support habitat work through chapters, surveys, and stewardship To help further our work, please consider making a tax-deductible gift. Visit us online at azquailtoday.com and be sure to follow us on social media for the latest information and updates. Till then, remember to get outside. Check out Mollicone Kennels Facebook - Tell em Ryan sent you!  Join the cause and/or find out more about Fathers In The Field Ministries: https://www.fathersinthefield.com You can get your copy on Amazon Today.Connect with us: Email us at [email protected] —we'd love to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram at @azquailtoday

We are back to talk with Nick Schobinger about the real work behind Arizona quail habitat projects, from internships and field surveys to his current role connecting ranchers, agencies, and conservation groups. We also get honest about what hunters can do to protect access on public lands and keep relationships strong. • Nick’s hunting background and how he got started with dogs and the pointing dog community • Switching from engineering to wildlife conservation during COVID and spending more time in the field • Arizona Game and Fish internships across the state and what field monitoring teaches you • Wildlife veterinarian internship basics, including what a necropsy is and what it reveals • What a cooperative wildlife biologist does and how Pheasants and Quail Forever funding works • Landowner Relations Program goals, including water and habitat projects that help cattle and wildlife • How relationships with ranchers are built through time, trust, and showing up • Plain-English breakdown of NRCS programs EQIP, CSP, and CRP and how they can support habitat • Why “overgrazed” looking areas can come from drought, soils, erosion, and terrain not just cattle • Hunter responsibility on shared landscapes, including gates, trash, signs, and respect for operations To help further our work, please consider making a tax-deductible gift. Visit us online at azquailtoday.com and be sure to follow us on social media for the latest information and updates.Check out Mollicone Kennels Facebook - Tell em Ryan sent you!  Join the cause and/or find out more about Fathers In The Field Ministries: https://www.fathersinthefield.com You can get your copy on Amazon Today.Connect with us: Email us at [email protected] —we'd love to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram at @azquailtoday

We catch up with Nick Shobinger and trace his path from North Dakota roots to Arizona quail country, bird dogs, and a career that keeps him close to the land. Along the way we get practical about scaled quail versus Gambel’s versus Mearns habitat, why listening beats wandering, and even how he records covey rises in real time. • Nick’s background from the Dakotas to the Valley to Tucson • Swapping engineering for wildlife conservation and management • Early Arizona hunts for Gambel’s quail and learning desert birds • Getting serious about bird dogs through clubs, mentors, and NASTRA field trials • Why scaled quail stands out and what makes late-season Gambel’s special • How to scatter coveys and work singles for better dog work • English pointers, breeding lines, and what matters more than pedigrees • Using Ray-Ban Meta glasses to film points, flushes, and misses • Desert bird tactics around water sources and morning calling • Mearns country versus desert washes and why the approach changes To help further our work, please consider making a tax-deductible gift. Visit us online at azquailtoday.com and be sure to follow us on social media for the latest information and updates. Connect with us: Email us at [email protected] —we'd love to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram at @azquailtoday

Mearns quail are not desert birds, and the timing of Arizona’s July and August monsoons can make or break the next several seasons. We connect recent monsoon swings to 1,200 years of tree-ring drought data, then bring it home with water reality, habitat stakes, and how we can show up for birds and for people. • how Mearns quail live in sky island oak savannas with small home ranges • why monsoon timing drives nesting conditions and brood survival • what digging behavior and late nesting reveal about rainfall dependence • the 2024 bust, the 2025 building year, and why 2026 looks like a chance • tree ring soil moisture research showing 2000–2020 as the driest stretch since year 800 • what aridification means when heat pulls moisture from the ground • why one good winter does not reset decades of drying • Arizona water demand and reuse, from chip fabs to Pure Water Phoenix • why we should hunt Mearns like they matter because they do • sponsor thanks, new team voices, and the Fathers in the Field mission To help further our work, please consider making a tax-deductible gift. Visit us online at azquailtoday.com and be sure to follow us on social media for the latest information and updates. Connect with us: Email us at [email protected] —we'd love to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram at @azquailtoday

We catch up on Quail Camp, the dog work behind it, and what it looks like to mentor a shy eighth grader into real confidence outdoors. We also map out a plan to send JJ on a South Dakota pheasant hunt, then pivot into practical gear talk and Yuma dove hunting details to help you get ready for the season. • Quail Camp recap, planted birds vs wild mechanics, and teaching gun safety • Why we focus on beliefs and relationships more than behavior • Screens, supervision, and why the outdoors has to be prioritized • Big Shot Lodge in South Dakota, what a youth pheasant trip looks like, and why it takes gear • Building and sharing an Amazon wish list so supporters can buy one item at a time • Water bottles, microplastics, and small changes that add up • Shotgun talk, why three shots can matter, and gearing up for dove season • Yuma dove hunting fun facts, flyways, agriculture, and timing the opener • Eurasian-collared doves, identification in flight, and what “no limit” means • Keeping birds, planning food like dove tacos, and hunting with a local operator To help further our work, please consider making a tax-deductible gift. Visit us online at azquailtoday.com and be sure to follow us on social media for the latest information and update. Till then, remember to get outside. Connect with us: Email us at [email protected] —we'd love to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram at @azquailtoday