Hi, Chuck! Enjoy your posts from Torrance. It looks like even the slightly higher elevations in Western Kern/Santa Barbara/Ventura/SLO got extra rain in the spring that we didn't get down here in LA/Orange. So maybe more reproduction of quail than previous year? Fingers crossed; think I'll do another scout in beginning of Sept.; leave the wife at home that time so I can sleep out in quail country and listen really early.
LGF, I see you live (at least part time) in what I consider my home town, the much-maligned Berkeley (I was raised so far out of Willits that I don't consider it home). I lived there from 1962-72 while attending UC, and working to pay for it. Interesting place to live; never a dull moment, at least in those days!
Can you tell me how you got onto Camp Roberts? When I previously lived in CA, one had to sneak in from the Big Sur side (LONG overnight hike). Is it open, or partly open, to civilians now? My Marine baby son just got posted to DLI in Monterey for about a year and a half, and I'd like to revisit some of the spots I formerly had to trespass to get to with him, shoot a pig, find those pesky disappearing quail, etc. (PM me if your answer is "classified").
I've always loved snakes (not so sure aboout some of the Kenya ones....) but I suspect the more rapid ones like racers and coachwhips are NOT a help to the quail population. Red coachwhips in particular seem to hang out in wild cucumber, what we used to call "quail vine" in Mendocino county....
The only place I've hunted quail successfully in northern CA in recent years is in the public area "behind" Lake Mendocino. We fould two large coveys in there one morning in 2002 when I came for my 40th high school reunion. Army Corps of Engineers and their volunteers there were very helpful in telling us where to go. You could probably call them and get a quail forecast. Lots of rattlers there, too--mind your dogs!
