LGF, I don't have any contacts in Northern CA that will let anyone but family hunt (including me). Most of the ranches that I knew are covered with vines now, or have become regional or state parks (not necessarily a bad thing in either case, but no hunting). When I lived in Berkeley, I didn't give a tinker's damn who knew I was a gun nut/killer of God's smaller kids. It was a pretty crazy, and tolerant, place at the time--who knew WHAT was "politically correct"? I guess they have figured that out in the meantime..... I was always amused by people who urged "picking up the gun" for political change. Having been raised on both my grandfathers' stories about the events in Mexico from 1910 onward, I was a little sceptical about the virtues of violent "revolution", especially for liberals, intellectuals, and rich hippies! Thanks for the tips on Camp Roberts and Hunter Liggett; I'll follow up.
Chuck, I remember mountain quail in the Santa Lucias west of Hunter Liggett. Only one I ever bagged there was with a Ruger Bearcat when I mistakenly fitted my food supply to my shoulders rather than my stomach on a backpacking trek in the 1960s..tasted good even caveman style,tho! (Hope the statute of limitations on that has run out....) I have actually hunted a few in Lassen County. Main problem was getting them to flush in the heavy manzanita. I'm gonna start my next quail scout in the Los Padres NF just south of Highway 58 and work south along the west side of the mountains as best I can, then in to the Cuyama (where you hunt, no?). I'll let you know what I find on public land; don't have any "ins" with landowners there.
Last Dollar, I was hunting down by Liberal the week before that ice storm hit. Got a few bobs along with the pheasants, just saw one chicken (high and supersonic). Sorry the quail situation is bad there--nice folks, wierd beautiful country.
