How To: Use OnX to Scout for Mountain Quail
I've hunted Mountain Quail across four states and in almost every type of cover imaginable. Nowhere have I encountered the numbers of quail that I've seen in the Cascades. Despite huge numbers of birds, this volcanic mountain range is a difficult place to hunt. The Cascades are known for their steep slopes and for having some of the thickest timber around. The Mountain Quail that reside there can be like ghosts, disappearing into the brush faster than you have time to lift your barrel.
The more open slopes of the Sierras and cheatgrass hills of the Great Basin and Columbia Plateau offer better shooting opportunities and generally speaking, better dog work as well. That said, bird numbers are lower and sometimes bag limits as well. The Cascades is a tough nut to crack but once you've figured it out, it can provide some excellent early season, snake free hunting, not to mention much cooler weather than elsewhere.
There are Mountain Quail across almost the entirety of the Cascades and they can live in a variety of habitat including sage brush, thick timber, oak forests, open cheatgrass and of course the chaparral habitat they are known for. Most often than not you will find them where the foothills meet the steeper stuff, the transition zone into the timber where open grazing areas meet thick cover. In zones where timber is the only habitat around, they will be found along the edge habitat from clear cuts, burns, roads and meadows and always in close proximity to water early in the season. One particular transition zone I love is timber to oak groves, not only are the shooting lanes great, but the the quail seem to love feasting on acorns and these areas hold birds more often than not. And of course, Mountain Quail love to hide in poison oak and blackberry bushes as well.
For me to get to some good hunting areas, it can be 1-3 hours in the truck, so it's essential I do my homework in before making that drive. I also find that the Mountain Quail are easier to find first thing in the morning, which makes e-scouting even more important for maximizing the time you have dogs on the ground.
When it comes to e-scouting, OnX Hunt is king and that's what we'll be referencing here. Like many apps and devices, we tend to only use a fraction of the features available to us. I'm going to share a few features that I use so you can get the most out of the app and become more effective at finding Mountain Quail. While many of these tips can be applied anywhere that Mountain Quail reside, this article will be focused on scouting and hunting the Cascades and coastal ranges of the Pacific Northwest.
How to use layers to find Mountain Quail
Open OnX Hunt and go to the zone you're looking to hunt.
Click 'Hunt Map Layers' then scroll to the bottom and hit 'Trees, Crops, Soil', then toggle between these different layers as you search for hunting zones.
Timber Cuts/Historic Wildfire
Focus on where the cover meets the regrowth. Use the satellite images, the timber cuts layer and the burn layers to find long stretches of edge habitat to work with your dogs.
I prefer younger vegetation zones that develop 2-5 years after a burn or clear cut. These open areas offer better grazing opportunities for the quail as well as easier shooting opportunities for the hunter. And most importantly, it produces better dog work than the thicker stuff as well.
Eventually, older burns grow too dense. That sweet spot is when brush is knee to waist, high, and not impenetrable for you or your dogs.
Acorn Producing Oaks
I've had a ton of success finding quail in and around oak trees as the birds will feed on the acorns which are high in protein. If there's extensive oak habitat, find those transition zones into the timber/thicker cover and look for nearby perennial water.
Deciduous vs Coniferous
This is an awesome layer to find transition zones between grazing and cover habitat. Later in the season deciduous trees lose their leaves which means less cover for the quail. This is a great time to look for them in thicker riparian cover or on the edges of the timber hiding out among the deadfall.
Mountain quail thrive in thick cover like manzanita, ceanothus, chamise, blackberries, willows, dense sagebrush and mixed chaparral. Find this cover from the satellite image or by using the vegetation layers.
Terrain & Topography
The birds tend to frequent certain types of terrain and certain elevations. These also change over the course of the season. If you scout in July, it doesn't mean you'll find birds there in Oct/Nov.
Mountain quail are usually found between 3,000–7,000 feet depending on the time of year and your location. In early fall, focus higher and move lower as winter takes hold, shifting focus into the brushy foothills around rivers and creeks. If the weather is rough, think about where they might be taking cover.
LIDAR
Use OnX's LIDAR to get a detailed look at the landscape, finding details within steep sidehills, benches, narrow draws and ridge lines.
3D Mode
Use OnX’s 3D terrain view to visualize how ridges, canyons, and sidehills connect, you’ll quickly see “funnels” where quail are likely to travel to feed and water.
Slope Angle + Aspect
Use tools like 'Slope (Angle and Aspect)' as it's a great way to see how steep the grades are. As the season progresses the birds will change aspects as they look for warmth instead of shade. Using the aspect layer makes planning your route incredibly effective.
Current Conditions
While there's no snakes, early season does have several other challenges. Active fires, smoke, closed roads and high temperatures can all be prevalent in an early season mountain quail hunt. Here's a couple layers that help you beat the heat and the smoke!
Go to 'Hunt map layers' then scroll to near the bottom and click 'Current Conditions' and toggle between these few layers to find areas that are pleasant to hunt during fire season. While it's pretty easy to avoid an active fire, using the smoke forecast layer to avoid the smoke is an incredible feature and something I use EVERY September.
Another often overlooked feature is the ability to get current and forecasted wind and weather for a specific coordinates. You can do this by simply clicking on the waypoint and then going to 'Weather' or 'Wind Calendar'.
Water Sources
Mountain Quail are water dependent, especially early in the season season. Finding perennial water sources can be a guarantee to find birds in some places. Use the map to scour your area locate things like:
Springs and seeps marked on the map. On-the-ground scouting offers a great opportunity to see how good a spring actually is.
Creek drainages. These are your bread and butter, often running along the base of steeper areas and offering more diverse grazing opportunities and thick escape cover for the quail.
Stock ponds or guzzlers close to quail habitat can also be good places to check.
In dry years and early season, water is the single best predictor of where coveys will concentrate. Drop pins on every water source within your hunt zone and make a plan to walk to all of them into the wind.
Access & Land Ownership
This one is obvious and what we've always relied on OnX for. Some things to be aware of though are timber company lands. Some are open to hunting, some require a permit and some are closed to public access completely. Make sure you've checked before you go.
Boots on the Ground
Once your scouting is done and your plan is in place, it's time to get out there with the dogs.
If you want to scout these zones prior to the season, a great tactic is to drive the gravel forest roads at first light. Similar to grouse, Mountain Quail will walk the roads picking at gravel early in the morning. August is a great time for this, as the birds will have their chicks in tow and be out grazing for longer and in greater numbers. Drop a pin and come back once the season opens. Chicks will hatch at different times if there's a big gap in elevations, so use chick ages when you're scouting to determine when to hunt the area.
Typically, I skip the higher altitudes for the first week or two of the season, as the young birds haven't quite come into full plumage. I'll usually hunt grouse in the same areas and make notes of any quail I see, before returning mid-September to chase Mountain Quail once that year's birds have full color and plumage.
Mountain Quail get a reputation for being a needle in a haystack, but once you know how to find their habitat before you head out, the birds are easier to find once you get there. OnX allows us to save on time and gas money by doing a little homework ahead of time. It's an essential part of my success when it comes to chasing mountain quail. Hopefully these tips will help you find more birds!
If you've got your own tips, comments or questions, write a comment below.
Chris Curtis on
Looks good