..are mostly alive and well and still running around the central CA mtns., as far as I know.
Went on a planned quail safari with a friend of mine into the wild interior of central CA north and east of Ojai. (Usually I'm kidding about my home state, but not now--anybody who thinks CA is "clean out of wild and empty" needs to get his head out of his....suburb). Just two old persons and a youngish Yella Lab. We drove to Ojai and spent the night, got up at 5:30 and rolled over the Sespe Mtns. to a metropolis of 200+ called Venticopa on Rte. 33, asking ourselves WHY and HOW did they BUILD that road? The scenery, especially if you are into geology, is simply stunning. The rocks come right TO you; I spent more time going around rockslides than going down the road. These mountains really are "young and restless".....
At Venticopa we went into the first place of business (of about 2), a bar called "The Place". It offers breakfast, and the natives all were having "The Breakfast of Champions"--Budweiser in those elegant red, white, and blue cans. At 7:45 AM. (Believe me, there is no night shift in the Cuyama Valley. Hardly ANY shift.). As the guy at my left elbow informed me, "You don't even have to put in your teeth." A short stack and coffee later (I already had my teeth in), we drove into the Los Padres National Forest and started hunting a BIG canyon off an even bigger canyon.
It was cold. The first time I've actually been cold in CA since I moved here from upstate NY. 34 degrees and about a 25-30 mph wind out of the north. My conpanion was wearing CA hunting gear; he got really cold. We couldn't hear any answers to our quail calls. Or anything else. A cottontail ran in front of me and got shot. At the shot, the brush just uphill from us started leaking quail. My companion--a great shot, but no admirer of doubles--got a double using his Win Model 42 made up of parts from several guns including a "Field" reciever and a "Skeet" barrel rechambered for 3", plus nice old Fajen wood. I missed one. The birds evaporated uphill into a maze of brush and boulders. We crashed around; Lab flushed a couple but no shot.
We trudged to the next-greenest spot, where a very narrow side canyon came in. Up came a small covey; he got one, I got one. We tried to run them down but got only flushes on the OTHER side of the boulder (or tree), and runners. Crashed around and came up with zip. Time for a conference; went back across the big canyon and started downstream, not really hunting. Up came another small covey; he got one and I took both barrels to get another. Same deal; we couldn't find another survivor to shoot at, although we heard several takeoffs. Got to truck; warmed up, fed/watered Lab; cleaned birds and had a tussle with dog, who wanted my "unlucky rabbit's feet," all of 'em. Order was restored and we decided to try a dry, very long south-facing hillside for the chukars the Forest Service lady said were there, about 5 miles from where we had been hunting. Mostly by truck, thank God.
I humped to the top of the ridge and went over the summit and sown ab out 40 yds. My friend and dog started working the top 1/3 of the slope below and parallel to me on the other side. Nothing for about 300 yards and then a covey (8-9) flushed off the top right at me. Before I could help myself, I'd shot one coming and another going--my first double on chukars in about 30 years. I found one, the Lab the other. Better. But the rest flew 'way East (I think one of 'em mentioned Reno....) and we didn't find any others in another hour of hiking (did find some roosting areas and guano). About then I could see my buddy was really beat and his allergies were killing him in the dust-laden wind. Asked him, and he allowed that he WAS really beat. When a macho guy allows he's beat, you're getting into some scary territory, so we marched back down to the truck and he had some hot caldo de pollo (chicken soup to you gringos) and we trucked back to The Slab (I-5) and down to The Slurb. More killer scenery on the way eastward thru Frazier Park, too.
There seem to be adequate numbers of quail up there, and some ckukars (Who knew?). But most of 'em are STILL there. My friend is fine. Like Ahhhnald, "Veel be beck!".
