California Quail and Chukar Seasons Open Statewide Oct. 17; CDFW Expects Good Hunts
SACRAMENTO — All quail species and chukar opened to hunting statewide on Saturday, October 17, with the general season running through January 31, 2027, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), whose biologists expect good quail and chukar seasons in 2026-27.
California is home to three native quail species — mountain, California and Gambel's quail — with at least one species found in every part of the state. Chukar, native to parts of Asia and the Middle East, were introduced beginning in the 1930s and took hold in arid, steep, rocky terrain from the Modoc Plateau south into the Mojave Desert and Death Valley. Zone Q1 opened for mountain quail on September 12 and Zone Q2 on September 26, before the statewide opener. The daily bag limit is 10 quail in any species combination and six chukar, with possession limits triple the daily bag.
Updated CDFW models using 2025 North American Breeding Bird Survey data show mountain quail and chukar populations declined in 2025, while California and Gambel's quail increased slightly. The department also collects hunter-harvested quail and chukar wings to inform abundance estimates and conservation actions, and it urges hunters to check the zone map and current regulations before heading out.
(Source: California Department of Fish and Wildlife)
Source: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：在 Sonoma County 栖息的加州鹌鹑。图片来源：Sarah Stierch，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 3.0。Photo: A California quail in Sonoma County. Source: Sarah Stierch, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
