Last Saturday marked the opening day of the 2008-09 quail season in Napa County.

I had the opportunity to check out the Knoxville Wildlife Area just north of Lake Berryessa.

The 8,104 acres of public land is managed by the Department of Fish & Game, and can be accessed off both sides of the Berryessa-Knoxville road.

The southern border of the wildlife area is approximately five miles past the Eticura Creek crossing at the northernmost point of Lake Berryessa.

There is a variety of terrain to explore here, including flat meadows, steep canyon walls, hillsides of thick brush, and rolling oak woodlands.

Several creek beds wind through the area, some of which still have holes with water even during this driest time of the season. Most wildlife prefer to be near a water source.

Having hiked and hunted on these lands for many years, our resident expert, Scott Farmer, guided us to some of his favorite spots to find quail. We arrived while it was still dark in anticipation of the official start of shoot time, which is 30 minutes prior to sunrise.

Our group this day included four hunters and two dogs. We began by hiking up a gently inclining trail through a creek canyon.

It was not five minutes before we busted the first covey, and Matt Schwanebeck downed the first quail. Most of the birds took off through the trees, preventing us from getting any more shots at this group.

We hiked and explored this spot thoroughly, and drove up the road to check out a few others as well. There were a fair number of other hunters out for the opener, but it was by no means crowded.

Everyone we met was a courteous and responsible hunter.

After a good four hours of hunting, we took a break for lunch.

The temperature started creeping up as we discussed whether to try one more spot or just call it a day. As if on cue, the crow of a quail from a nearby hill convinced us to make one more hunt.

We pushed up the hillside towards where we heard the call. The terrain grew steeper and the air grew hotter with each step up the brushy slope. Near a particularly thick area, the dogs suddenly got “birdy” — and then an explosion of wingbeats erupted from the bush.

Quail flew out in all directions. They took flight in several groups, approximately 40 birds in all.

No matter how many times you’ve experienced it, the flush of an upland game bird will always send a jolt up your spine. We struggled to find solid footing on the steep, uneven ground to get off a decent shot.

Lead filled the air, but only one quail fell through it all.

Back at the parking area we took time to catch our breath, enjoyed some refreshments, and recounted the story from our different perspectives on the hillside. We kicked off our hiking boots and packed up our gear for the ride home. As we were ready to drive off, another quail’s call echoed down a thick, forested canyon, tempting us to go out for one more hunt.

I’m looking forward to that one!

Hunting bills not a priority with Governor

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed two separate hunting protection measures, stating that he cannot sign them at this time because they are not high priorities and were sent to him too late due to the stalled budget negotiations.

AB 2132 (Houston) and AB 815 (Berryhill) were bills which would have, respectively, protected the use of dogs in hunting and kept local governments from interfering with hunting activities.

Both enjoyed broad bipartisan support in the State Legislature and had minimal fiscal impact on the State of California. In fact, AB 2132 did not receive a single “no” vote in either house of the Legislature.

It’s important to understand that several hundred other bills have also been vetoed this year for the same stated reasons — apparently due to being caught in the backwash of the ugliest budget negotiations in State history.

The same two hunting-protection measures are expected to be revisited in 2009.

Guy Carl is a CPA and partner with BDCo Accountants and Advisors in St. Helena (www.bdcocpa.com). Contact Guy at GC.outdoors@sbcglobal.net