| Window | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Window 1 | 16 OCT 2026 – 07 FEB 2027 | 115d |
| Window 2 | 01 SEP 2026 – 04 MAR 2027 | 185d |
As publishedGeneral: Oct 16, 2026-Feb 7, 2027 (statewide + several NWRs). Falconry-only: Sep 1, 2026-Mar 4, 2027 (most units) / Jul 1, 2026-Mar 31, 2027 (Units 25M, 26M, 38M)
General season shared with scaled and California quail (same dates, same open areas).Aggregate daily bag of 15 quail total (Gambel's + scaled + California + Mearns' combined), no more than 8 of which may be Mearns'. Falconry season runs longer in most units, and Jul 1, 2026-Mar 31, 2027 in Units 25M/26M/38M.
Gambel's quail is Arizona's most widespread desert quail, and AZGFD's own annual Small Game Forecast gives it a clear, elevation-bounded habitat-type region rather than a named local hotspot: deserts, low-elevation grasslands, and scrublands, typically below 5,500 feet -- effectively the low desert basins across the southern two-thirds of the state, excluding the higher forested regions where dusky grouse and Montezuma quail occur instead. This is a broad, statewide-desert answer rather than a narrow named region, but it is a real agency-published habitat/elevation boundary, not a claim of uniform statewide distribution.
Provisional: The Arizona Game and Fish Department's own Quail Outlook for 2026 hasn't published yet (expected mid-October, ahead of the Oct. 16 opener). Gambel's should be better than last year, but better here means a recovery from a very poor 2025, not a good year. 2025 was the worst brood year in many years for all three of Arizona's desert quail, and AZGFD's statewide small game program manager expects, at best, "an average year for desert birds." Quail Forever's 2026 forecast reports more chicks on the ground than last year, above-average Gambel's call counts, and a chance of a second clutch if the monsoon holds, while noting that populations "need more time to rebound from 2025." Central and northwest Arizona look like the most consistent bets. The monsoon brought the center and north of the state back to more normal conditions by August, while the south stayed in dry to moderate drought.
More chicks and better breeding conditions in 2026 after a near-total brood failure in 2025, per Quail Forever's forecast. The recovery starts from a low base, so expect about average at best, with fewer coveys.
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