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)
Hunted concurrently with Gambel's and California quail under the same Commission Order and aggregate bag limit (15/day total of all quail species, max 8 Mearns').
Governed by AZGFD's combined Quail Outlook press release (Gambel's, scaled, California, and Mearns's/Montezuma quail together, built on spring desert-quail roadside call-count surveys plus a Mearns's monsoon-condition assessment), published each year within days of the mid-October season opener (Oct 11 2023, Oct 15 2024, Oct 17 2025). Not yet published as of 2026-08-19; azgfd.com continued to return HTTP 403 to direct fetch on a fresh check this pass (same block the Tier A registry hit on 2026-08-18), so status is tracked via the expected annual timing rather than a direct page read. Expected mid-October 2026, alongside the season opener.