As publishedNov 15, 2026 – Feb 15, 2027
Not in the known-species dictionary; NM regulates it as a distinct quail type with its own sub-cap nested inside the overall aggregate quail bag limit (Scaled/Gambel's/Bobwhite/Montezuma share one season and one 15/day-30-possession ceiling, but no more than 5 of the 15 daily / 10 of the 30 in possession may be Montezuma quail). HIP not required.
Governing source is NMDGF's “Fall Roadside Survey” (combined scaled/Gambel's/bobwhite/Montezuma quail), described by NMDGF's own Turkey and Upland Game Biologist Casey Cardinal as being in “preliminary stages of implementation” as of 2022 reporting -- whether it has since matured into a regularly published index remains genuinely unconfirmed, not a confirmed absence. Stale-attribution catch this pass: a WebSearch result surfaced a Cardinal quote describing quail as having “rebounded extremely well” with “outstanding production,” read with no year label attached; direct-fetching the source article (wildlife.dgf.nm.gov, “Southeast New Mexico is your best bet for quail”) confirmed it is dated November 23, 2016, describing the 2016-17 season -- not a 2026 finding. No genuine 2026 NMDGF quail forecast (survey or narrative) was found. 2026 statewide drought conditions (D2 Severe Drought by late April, earliest snowmelt on record) point toward a weaker year by the same precipitation-driven logic used in Cardinal's prior commentary, but that is inference, not a published 2026 finding -- noted for color, not treated as a rating.