Welcome back, and thank you. This is the 20th consecutive week we have landed in your inbox, and to everyone who has been with us since the beginning, it means more than we can say. You will get everything you have come to expect today, and the new additions we previewed in Issue #018 (the marketplace, refuge-level weather, and the app) are still coming together behind the scenes, with more to share soon. The calendar is loaded: the X zones close today, quail and chukar opened yesterday, and the Balance of State duck opener is Saturday. This week we are grilling the first quail of the season, making the case for the gun sling you will wish you had bought, clearing a flood pipe with Tad A. before the water goes on, meeting Morgan, a 12-year-old bird dog who has not slowed down one bit, and handing the mic back to Weston W. for a turkey story where his dad was very nearly the one who got hunted. Let's get into it.

Quail and chukar are open everywhere now, and the best thing you can do with the first birds of the year is keep it simple. Splitting a quail flat (spatchcocking) lets it cook evenly and fast over a hot grill, so the skin crisps before the lean breast dries out. Ten minutes on the fire and dinner is done. Chukar work the same way, just a few minutes longer.

You will need: four to six quail or two to three chukar (plucked and skin-on if you can, since the skin protects lean meat), kitchen shears, olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, three tablespoons of butter melted with two minced garlic cloves, chopped fresh thyme or rosemary, a lemon, and an instant-read thermometer. Optional: a quick brine (a quarter cup of kosher salt dissolved in a quart of cold water), a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a drizzle of honey for the butter.

The method:

Doneness and safety note: USDA guidance is 165 degrees for poultry, game birds included. Check the thickest part of the breast near the bone, and keep an eye on it, because small birds blow past done in a hurry. Remind everyone at the table to chew carefully in case you missed a pellet. Wear nitrile gloves when you clean birds, and with afternoons still warm this month, get your birds out of the vest and into the cooler from Issue #15 quickly (the cool-fast rule from Issue #7 applies to birds, too).

Whether you are chasing ducks or still after deer, don't get caught deep in the backwoods or out in the flooded ground with both hands full, wishing you had a sling.

Our value pick is a padded neoprene sling with swivels. The stretchy padding soaks up bounce so the gun rides lighter, and a non-slip backing keeps it on your shoulder. Get one long enough to fit over waders and a heavy coat. Expect roughly $25 to $45, so check current pricing. Floor option: a basic nylon sling for around $10. Step up: premium slings with better hardware run several times the price.

Before you buy: make sure your gun has sling swivel studs (plenty of duck guns don't). And always unload before you cross a ditch, climb a fence, or step into the boat. Pair it with your shooting sticks from Issue #11 or the waders from Issue #16.

This week's Showcase is the unglamorous side of duck season, and we love it. Tad A. of Durham sent in a photo of a flood pipe halfway choked with mud, and he spent part of his week digging it out so the water can go on before the opener. Every great morning in the blind starts with work nobody sees: pipes, boards, levees, and blinds. If you have not walked your drains and inlets yet, take this as your reminder. Nice work, Tad.

The Showcase is exclusive to subscribers, so the folks on this list see it first. Next week it could be yours: the first greenhead of the valley season, a covey flush, a last-weekend B-zone buck, or the work that got your spot ready. Hit reply with your photo or clip and a sentence about it, and tell us how you want to be credited (we run first name, last initial, and town). The best one each week runs up top and earns a permanent spot on our subscribers-only Showcase page.

Meet "Morgan" (Owner: Allen C., Forest Ranch)

Morgan is 12 years old and still locking up on birds like it is the first season. Allen sent us a shot of Morgan on point on a chukar at Clear Creek Sports Club near Corning, and the intensity in that pose is something a lot of young dogs are still working toward. Here is to the gray-muzzled veterans who keep showing up and doing the job.

Want your dog featured? Hit reply, send us a clean photo of your hunting partner, and give us a quick 2 to 3 sentence blurb on what they hunt and where they earn their kibble. Pointers, flushers, retrievers, and the occasional very good mutt all qualify. Missed a week? Catch up on every dog we have featured on our Dog of the Week page.

"This thing was running full speed from 100 yards away, right at us."

Weston W. was 15, hunting turkeys with his dad in an almond orchard in Durham, right along Butte Creek. Shortly after sunup, a big flock of toms and hens came working across the orchard about 100 yards out. All they had was a box call, a hen decoy, and a jake decoy, and no time to set up properly. His dad got the hen out, they each grabbed a tree, and the jake never made it out of his dad's hand.

The flock was not paying them any attention. So his dad started bobbing the jake up and down, trying to get something to notice. Then one tom broke from the group, and he was not coming for the hen.

Submitted by Weston W., Durham

Read the full story on norcalhunt.com/fieldstories.

Got a hunt that turned into a story? A first bird, a near miss, a morning that went sideways and turned out better for it? Hit reply and tell it the way you would at the tailgate, and we will clean it up. Catch up on the ones we have already run on our field stories page.

This briefing gets sharper when we hear from you. Drop us a quick reply and tell us:

Last week's poll: what did you shoot your first buck with? The answers came in spread evenly across the board, but the .30-06 took the lead by a hair. A classic for a reason.

This week's poll: what is the longest distance you have ever killed an animal at?

Got a hunting partner in the foothills, the rice, or along the riverbanks? Forward this briefing and point them to norcalhunt.com. Twenty weeks in, word of mouth from real hunters is still how we grow.

Steel shot for Saturday, a new sling, a processor with room for your last buck, or someone to help you get the water on: somebody close to you has it. Our local services page keeps the NorCal businesses that treat hunters right all in one place. Check it out at norcalhunt.com/localboys and if your shop belongs on it, hit reply.

The past week ran hot, with Chico topping out near 91 on Thursday. The National Weather Service has today sunny with a high near 82, then a slight chance of rain Monday as highs drop into the low 70s. On the fire side, the Fork Fire in Shasta County is now fully contained, but CAL FIRE is tracking the newer Blue Fire in Shasta County (38 acres, 60 percent contained) and two small fires in Humboldt County, the Surgone and Marshall fires. Sierra hunters should note the Dome Fire in Mariposa County, about 6,800 acres and 86 percent contained.

Before you load the truck:

Stay safe out there, get your gear cleaned, and we'll see you in the field.

The NorCal Hunt Team

#020

Something has quietly changed in energy.

Supply tighter, demand steady.

LNG exporters, pipelines, infrastructure getting paid on volume.

With AI data centers climbing gas demand and export capacity expanding, cash flow grows.

This briefing breaks down steady producers, midstream players, export names quietly compounding while tech obsesses over headlines.

Get the Free Briefing

_{By clicking, you’ll receive this and other Elite Trade Media LLC financial newsletters, which may include advertiser offers. Publications · Privacy · Unsubscribe anytime.}

Pay no interest until nearly 2028 with some of the best hand-picked credit cards this year. They are perfect for anyone looking to pay down their debt, and not add to it!

Click here to see what all of the hype is about.

Learn How To Apply Now