Arizona, New Mexico, & Nevada

Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada offer excellent opportunities for upland bird hunting, with expansive landscapes that are well-suited for sporting dogs. Arizona is known for its diverse terrain, from the high desert plateaus in the north to the rolling grasslands in the southeast. The Sonoran Desert, with its rich populations of Gambel’s quail, offers a unique hunting experience for pointing and flushing dogs. The upland areas surrounding the Coronado National Forest and the Saguaro National Park are prime locations for hunters looking for challenging terrain and abundant quail.

New Mexico and Nevada offer similar opportunities for upland hunting, with expansive areas of public land and varied habitats. In New Mexico, the Chihuahuan Desert and grasslands of the southeast, near cities like Las Cruces and Albuquerque, are excellent places for hunting scaled quail, while the foothills and mountains around Santa Fe offer opportunities for hunting blue grouse and pheasant.

Nevada, with its rugged terrain and wide-open spaces, is another hidden gem for upland hunters, particularly in areas like the Ruby Mountains and the Great Basin near Reno and Elko. These regions support populations of chukar, California quail, and sage grouse, providing diverse terrain for sporting dogs to work.