STORMY START TO DOVE HUNTS.

Byline: Jim Matthews Special to the Daily News

Tuesday's opening of early dove season drew strong reviews in the the state's lower southwest deserts and along the Colorado River, despite a series of thunderstorms that threatened to dampen the annual hunting rite.

Such fowl, er, foul weather is blamed yearly for driving whitewing and mourning doves into Mexico, frequently occurring just before the season opens. However, this year's big storms didn't take place until Monday afternoon, and most hunters reported seeing numerous birds opening day.

``I haven't heard of anybody who didn't get a limit,'' said Bill Kerekes of Mesa Sports Shop in Yuma, Ariz., one of the most popular destinations for California hunters. ``Everybody who's come in here said it was over too quick. There are just birds everywhere, including a lot of whitewings.''

Kerekes said there were many wheat fields in the Yuma and Winterhaven regions along the lower Colorado that attracted large quantities of birds. While most of the fields had been harvested recently, many had not yet been plowed, attracting a lot of birds to pick up seeds.

Farther up the river, Wayne Pinkerton at B&B Bait in Blythe noted, ``Some places have been real hot.'' Hunters who focused on burned wheat fields in the Palo Verde Valley near Ripley found excellent shooting, he said. For example, Jim Maxey of Riverside and his group of eight hunters all had limits by sunrise, with many of the limits consisting mostly of whitewings.

The north end of the Palo Verde Valley, however, was not near as productive, Pinkerton said, with most birds not on agriculture but in the desert, where they were more scattered and difficult to target.

In the Imperial Valley, the hunting was generally reported to be very good on harvested wheat fields, along the East Highline Canal in the fallow fields and in more arid areas along the railroad tracks. There were also some safflower fields at the Imperial Wildlife Area, on the south end of the Salton Sea, that provided some fair hunting.

In the Coachella Valley near Indio and Palm Springs, the reports of good hunting were less consistent. Hunters who scouted out likely fields had limits early, but the numbers of birds in this region were not as high as in the Imperial and Colorado River regions.

``There have been a lot of hunters, but not a lot of limits,'' said Elva Perez of Poor Richard's in Mecca.

In the high desert from Victorville to Lancaster, the birds were far more scattered and hunting not nearly as productive. Thunderstorms hammered this region hard Monday and earlier in August, and most hunters felt the storm activity pushed the birds south. The same was true for the Southern San Joaquin Valley, where bird numbers took a decided turn downward last week.

EARLY SEASON RESIDENT UPLAND GAME BIRD REGULATIONS

QUAIL

(California, mountain and desert)

Hunting Season

Oct. 17 to Jan. 31 (except for Marin, Napa, Solano, Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties, which open Sept. 26). Early mountain-quail season runs Sept. 12 to Oct. 16 for the North Coast and Sierra Nevada.

Limits

10 per day; 20 in possession.

Comments

California, mountain quail production look favorable throughout state because of good rainfall amounts, which promotes spring vegetation that increases vitamin intake and turns on breeding cycle. Chicks get valuable protein from greater insect production. Numbers of desert quail are equally strong.

CHUKAR 

(Red-legged partridge)

Hunting Season

Oct. 17 to Jan. 31.

Limits

Six per day; 12 in possession.

Comments

Production around Ridgecrest and San Bernardino looks great, tied to better rainfall. Similar to - and often mixed in with - mountain quail, they are challenging to hunt because they run in steep terrain. Families found in flocks of 60 to 80; covey sizes of mountain quail are 10 to 15.

SAGE GROUSE

Hunting Season

Saturday and Sunday only, in four zones - North Mono County, South Mono/Inyo counties, East Lassen County and Central Lassen County.

Limits

Two per day; two per season.

Comments

Sound production in Lassen but uncertain in Mono and Inyo, where hunt permits were dropped from 150 to 20 because of concerns over steadily declining numbers of males attending leks (display grounds). Drawing for permits held in early August; just 5 percent of applicants were successful in south zones.

BLUE AND RUFFED GROUSE 

Hunting Season

Sept. 12 to Oct. 12.

Limits

Two blue or ruffed per day; four in possession in one species or a mixed bag.

Comments

Take will be nearly all blues; density of ruffed in state has never been high, however northwest corner is home to many.Though blues often taken incidentally with pistols during deer-hunting outings, more shotgunners are targeting blues, especially on west slope of Sierra Nevada.

WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN 

Hunting Season

Sept. 12-20, and only in Alpine County and a portion of Mono County.

Limits

Two per day; two per season.

Comments

Populations not often counted because of their extreme living areas - above tree line and below year-round snow in High Sierra, where they feed off dwarf willows. Least hunted of bunch. Tioga Pass area a populated locale. Sporting target when flushed, but they hold tight to due to convincing camouflage.

Note: Falconers and archers should consult Department of Fish and Game regulations.

For further details, call the DFG regional office in Long Beach at [phone] or the Upland Game Unit of the DFG's Wildlife Management Division at [phone].

Comments provided by DFG associate wildlife biologist and upland game specialist Sam Blankenship.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Chart

PHOTO (1--Color) MOUNTAIN QUAIL

(2--Color) CHUKAR

CHART: EARLY SEASON RESIDENT UPLAND GAME BIRD REGULATIONS (see text)

Compiled by Brett Pauly