Hey from California Upland.
Foxtails are everywhere — pull them off the dog before they go in the truck, not after. Peter watched a valley quail hen ferry six chicks across a fire road above Lake Berryessa on Tuesday. That’s the kind of late-June detail that tells you what October cover will look like: where the broods made it, where they didn’t, where to point a vehicle in early October when the season turns over.
From the field. Matt spent the weekend running through the Brittany breeders he’s talked to over the last eighteen months and finally picked one — working line, fall ‘26 litter, pup home in April or May of ‘27. The first installment of that arc — a breed-decision framework for California terrain — is still in the shop and coming soon. The two dog pieces below are where the arc starts in print.
What we published this week:
→ Foxtail Season for California Bird Dogs: A Handler’s Prevention and First-Aid Plan — the routine, the daily inspection, the warning signs, and the one head-tilt that always means a same-day vet call. Three seasons of running Alan have stripped it down to what stays in the truck. Read →
→ What I Carry for Alan: A California Bird-Dog Kit That Actually Works — cooling vest, water, boots, GPS, first aid — and what Peter stopped carrying. The follow-on to the foxtail piece for everything else in the truck. Read →
What we’re working on:
· The Right Bird Dog for California Upland: A Breed Decision Framework — the breed conversation from the field note above; in the works. · Planning a Los Padres National Forest Upland Hunt: Mountain and Valley Quail in One Day — in the works. Los Padres is the one piece of CA public land where both quail go in the same morning on an elevation break. · Picking a Puppy from a California Litter — health clearances, what to ask a breeder, what to look for the day you meet the litter. Closes the puppy arc on Thursday. · California’s Coastal Sage Scrub for Valley Quail — a habitat-first read for the Central Coast on Sunday, anchoring Monterey through Santa Barbara.
If a piece lands, hit reply. We read every one.
Out the door, — Matt & Peter
californiaupland.com · @california_upland
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