If they are like the birds here in the south, they will definitely seek shelter from the wind/cold when the weather take a drop.

 

Quail in SoCal will not move more than 1/2 mile from their water source (home territory), snow or no.

Chukar will move down to the snow line and follow it back up as it melts.

 

This weekend I got into alot of mtn quail and a few valley quail in the same spot. The birds where in smaller groups and more spread out. I assume its the pressure from hunting. A few more birds flushing far out than earlier in the season. Never got into any chukar.

 

I have seen Sharptail and pheasant roosting in trees after big snows, but never Huns. Did see the goofiest thing though about ten years back. I had been out to a local ranch the day after a foot of new very light and fluffy snow. As you drove the long road through the ranch, you could see where every cow, deer, or other critter had been out walking that morning. In one field, a broad expance of unbroken snow, there were "tracks" which just made no sense. Not in a line, but kind of together, and then... what the....new tracks were forming in the snow, and there was no critter there! I stopped to look at this and a whole covey of Huns exploded from snow. Seems the snow was too fluffy for them to walk "on", so they were walking around through it, with snow caving into their paths behind them, making the odd tracks I had seen. You had to see it to believe it.

 

Hunting will do it, bobcats will break up a covey also and this time of year Cooper's Hawks will break up a covey.

More than likely however, hunters and bobcats.

I recommend highly that you get this book. it will help you get some great insight

http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/1415.php

 

that looks like a GREAT BOOK! I could use a book like that for other birds too like chukar and blue grouse.

I'll have to add it to my list! I also need some more byron south coming to the call dvd's and churchill's game shooting.