Mantra: Gopher is one of the few meats that does not have a flavor of its own. Gopher is a ghost and takes on the flavor of the place. It is the only animal capable of showing terroir. (Repeat.)
Take cleaned quail (preferably with ribs and backbones removed) and brine for 45 minutes in a sage and white pepper brine. Since they are relatively small you don’t need to brine them long, maybe an hour at most.
Carefully cut the wings off at the end of the forearm bone, leaving the entire forearm with joint exposed. Cut the legs off about a quarter to a third up the drumstick to create meaty haunches.
Take a bamboo skewer and from the haunches skewer both haunches together to push them forward somewhat and go through the rest of the bird. Coming out the front, pull the forearms forward and pierce and go through them with skewer to project them forward to create small mammal posture.
Grill twice on each side turning as juices rise. Make sure they are fully cooked, but be careful not to overcook or they will be dry rather than juicy.
Enjoy with Pinot Noir.