chukar population: looks damn good this fall.

[fethrduster]

Cool little birds but they ain't a tater peeler or a boat floater for me,I prefer quail/huns or pheasants.Management of  any of them is in US the hunters, the WDFW considers them  all an "Introduced" specie and as such does not fund any management program, consider yourselves warned.Same goes for Huns/quail/Pheasants.It's all about the license money boys,when it plays out it plays out.Non native Upland birds ain't nothing more than gold with beating hearts,the management begins with you! on quail make sure a covey has at least  10 birds remaining when your done!I'd say chuks/huns need 6,pheasants don't matter much as they aren't covey birds but if you see 15 hens before you see a rooster it's a bad proposition.

Quail are native to Washington.

[wildweeds]

No they are not, the only upland birds native to washington are those of the grouse family and the mountain quail as far as the WDFW is concerned ,I had a heated debate with the director over it  in email exchanges a few years ago,California Valley quail are not considered "Native"

Cool little birds but they ain't a tater peeler or a boat floater for me,I prefer quail/huns or pheasants.Management of  any of them is in US the hunters, the WDFW considers them  all an "Introduced" specie and as such does not fund any management program, consider yourselves warned.Same goes for Huns/quail/Pheasants.It's all about the license money boys,when it plays out it plays out.Non native Upland birds ain't nothing more than gold with beating hearts,the management begins with you! on quail make sure a covey has at least  10 birds remaining when your done!I'd say chuks/huns need 6,pheasants don't matter much as they aren't covey birds but if you see 15 hens before you see a rooster it's a bad proposition.

Quail are native to Washington.

[AspenBud]

Cool little birds but they ain't a tater peeler or a boat floater for me,I prefer quail/huns or pheasants.Management of  any of them is in US the hunters, the WDFW considers them  all an "Introduced" specie and as such does not fund any management program, consider yourselves warned.Same goes for Huns/quail/Pheasants.It's all about the license money boys,when it plays out it plays out.Non native Upland birds ain't nothing more than gold with beating hearts,the management begins with you! on quail make sure a covey has at least  10 birds remaining when your done!I'd say chuks/huns need 6,pheasants don't matter much as they aren't covey birds but if you see 15 hens before you see a rooster it's a bad proposition.

I must admit that I've only hunted barn chukar at shooting preserves, but if the wild variety are like their pen raised counterparts I will never understand the fascination with chukar. They don't taste that special to me and compared to a pheasant or ruffed grouse they are a nightmare to skin and gut. For all that climbing, not to mention potential snake issues for the dog I would wish for better.

[huntingfool7]

Cool little birds but they ain't a tater peeler or a boat floater for me,I prefer quail/huns or pheasants.Management of  any of them is in US the hunters, the WDFW considers them  all an "Introduced" specie and as such does not fund any management program, consider yourselves warned.Same goes for Huns/quail/Pheasants.It's all about the license money boys,when it plays out it plays out.Non native Upland birds ain't nothing more than gold with beating hearts,the management begins with you! on quail make sure a covey has at least  10 birds remaining when your done!I'd say chuks/huns need 6,pheasants don't matter much as they aren't covey birds but if you see 15 hens before you see a rooster it's a bad proposition.

I must admit that I've only hunted barn chukar at shooting preserves, but if the wild variety are like their pen raised counterparts I will never understand the fascination with chukar. They don't taste that special to me and compared to a pheasant or ruffed grouse they are a nightmare to skin and gut. For all that climbing, not to mention potential snake issues for the dog I would wish for better.

Even the best flight conditioned, pen raised chukar are a poor substitute for wild birds.  I would say they are a poor substitute for hardy pigeons also.

Nothing quite like the terrain, the difficult shot angles, the wear and tear on dog or man.
They run like hell and in flight, they drop out of sight quick.  God bless them, I hate them!  There isn't another game bird out there that will sit on a rock on a distant hillside and mock a guy like a chukar.

[fethrduster]

Cool little birds but they ain't a tater peeler or a boat floater for me,I prefer quail/huns or pheasants.Management of  any of them is in US the hunters, the WDFW considers them  all an "Introduced" specie and as such does not fund any management program, consider yourselves warned.Same goes for Huns/quail/Pheasants.It's all about the license money boys,when it plays out it plays out.Non native Upland birds ain't nothing more than gold with beating hearts,the management begins with you! on quail make sure a covey has at least  10 birds remaining when your done!I'd say chuks/huns need 6,pheasants don't matter much as they aren't covey birds but if you see 15 hens before you see a rooster it's a bad proposition.

I must admit that I've only hunted barn chukar at shooting preserves, but if the wild variety are like their pen raised counterparts I will never understand the fascination with chukar. They don't taste that special to me and compared to a pheasant or ruffed grouse they are a nightmare to skin and gut. For all that climbing, not to mention potential snake issues for the dog I would wish for better.

When you climb up a ridge to find your dog on point, your chest is heaving, and there is your dog, stiff as a statue into the wind, and then a covey of 30 birds rockets up out of the sage 30-40 yds away, cackling and rocketing downhill, and you somehow manage to scratch one or two down, you'll think differently.  Hunting a pen raised chukar on flat ground is like putt putt golf compared to the U.S. Open.   Not even close to the same thing as wild birds (wish I could say that about pheasants).   As for table fare, they are basically the same as a large quail.  I don't know how it can get any better than that.

[ribka]

Cool little birds but they ain't a tater peeler or a boat floater for me,I prefer quail/huns or pheasants.Management of  any of them is in US the hunters, the WDFW considers them  all an "Introduced" specie and as such does not fund any management program, consider yourselves warned.Same goes for Huns/quail/Pheasants.It's all about the license money boys,when it plays out it plays out.Non native Upland birds ain't nothing more than gold with beating hearts,the management begins with you! on quail make sure a covey has at least  10 birds remaining when your done!I'd say chuks/huns need 6,pheasants don't matter much as they aren't covey birds but if you see 15 hens before you see a rooster it's a bad proposition.

Only those that have made the thigh burning climb chasing wild birds understand


I must admit that I've only hunted barn chukar at shooting preserves, but if the wild variety are like their pen raised counterparts I will never understand the fascination with chukar. They don't taste that special to me and compared to a pheasant or ruffed grouse they are a nightmare to skin and gut. For all that climbing, not to mention potential snake issues for the dog I would wish for better.

When you climb up a ridge to find your dog on point, your chest is heaving, and there is your dog, stiff as a statue into the wind, and then a covey of 30 birds rockets up out of the sage 30-40 yds away, cackling and rocketing downhill, and you somehow manage to scratch one or two down, you'll think differently.  Hunting a pen raised chukar on flat ground is like putt putt golf compared to the U.S. Open.   Not even close to the same thing as wild birds (wish I could say that about pheasants).   As for table fare, they are basically the same as a large quail.  I don't know how it can get any better than that.

[merkelman]

You mean I have to walk to the top of the mountain. I cant just drive up and walk the tops!  I been doing it all wrong!!!

[HunterStrait]

I have never hunted chuckar, at least not yet. but they sound interesting to hunt! maybe i'll try this year, only if i can get my mutt
to hunt them properly!

[tomq04]

I have never hunted chuckar, at least not yet. but they sound interesting to hunt! maybe i'll try this year, only if i can get my mutt
to hunt them properly!

You only HUNT chukar once, every time after that you are out for REVENGE

[merkelman]

Sitting here in downtown chukarville. Man oh man they are going crazy tonight .  Come on next saturday.  It can come soon enough.

Hopefully it rains on the opener. Nothing better than hunting in the rain.

your inbox is full.

[ctwiggs1]

 

[merkelman]

Have a plane we could land in north Wenas road.

[GrampasGuns]

Hows the snake situation in chukarville currently?

[merkelman]

I need coordinates to land the helicopter. Lol how about the 76 station in town...

[Fishnfowler]

I'm headed out for 6 days of chukar hunting tomorrow, (Idaho).  Wish me luck.