Post by: BIGINNER on September 27, 2010, 12:51:34 PM
Post by: Professor Chaos on September 27, 2010, 02:47:00 PM
Post by: BIGINNER on September 28, 2010, 07:53:02 AM
anyone ever hunt chukar in the rattlesnake hills?
Post by: Professor Chaos on September 28, 2010, 08:41:37 AM
again when it comes to the rattlesnake hills, you are dealing with some private ground and not ideal chukar country...
would you rather drive 30 min to hunt hard and not find birds, or rather drive an hour and be in birds... choice is pretty easy for me.
good luck
Post by: BIGINNER on September 28, 2010, 10:03:28 AM
Post by: Pathfinder101 on September 28, 2010, 10:09:38 AM
Post by: 300magman on September 28, 2010, 10:35:47 AM
also look around Bald Mountain up out of Yakima............. above the GOLD CREEK store on hwy 410
Post by: Pathfinder101 on September 28, 2010, 10:44:08 AM
grew up in Prosser,,,,, look out in the sage brush around Horse Heaven hills............should find pockets of them
also look around Bald Mountain up out of Yakima............. above the GOLD CREEK store on hwy 410
hmmmmm....news to me....(good news :) )
Post by: BIGINNER on September 28, 2010, 12:21:27 PM
Post by: fluentvoo on September 28, 2010, 01:15:52 PM
I JUST RECENTLY GOT INTO BIRD HUNTING,.. WELL WHERE WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE TO GO OUT CHUKAR HUNTING AROUND TRI-CITIES AREA? (PREFERABLY WEST OR NORTHWEST OF TRI-CITIES) PEOPLE TOLD ME THERES SOME CHUKAR AROUND THE VERNITA BRIDGE AREA, AND THE WAHLUKE AREA. I WILL CHECK THOSE PLACES OUT THIS WEEK. I LIVE IN BENTON-CITY SO THOSE PLACES ARN'T TOO FAR FOR ME. WELL... ANY HELP WOULD BE APRECIATED.
If you are in Benton City, just go north to the saddle mountains. There are coveys there. If you don't mind walking 15 miles, then you'll get birds.
The columbia and snake also have chukar. Take LOTS of water if you are going Sat. Chukar hunting + heat = miserable without enough water.
If you are driving to the saddle mountains area, you can always drive a little further and go north of vantage and hunt em along the columbia. Guess it all depends on how much time you have and how much walking you wanna do to get to em.
Post by: Professor Chaos on September 28, 2010, 01:16:54 PM
Post by: fluentvoo on September 28, 2010, 02:24:36 PM
I JUST RECENTLY GOT INTO BIRD HUNTING,.. WELL WHERE WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE TO GO OUT CHUKAR HUNTING AROUND TRI-CITIES AREA? (PREFERABLY WEST OR NORTHWEST OF TRI-CITIES) PEOPLE TOLD ME THERES SOME CHUKAR AROUND THE VERNITA BRIDGE AREA, AND THE WAHLUKE AREA. I WILL CHECK THOSE PLACES OUT THIS WEEK. I LIVE IN BENTON-CITY SO THOSE PLACES ARN'T TOO FAR FOR ME. WELL... ANY HELP WOULD BE APRECIATED.
If you are in Benton City, just go north to the saddle mountains. There are coveys there. If you don't mind walking 15 miles, then you'll get birds.
The columbia and snake also have chukar. Take LOTS of water if you are going Sat. Chukar hunting + heat = miserable without enough water.
If you are driving to the saddle mountains area, you can always drive a little further and go north of vantage and hunt em along the columbia. Guess it all depends on how much time you have and how much walking you wanna do to get to em.
I should be a bit more specific-
My first year hunting chukar SUCKED to say the least. People would say things like said in my post: "there are covey's in the saddle mountains"...... That's not much help, now that i think about it. You drive to the saddle mountains, and realize how MASSIVE an area that is to cover.. i asked myself things like do i go high or low, what kinda stuff should i look for, above or below the cliffs and rimrock, places with trees or no trees, etc..
Everyone has different opinions and everyone has different ways of going about hunting chukar, so I'll give ya mine. If it helps, great!
If its a ridge, get up near the top and walk all the way around it first, then walk the top of it. Start a hundred or so yards down from the top and work your way around the ridge or spur. Then walk the top of the ridge. Chukar fly downhill (actually they haul ass downhill) and then usually bail off the the right or left over a hump or ridge. They usually land just after the hump they flew over, so you can walk down and get another shot at em. If you bust a covey and they dont fly a mile away, walk near the hump they flew over and wait for them to call each other. (its a chuck chuck chuck sound) they make to gather up again. If you hear them, slowly work towards the sound.
The crops are usually full of seeds and bugs in the early season, and grass in the later season. The grass is cheat grass which is very fine grass that grows in little tuffs or bunches. If you see this kinda grass where you are, that's a good sign. The grass is sweet smelling when you mash it between your fingers.
Look for chukar poo on the ground. They *censored* alot, and they leave a brownish to green turd with a white cap on the end. Its maybe the diameter of a pencil or pen. Where there is poo, there are chukar or have been chukar. If you walk for 2 miles and haven't seen poo, that's not a good sign.
Work the draws in the mountain side. They like to work up the draws browsing there way to the crest of the mountain or ridge. They will be in and around sagebrush or tall grass. I haven't seen them in forested areas or areas with trees. (they might be in those areas, i never see em in there tho).
They run like hell sometimes before flying. I have tracked coveys in the snow without a dog just by following the foot tracks, once the covey reaches an open area where they can't run around in tall grass and sagebrush, they bust.
Use the fact that they always fly downhill to your advantage. if you are walking up a draw and they bust, there's a good chance they will give you a nice slow flying shot at the start. They lift off and have to go to the side or over you on the way down.
Reload FAST after shooting, keep your shells in an easy access front pocket. Lot's of times I have pumped out all my rounds, only to have late flyers take off with no rounds in the gun. So remember, they may not all fly at once.
If i think of anything else I'll post more. If you need more specifics, pm me. I was pretty discouraged my first year chukar hunting alone, but once you learn how they operate, its super fun!
Did I mention take LOTS of water? and that they eat rocket fuel?
Post by: J Snow73 on September 28, 2010, 02:32:41 PM
Post by: BIGINNER on September 28, 2010, 02:33:40 PM
Post by: woodywsu on September 28, 2010, 02:43:53 PM
Post by: fluentvoo on September 28, 2010, 02:54:07 PM
I already thought of some other things i can add to the last post.
Side hilling in *censored*ty boots is brutal. Wear decent boots with decent soles. All terrain shoes might feel good when it's hot out, but at the end of the day your feet will be hamburger. Something to support your ankles helps alot.
They like to clump up when the weather is nasty out. If the snow and wind are blowing, I have found them packed in brushy sagey stuff in draws to stay outta the weather. So later in the year when the weather goes to piss, works those areas extra hard.
They rarely are in the wide open no sage brush or grass areas. As an example, ppl say to look for nasty rocky terrain. This is true, but you need grass or sage with that. Like a big ol rock slide with no grass isn't gonna have birds in it. So dont waste yours or your dogs feet going over it. Also, if they are in a wide open little vegetation area, you likely won't get a shot at em. They know you are there and will bust outta shot range. So dont waste much time in wide open areas.
If there is a rock ledge or bluff just off the top of a ridge, they like to hang out just below or above them. So as you approach a cliff, SLOW down and creep to look over with your gun at the ready.
They do like rocky outcrops surrounded by grass or sage. An example would be a bulge of rocks on a ridgeline that is surrounded by the grass and sage.
As far as morning or evening, I can't say what's best. I like to start just after first light in the morning.
edit, thought of more
I use an older 20guage pump. It's light and I won't cry when It gets scratched up when I trip/fall. The less weight you have to carry the better imo.
I use 6 shot, sometimes two 6's followed by a 4. 4 later in the season when they jump earlier. Growing up I used 7 1/2's for grouse. Far to many times i went out in the beginning with 7 1/2's and saw feathers floating in the air and no chukar on the ground.
Post by: Professor Chaos on September 28, 2010, 03:51:10 PM
If i may tack on from my experience...
Lots of Water. for both you and the dog.
never leave the car with less that 2 boxes of shells... trust me on this one.
beware of the "hold bird" - nothing like seeing the covey flush at 45 yards and emptying your gun only to have a couple birds wait for you to shoot before flushing at your feet. I'd bet the 3rd shell in my pump kills 50% + of my birds.
Do not stop! The birds will fly down and around the hill, and run uphill. If you go slowly they will get above you and then it is game over... or at the least a lot of work to get back on them.
Be ready as you crest a ridge/draw. Maybe times they will sit right on the other side, BUT if they are not immeadiately on the side of the draw, keep walking into the draw. If you stop on that ridge, and they are in the draw, they will flush out of range.
Adding on to that... dont let your dog cross the ridge ahead of you.
Mark your birds where they drop. find feathers and work downhill. They can roll a long long ways.
North facing slopes early in the year. South facing in the later parts of the season.
Wear a glove on your non trigger hand. It is much nicer to brace yourself as you fall with a protected hand. You will fall. Your gun will be beat up.
Post by: fethrduster on September 29, 2010, 07:18:59 AM
Post by: BIGINNER on September 29, 2010, 08:31:28 AM
Post by: Professor Chaos on September 29, 2010, 08:39:18 AM
Post by: teal101 on September 29, 2010, 02:40:33 PM
Check cliff sides. I've spotted quite a few of them sitting on a ledge or an outcropping on a small cliff. I've also hunted them very close to 200ft cliffs and they will vertically fly up them, sort of hovering their way from outcropping to outcropping. It can be quite frustrating.
When you first start your hike up make sure to listen carefully for coveys sounding off in the morning. They're pretty easy to locate this way. Once one group sounds off the others will follow suit. I've heard coveys on one side of the Columbia call and birds on the other side respond. It's not the most reliable way to locate birds as you can't rely on them to call, but it's just one more thing to keep in mind.
Like said before, good boots! My Danner Pronghorns are destroyed from chukar hunting. Chukar inhabit the same terrain as bighorns. It's rough.
Hunting with a partner (young buck preferred :chuckle:) hunt one up on the top or along the cliff edge if there is one. Have the next person down below a few hundred yards and slightly staggered forward. My dad and I hunt like this with good success. I go up top, do the work and bust the coveys. He gets easier walking down below and gets passing shots on birds I kick up. We've kicked a lot of coveys out of the bottoms too right where the brush starts getting thick. The person up top keeps them from running up and they bust.
The poo thing is excellent. Follow the chukar poo, it;s a sure sign of birds.
As for the young pup, best leave her home. She'll tire quickly hunting that kind of terrain and beat herself up. Chukar hunting is hard on seasoned dogs. Let her get some experience first.
Post by: beagledog on September 29, 2010, 08:59:23 PM
Shoot me a email @ mccloudcorey@yahoo.com
I also live in Benton City and know a few places were there are some chuckers close to home real close actually
maby we could meet up after work and see what your dog can do if you want also I have some private land in the lower valley to hunt birds on mostly quail
Post by: wonder on September 30, 2010, 08:50:50 AM
Thanks again and good luck this weekend !
Post by: GSPdude on October 05, 2010, 09:37:06 PM
Thanks!
Post by: BIGINNER on October 06, 2010, 07:23:13 AM