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Other Hunting => Upland Birds => Topic started by: fethrduster on January 28, 2012, 08:47:53 AM


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Title: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: fethrduster on January 28, 2012, 08:47:53 AM
If you had to pick one area in WA with the best chukar hunting, which would it be?  The Grand Ronde area?  Omak area?  The Snake?  Just curious what you all think.
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: high country on January 28, 2012, 09:29:17 AM
Those are all good. The key is finding the birds in any one of those spots. Some guys will say any one of them suck and others will way they are great....its all about locating the birds in the habitat.
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: Phantom Gobbler on January 28, 2012, 09:45:44 PM
Those are all good. The key is finding the birds in any one of those spots. Some guys will say any one of them suck and others will way they are great....its all about locating the birds in the habitat.

I agree, I know areas in Central Washington that friends have taken limits from.  I have hunted the same areas at different times and gotten totally blanked.  The ole mountaintop sprinters can be totally maddening.  Keeps us going and trying to stay in good enough shape to still chase them.

Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: fethrduster on January 29, 2012, 06:28:02 AM
Those are all good. The key is finding the birds in any one of those spots. Some guys will say any one of them suck and others will way they are great....its all about locating the birds in the habitat.

I agree, I know areas in Central Washington that friends have taken limits from.  I have hunted the same areas at different times and gotten totally blanked.  The ole mountaintop sprinters can be totally maddening.  Keeps us going and trying to stay in good enough shape to still chase them.

That's been my experience too.  I go to Oregon and have 6-10 covey days, and I hunt here and get blanked.  So frustrating.  I'm going to keep at it though.  Just got a lift and new tires on my grand cherokee so I can explore some new areas this year.
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: high country on January 29, 2012, 11:56:11 AM
We all deal with that at popular places.....consider changing your tactics to something unorthodox...think outside the box.
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: fethrduster on January 30, 2012, 05:57:19 AM
We all deal with that at popular places.....consider changing your tactics to something unorthodox...think outside the box.

Good point.
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: Stilly bay on January 30, 2012, 12:25:33 PM
We all deal with that at popular places.....consider changing your tactics to something unorthodox...think outside the box.

 :yeah: like having a chopper drop you off at the top of the mountain so you can hunt down hill and really mess with the chukar's heads.

Im not sure how unorthodox you can get while chukar hunting ( maybe I can't think outside the box) but I read an article awhile back about a couple guys that hunted chukars with labs, but the labs would stay a good distance behind them (read downhill) and try to run the birds up towards the guns.

the few times I have pursued chukars I have been extremely lucky in finding them. like with all upland birds I try to keep water, weather, and shelter in mind for the areas I hunt-  I traded food for weather since I think (in my limited experience) wind, rain, and fog have a greater effect on the birds than their next meal.

and I wouldn't give up on a spot because it didn't produce the first time you hunt it, or even the second time.
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: BigGoonTuna on February 04, 2012, 05:04:03 PM
We all deal with that at popular places.....consider changing your tactics to something unorthodox...think outside the box.
do what i do:  pack a rifle, then you're sure to see a ton of those little buggers. :chuckle:
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: Cascade_fisher on February 05, 2012, 09:10:12 PM
I like the Grande Ronde. Take a good pole so you can at least catch fish.
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: Chukar on February 05, 2012, 10:18:43 PM
Straight up tie between North Central Oregon and Asotin County for these reasons:
Easy to find public ground
Lotsa space
Plenty of birds
Alas...
Never enough lung space, constant shortage of fresh legs, depleted stable of rested upland dogs and always a random and varied amount of accurate shooting makes Chukar hunting sweet and easy in one spot and further spaced and torturous in another.
Whereever you can get em is the best spot.
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: T-Bone on February 08, 2012, 08:50:08 AM
A good source for finding the "Best Chukar Hunting In WA" or the "Best Hunting For Whatever..." is the WDFW website's Harvest Statistics by specie. Match the best counties with the public hunting areas on the website and you can narrow your scouting (both internet and physical). For the record, Chelan is the #1 chukar county in the state followed by Asotin and Grant:

http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/harvest/2009/reports/small_game.php

Tom
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: high country on February 08, 2012, 08:58:09 AM
Holy crap, I just came home from my dads new place on the john day river and I will say that is the mecca of quail and chukar.

Here in wa, guys all use the same roads and trails to access chukar country. We tend to do things different.....cross a river in a raft, hunt the bottom if there is pressure at the top....kind of unorthodox to some, but it works for us. I have been meaning to try the black balloon tied on my vest to see if it helps. I have also learned this.....forget your plan, aim the dog into the wind and follow. Nothing seems to work better.
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: fethrduster on February 09, 2012, 02:08:39 PM
The John Day is mostly where I hunt too.  Chukars galore. Five hours from Tacoma, vs. over six to the Asotin area.  That said, I've yet to explore Chelan co./Omak area, which is about 4 hrs. Looks like it might be worth a trip.
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: Fishnfowler on March 22, 2012, 10:03:58 AM
I know a place or two, but those cards are held pretty close to the vest:

(http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww184/Fishnfowler/hunt10-09014.jpg)
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: doyourtime89 on March 22, 2012, 12:04:49 PM
That looks like a good mess of birds there...cool pic....I am going to try to get my son out there this year after some birds.  He has only hunted big game and loves shooting our shotguns and wants to bird hunt.  But we don't have a dog and I don't have much bird hunting experience or knowledge, so I have been trying to read and look around to see what I can do to get him out there and have a decent chance of getting some shots.
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: bobcat on March 22, 2012, 12:50:00 PM
You can do ok hunting chukar without a dog, sometimes I think it would even be better because it would be easier to sneak up on them. It's definitely more do-able than pheasants without a dog.

Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: rtspring on March 22, 2012, 12:54:22 PM
off the 1701 road up towards bald mountain. I see tons of them in those canyons...
PM me if you want more details.
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: BIGINNER on March 23, 2012, 07:57:24 AM
off the 1701 road up towards bald mountain. I see tons of them in those canyons...
PM me if you want more details.

HEY!! I WANNA KNOW!!   LOL   :chuckle:  :chuckle:  :chuckle:
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: rtspring on March 23, 2012, 07:58:45 AM
I will tell ya in person.. :chuckle: :chuckle:
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: doyourtime89 on March 23, 2012, 08:11:51 AM
off the 1701 road up towards bald mountain. I see tons of them in those canyons...
PM me if you want more details.

Thanks for the info in your PM's..I just tried to send you something and it said your mail box is full....thank you so much for your time, help and info my son is already excited that we have an area to go take a look this year.  Thanks again.
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: rtspring on March 23, 2012, 08:18:44 AM
thanks for the notification about my inbox. Didnt realize it was full.


RTSPRING
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: coachcw on March 31, 2012, 08:00:06 AM
Yep there up on clemans you just gotta be a billy goat !
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: fethrduster on March 31, 2012, 01:03:15 PM
I hunted Clemans last year and didn't see a bird.  Must not have been in the right place.
Title: Re: Best chukar hunting in WA?
Post by: Naches Sportsman on April 02, 2012, 09:17:08 PM
The old timers in naches used to drive around atop clemans with a person sitting on the hood and nailed a lot of birds then. 1701 is a good start.
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