2023-2024 Chukar Adventures

[brymoore]

I’m finishing up the training of my setter. She started as a hot mess last hunt but finished the hunt well holding birds. My son shot a few. Lots of birds this year.

 

[Irrelevant]

Today's goal was spend some time in a nearby unit that my buddy has a late archery tag in. I'm going to be joining him for moral support the end of the season if his tag remain notchless. Found him a shooter... lol

But also found him a half a dozen decent bucks and another bunch of "buckless" does, that I'm sure weren't actually buckless but I didn't see antler in my cursory glance. I also really need to get a phoneskope or something. None of my handhelds came out at all.

Then bopped around to the eastern edge with the dog to look for some birds and see if there were any deer down low on the winter range. This is about the easiest spot to chukar hunt, long reasonably gentle ridges only a few thousand from the truck at the bottom to the very tip tops (which we didn't make it to today)

Only found one covey, and god knows how I only killed one. It was like shanking two out of three layups during your warmup routine. The dog deserves a better shooter as his owner that's for damn sure. Sorry no more pics, I'm pretty bad, I just get too excited, esp when it was a lot of hiking without even any bird sign.

 

[Irrelevant]

These windless inversion days are tough on the dog. Saw lots of sign, saw plenty of birds, but they just wouldn't let me get close.


So much fresh sign and not a bird to be found in this sub-canyon.

 

[Guy]

Sometimes I manage to get close to 'em with my camera. Sometimes it's just too much work! When it's the shotgun, for chukar I usually carry a synthetic stocked Beretta 390 12 gauge. Light, and hard to bang it up too much. The pretty over & unders stay home most of the time on that sort of terrain!

 

[Salmonchaser]

Sometimes I manage to get close to 'em with my camera. Sometimes it's just too much work! When it's the shotgun, for chukar I usually carry a synthetic stocked Beretta 390 12 gauge. Light, and hard to bang it up too much. The pretty over & unders stay home most of the time on that sort of terrain!

Yep, AYA, Ithaca’s and Merkels rarely go chukar hunting. Strictly a Benelli M4 kind of thing. I’ve still never discovered what happened to the Ithaca (SKB) I left on the mountain 30 or so years ago. It was hidden from the casual observer late in the afternoon. Back up there by 10 the next morning. Been in that area looking every year since, no joy. Still listed in NCIC as lost. Some day it may turn up given that Oregon requires all gun transfers to go through a ncic check. If the guy who found it is still chukar hunting I’d probably let him keep it.

 

[Goodfish]

Sometimes I manage to get close to 'em with my camera. Sometimes it's just too much work! When it's the shotgun, for chukar I usually carry a synthetic stocked Beretta 390 12 gauge. Light, and hard to bang it up too much. The pretty over & unders stay home most of the time on that sort of terrain!

A few years ago I was hunting Chukars in the Snake River breaks below Pullman carrying a newly restored Model12. I tripped on a downhill piece and literally flipped end over end it was so steep. The Model 12 flew out of my hand and got its first scars in its brand new bluing. So much for trying to have nice things!

 

[Irrelevant]

Strictly a Benelli M4 kind of thing.

Great minds think alike. It's absolutely the best chukar gun out there.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

20 guage LW 870 was my go to or a Beretta semi auto. Occasionally hauled a 12 guage for late season birds with no snow as the shots were longer and frustration levels higher from a couple months of floggings. I'm sure the M4 is nice too.

 

[Irrelevant]

Hopefully the worst hunt of the year. 2 hrs, a group of 7 that didn't hold worth a damn. Zero shots


We did see over a dozen rams


I can't imagine better company

 

[Salmonchaser]

Dude, quit hunting those damn things in the snow, I still limp from my broken leg. Great pics of chukar country.

 

[Irrelevant]

Dude, quit hunting those damn things in the snow, I still limp from my broken leg. Great pics of chukar country.

It's a bit of a drive to get out of it right now. But hoping to get down to the Snake River at least once still this year.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Seems to be holding up ok down on the snake. There is a big influx of hunters this year. We probably should quit talking about it.

 

[Irrelevant]

Snuck out to the little hidey-hole near the house, I know there's a few chukar but I'd hope we could find a grouse along the ridge. Unfortunately with for little snow there is this year a lot of people are still hiking that ridge for views and workout it offers. Absolutely beautiful day to be out.


The first covey broke at ~130 yds wild. And with the all the cover matted to the ground I figured we wouldn't get any to hold tight enough.
But the next group held very tight and I was able to get close enough to see them crouched on the bare ground.

That was it, no other birds found before the sunset. My faithful partner forgot to @#)(# the hammer on group two... So no shots for her. She said she panicked... I told her it doesn't fall far from the tree

 

[Salmonchaser]

Outstanding, Merry Christmas!

 

[Jbotto]

Got out Saturday morning. My partner and I got 7 total. With four of them, two for each of us, out of a single large covey flush. I still don’t know how we managed that.

I had a leisurely afternoon chasing farmland pheasants with another friend.

 

[Jbotto]

Got out Saturday morning. My partner and I got 7 total. With four of them, two for each of us, out of a single large covey flush. I still don’t know how we managed that.

I had a leisurely afternoon chasing farmland pheasants with another friend.

Forgot the picture.

 

[huntnpack]

Got out for the first time in a couple weeks. My (almost) 2 year old dog has made huge progress. He’s had zero chill, ripping bird etc. Today he held steady on 5 coveys (huns and chukar). Pointing way out on wild running birds and creeping in to relocate them etc. It takes a lot of patience to let a dog figure things out in rough country with the few opportunities you get sometimes. But today it paid off. Probably in spite my hack training job as a newbie to pointing dogs.

View attachment IMG_6558.jpeg

 

[Irrelevant]

Got out for the first time in a couple weeks. My (almost) 2 year old dog has made huge progress. He’s had zero chill, ripping bird etc. Today he held steady on 5 coveys (huns and chukar). Pointing way out on wild running birds and creeping in to relocate them etc. It takes a lot of patience to let a dog figure things out in rough country with the few opportunities you get sometimes. But today it paid off. Probably in spite my hack training job as a newbie to pointing dogs.

View attachment 307956

Well done. And great looking dog.

 

[Irrelevant]

Been a rough year. I cancelled a trip down to the snake to stay and deal with snow/ice.
Yesterday was so freaking slick I seriously worried about sliding off a cliff.


Only 1 covey. 1 bird.

 

[brymoore]

My chukar hunting might be done for the year. Lots of snow on the ground and we’re getting rain now. Backcountry roads will be dangerous. Maybe next weekend if I’m lucky.