Chukar HAtch??? Again

After last year's dismal hatch in NE Kali and Western Nevada, I'm hoping for better.

Anybody been out looking for those Bas##%ds?

Saw baby quail here on 6/23, the earliest ever for me at this elevation. Hoping for the best. Late May/Early June rains should have helped.

My buddy that lives in kings river saw some chukar baby's last weekend. I'm heading up there over the 4th and plan on riding around on the ranger to check it out. I'll keep you posted on what I c. Hopefully it's better than last year so I can get back in the 200's.

200s? That's a fantastic year. 2011/12 I got to 165 with a very slow January. At X-mas that year I thought 200 was a givin but that's why I referred to them as Bast@$ds in the first post.

Good luck scouting, hope the news is good.

Well the scouting wasn't all good. I didnt see any huge bunches they were pretty spread out. I did see two different size babys in the same group so that could be a good sign. We were glassing 10 rams and I could here them cackling all over up above us in the cliffs. I guess we will have to wait until October to find out. Good luck to you.

And good luck to you as well.

Quail seem to have done fine this year, we'll see.

Chukar have seem to have done very well compared to last year with many young birds here around Winnemucca. I hope its not a year like last year as I have a 1 year old german wire hair that is needing a 100+ year. Good luck to you guys.

Down here in the HD (Hesperia/Barstow) have only seen a few babies, It looks slim picking again this year.
Very few quail around.
In town we are see lots of dove, But out around the fields not to many, Seen more down in the Low Desert around Indio and such.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
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I'm on the Oregon/Idaho boarder working dogs this summer. There are a pretty good number of birds, and I saw some indications of a second hatch,but it sure is dry!

Wishing I was up there with ya, It been a Hot SOB here this year.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
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It's darn hot and dry here, too! Above average temps.

loveofit, I hunted the Winnemuca area twice last year. The birds were HUGE, and smart. I got the imperssion I was hunting the survivors from the previous year. When I eventually hunted north of Battle Mountain, I got into what I'd call regular chukar; smaller birds, calling after the covey got broken up, etc. I did see alot of birds SW of Winnemuca, but they simply outsmarted me, more than once.

With our May/June rains this spring, hopefully those old birds got busy.

Good luck to all of you this year.

Hunter

I have a bunch of Chukar, in pens for future dog training right now, some are ready to use now, others wouldn't be ready until Nov or so.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
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Gator, I used to do that. Learned alot from making a lot of mistakes. One of my first years I was getting ready to go on vacation. I took 40-45 birds out of my brooder and put them in the big flight pen with older birds. I finished packing and noticed the younger birds were all cornered by the older birds. The young were crammed on top of each other. An older bird would run in, grab a younger birds and several older birds would peck the younger bird. I had to catch all of the younger birds and released them outside the pen. We were gone for about 10 days. When I got back there were about 24 "wild" chukar running around the yard. The first night they roosted just outside the flight pen. I caught them and put them in the pen. No problems after that. I figured the older birds got used to them while I was gone. But I had to build several smaller pens for each brood and introduce all of them into the flight pen at the same time.

It wasn't trimming beaks, putting peepers on pheasants, shooting ground squirrels stealing food, etc that made me give it up. It was the heavy, wet snow that would knock down my flight pens almost every year. More power to you.

My first 2 hunts were sucessful. Opener in Nevada turned up plenty of birds. On the Kali opener I may have seen even more birds, but I hunted longer and covered way more country.

By 1345 hrs I only had 2 birds although I'd seen over 6 coveys. By 1415 hrs I had a limit. Both doubles with each of my dogs retrieving separate birds at the same time, perfect.

And on the 2 hour hike back to the truck I got four covey points and a couple of pairs that flushed in my face.

Good sized coveys, seems like a great hatch although the Nevada report said "Fair to Poor" hunting this year.

I agree it doesn't seem to be near as bad as last year. I've hunted 5 days on 4 different mountain ranges in Nevada with 4 limits and three birds one day. I wouldn't say I've seen a ton of birds but they are pretty spread out. It still seems quite a bit better than last year. I'm going to start hunting my new pup this weekend so I expect I won't have as good of luck but I gotta break her in sometime. She is only 6 months but seems ready. If anything she can pick up some tricks from my old faithful Bang she's ten. Well good luck don't take to many from Nevada leave some for me!

My quad has been in the shop for the last 2 weeks, the guy said he'd look at it tomorrow. :-( So I've been hunting here in Kali, where I can access with my truck.

Last weekend was tough for me, 7 hours, 4 birds, all out of the same covey. 5-6 others gave us the slip. Too dry and hot. This moisture should really help the dogs out.

Good luck with the pup.

Hunter save some birds for me. You guy's are getting me excited to hunt some birds.

Julius

LAST EDITED ON Nov-19-13 AT 09:35PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Nov-19-13 AT 09:31?PM (MST)

After 8 hunts I have a pretty good idea how NE Kali/NW Nevada is this year.

Better than last year but not nearly as good as 2009/2010, 2010/2011 or 2011/2012.

I've failed to get skunked in the 8 trips, but only took limits on the Kali and Nv openers. Pre-pressure birds. If I walk far enough, I'll find a covey. And about 1 out of 2 coveys will give me decent shooting. And about 1 out of the 2 coveys I get shooting in I'll get broke up for some good singles, doubles, triples.

Yesterday was a perfect example of this season since the openers. 1/4 mile from the quad the dogs want to go over the top. It's windy on my side so I agree and let them go. When I get over the top I can't see the male. 5-10 seconds later I hear birds flush about 100 yds to my left. I see 2 birds fly back on the other side. We make a quick pass over the top and I get a snap shot at one just before he goes behind a rock, miss. Drop back where he originally got them up. 120 yards down he's birdy but with the wind blowing up his a$$. He goes slow, stops several times but not a point. I'm hurrying but 60 yards short, 2 birds get up below him. I tone him back to me incase there are more birds there. He heads back and locks up. I'm on him and the b1tch is honoring. One gets up going left and another hard right. Rush the first shot going left hoping for the double. Get him on the second but too late, the shot at the right bird is a prayer. Now with 5 birds, at least, scattered, I know we're going to get some payback.

2 false points by the female and the male starts trailing towards the top. On top he locks, she honors. No cover, just rocks. They come off point and I run 30 yards to the top knowing the bird ran over. As I'm taking a huge step up on a rock, off balance, the bird gets up behind me, within 10 yards of where they pointed. I spin around, almost fall and get off a long, late shot. Then cuss myself for thinking I was smarter than 2 dogs.

Chase them around the ridge top with several wild flushes. Winds blowing 20-25 now. I decide to head towards a hillside about 300 yards away, make a pass through and come back, hoping they are calling by then. 100 yards into it the male is on point. He's 150 yards from the birds at that point. Female comes in, sees him on point, honors, then repositions behind him, can't get the scent, or enough scent to point and moves up. Male starts to move because of her. I tone them both and they lock up. I catch up. They point and creep with her advancing too fast a couple of times so I have to tone her again. Finally he's solid 10 feet to my left, she's solid 20 feet to my right. His head is high so I know the birds are still a ways out. I move forward about 10 feet and they jump 40 yards in front. I manage to knock one down.

A couple of late flushers only go about 150 yards and I see them lite. I scoot over, tone the dogs to keep them close. I pop up over some rocks and one birds flushes low on the rocks. Because of the wind, I don't hear it flush right away and never get a shot. (Chukar wins again)

I slide around the hill to where I think the covey went. About 15-18 birds jump wild and sail out of sight. Not sure if they hooked with the wind after they got out of sight or just sailed across canyon. Not wanting to lose elevation, I side hill to where i think they may be, NOPE. (Chukar win again)

I head back to where I had the first covey scattered hoping to hear them calling, regrouping. I get over the top out of the wind, nothing. OK, water break for the dogs. I hear birds calling back where the second covey got up the first time. Over the top, into the wind. No points this time. Just tone the dgos close and go to the sound. 3 birds jump 20 yards below me. Hit amd miss, should have been an easy double but I out thunk the second shot. I knew that birds was about to quit fighting the wind and go left with it so i held/shot just to his left. Last time I saw him he was still going straight into the wind. (Chukar win again)

Now I can hit a couple of hills below me, loose my elevation and hunt back up a spring towards the quad about 2 miles away, or I can hook it to a ridge about 2.5 miles to the east, away from the quad. I've hunted this ridge only once, ever. But it was last year when there were few birds and it had sign and birds. We drop to a tank below us first since the dogs have drank 1/2 my water already. Tank is dry. We head to the ridge. As we get to the end of the ridge about an hour later, I tone the dogs in, find a place out of the wind, water and feed them something.

As we hit the end of the ridge I immediately start seeing old chukar sign. Then fresher, brown sign. But I still think it's old. We drop down on a finger ridge on the lee side out of the wind. We hunt around some but at that time my plan is to hunt the entire ridge to the bottom. Then it's a long hour hike to the quad. Since it's past 2 in the afternoon, with 3 hours of light left, I don't hit every knob on the finger ridge. OK, we need to get going so head back up to the top. Just short of the top the male goes on point. Me and the female follow and as we get to hiim I see the birds running in sparse cover, 50 yards out. The gun is up before they jump just hoping to break a wing. They jump, boom, nothing. (Chukar win again)

The main covey goes with the wind, back up the ridge. 1 flys into the wind but drops several 11 yards down the hill. 2 hours earlier i would have gone after the covey but it's too late. We get back up on top (in the wind) and start down the ridge. 200 yards later I'm watching the female as she nearly slides to a top and locks up. I'm on her and toning the male to get up here too. As I top out O can see a couple of lil chukar heads about 20 yards below me starting to run. They flush and I think I kiiled 2 with my first 2 shots and know I smoked the third. Male brings back one of the first 2. I get the dogs through there again and again. They are birdy where the covey was and where he picked up the first. After 10 minutes I realize one of the first 2 shots was a miss. We move just over the top where the third bird I shot at, fell and the male finds him in about 20 seconds. Still not convinced, back to the other side and after another 5 minutes I believe the dogs again.

Now with 5 in the bag and 1 to go I have to make a decision. 1.5 miles down the ridge, then about 2 miles, all up hill, back to the quad. Or straight side hill for about 2 miles to the quad? A compromise. A little trip down where the single from the first covey went, then up to make a pass through where the first covey may have gone, then straight to the quad.

We find the single, flushes wind. (Chukar win again)

Couldn't find the covey. Sweaty by the time we get to the quad but freezing 10 minutes later. 20+ mile quad ride in the dark, load up dogs and quad and hour ride home.

Just another day chukar hunting BUT at least there are enough birds this year to make it worthwhile.

Numbers are down in Oregon. I did well early on but now the hunters are traveling searching hard for better areas and pounding my spots which normally don't get much pressure. birds are getting super wild.

I've talked to nobody with good stories.
















Stay thirsty my friends

What I meant to mention was that the brown chukar crap was actually fresh. guess if they don't eat anything green, their scat isn't green. After chasing the buggers for amost 25 years I learned something new.

Snow baby snow!!! Can't wait to get out this weekend. I'm still seeing a lot of birds but they are jumpy and spread out. This weather should at least even the odds a little.

Last Friday my quad broke down 23 miles (per the quad odometer) from my truck. I took the straight line, which was shorter but wasn't flat. I started walking @ 10:15 AM and got back to the truck @ 9:00 PM. The last 4 hours were in a pretty good snow storm. No light, minimal food, and I tweaked my back about 1/2 way back. Luckily I hit my goal of making it to a 2 track road by dark with about 15 minutes to spare. The last 4 hours I was on either this 2 track or a gravel road.

And packing 6 birds at least 1/2 that distance didn't help much. only 3rd limit of the season.

Oh yea, it was my 54th birthday.

I retrieved the quad the following Monday. Just needed a new battery. Probably shouldn't have travelled that far when I had to pull start it to get it off the truck that morning.

Holy crap Hunter that's a Birthday you won't forget.The Dogs must have been dragging ass after that hike.

The female would go ahead of me, find tall sage or a juniper and lay down and try to get out of the weather until I caught up, then do it again. She was freezing.

The male would either hunt like normal, or walk at my side. I hit him with my gun butt several times as I was switching my gun from my right hand to my left.

Their e-collars were on and sometimes i could see their blinking green lights if they were facing towards me. With a face mask and wool cap over my ears, and the blowing snow, I couldn't hear them much.

I left alot out of the original story. I tweaked my back at about 3:00-4:00 PM. I started getting tightness in my lower right side. I always get tightness in my lower left side but that's all it ever is. Anyways, after a while I got nerve pain between my groin and quad running down my right leg. A little while later I had pain running through my right buttock too. I've never had either of these type of pains before. On a fluke I bent at the waist to stretch out my lower back. When I stood back up the leg pain was gone, a miracle. For about another 200 yards. About every 100-300 yards I would have to bend over and stretch my back for 5-10 seconds. Most times when I stood back up the pain was gone. After it got dark I kept stumbling over rocks and the shooting pain was more frequent. About an hour before I got back to the truck I was on a better gravel road. One time when I stood up from stretching my back, I felt dizzy or light headed. Probably low blood sugar, I'm guessing. Anyways, when it happened the next time I got concerned. I didn't want to pass out in a snow storm but the pain would get so bad I would be practically dragging my leg. After that I would go as long as I could stand the pain, bend over about 90 degrees for 5-10 seconds, take a couple of deep breathes, straighten up to about 45 degrees, take another deep breath, then straighten up and continue walking. This eliminated or at least reduced the lightheadedness.

When I got to the truck I ate some raisens and a Pay Day bar. 20 minutes later I felt I could do it all over again.

Hypothermia was never a concern as I was dressed perfectly for the conditions as long as I kept moving. Just didn't know my body was going to try to give out on me.

That's hardcore. Close call on hitting that road. Sounds like a disc/sciatic problem. Same thing ruined my Wyoming elk season this year.
Was that your letter to the editor about funding the pool? Whoever it was nailed it.

Yep. My letter.

I was trying to get across that I'm not against a pool, just a deal that obligates tax payers for 10 years, 20 years, however long they extend it to make the yearly payment attractive. And trying to get a politician to think of our money as he would his personal money is a futile exercise.

Hardcore? At some point it isn't about being tough, just surviving. But I'm getting smarter (I think) because today I drove the truck closer before I unloaded the quad, and hunted closer country. The quad said 11.4 miles when I stopped it. And I only hunted 4 1/2 hours before I got back to it just in case I did have to walk. And I had a head lamp and more food with me today.

In retrospect, my quad breaking BEFORE I hunted 5-7 hours probably saved me some real hardship. Not sure what would have happened if I already had 10+ miles under my belt that day before I started the hike out.

LAST EDITED ON Dec-31-13 AT 00:28AM (MST)[p]Saturday was a blast by this year's standards. Only came home with 4 but in less than ideal conditions. Snow's melted, birds are pressured, and the wind blew.

I huntes straight uphill for an hour and a half planning on hunting down a ridge that doesn't get hit much. Near the top I lose the B*&%h. Then I see her @ 600 yards. Almost immediately she locks up. SHOOT! I'm almost 5 minutes from her and she won't hold that long. She readjusts and I tone her. She holds for about 2-2 1/2 minutes and I'm only about 200 yards down hill. She busts. I'm thinking the birds were running but not sure. 2 birds jump. I double tone her and she heads back. Before she gets to me my male is on them, pointing and creeping. He's 150 yards from the birds and 60 yards uphill. I head directly towards where she pointed with him creeping parrell to me. When i get about 80 yards from where I think the birds are I look down hill and the B*&%h is rock solid below me, maybe 40 yards. I scoot down hill and they flush 20 yards away. I take the easy shot at the bird coming towards me and the rest of the covey catch the wind and I miss the second shot. The covey my male was working jump at the shot and most fly up and over the top. One comes my way with the wind. 2 empty shells later, he's still going. Finally we're on the ridge I want to hunt down. At one point we cross to the windy side and I let the dogs range. They are out about 300 yards and boom, a double point. I close to about 80 yards and the covey flushes. I got em marked pretty good since they were in a cut and didn't see me. We get there, nothing but a couple of dogs all worked up but no birds.

2 more coveys down the rige, no shots. They are all in cuts and below ledges, out of the wind. Finally my male looks birdy, trailing older scent. I start down and see a ledge 150 yards below me. Convinced that's where they are I head down a lava rock slide. After looking down to avoid falling, I can't see the dogs. I wait a couple of seconds. Nope, no dogs so I'm convinced they are on point below that ledge and hoping I can get there in time. I go about 20 yards, still 60 from the ledge and I see the B*&%h on point, only 20 yards from me. A couple of more steps and I see the male is about 12 yards on the other side of her, pointing back towards us. He gives me the "Dad, they are right here, look." I move in and get a triple.

Typical hunt for this year. 5 coveys, one good covey flush and one marginal. I left the Benelli home and hunted with the Browning. After a 4 for 8 day, anybody want to buy a Benelli Montefeltro, 12 ga???

Here are some photos I took yesterday, New Years Day. I posted them on the Kali and General Hunting forums too:

Photos from my New Year's Day hunt. I posted the stories of the kitty photos on both the General hunitng and kali sites:

















Pretty cool day. Hope the rest of the season, and year goes as well.

I saw a lion, one coyote, about 12 antelope, 80-100 mule deer, 2 coveys of chukar, 25 sage hen, and more wild horses than I wanted to. Not a bad day in the desert. The only thing missing was one of those 30" bucks I see every year or two.

That a long walk with little dirt between the rocks to step on.
Good thing you didn't twist a ankle or 2 .



"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
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I managed to get some time off so I'll be hunting tomorrow, Mon-Fri next week and the 30th and 31st. 8 more days before the season is over and the withdrawals begin.

Hoping to take a few more photos of the dogs before covey rises but will probably get greedy and shoot the gun before the camera.

I'll post any pictures I happen to take.

Never get tired of looking at pictures

Took a bunch today.

The one walking away from the others is a 4X4 buck.



Saw about 8 bunches of these critters today. Biggest bunch had at least 75 in it.



Saw 20 of these things today, 16 in one bunch:



Damage we did:



Little girl is tired. That's why she's on the quad waiting to get in her crate.



A couple of bucks I saw on the way out. I missed (I think) a coyote about a mile 1/2 back. 300 yards running, quartering away. I held in front of his chin since he was only quartering and he immediately turned hard left, went into some sage and didn't come out for the 3 minutes I watched but he ran fine for the 15 yards I saw before he disappeared.


Think I'm done for this country the year. Battle mountain next week for 4 days, then country north of here after Kali closes and Nevada stays open for another week.

Oil, This is the country I saw you in.

Hunter looks like you had a great time. I plan on making a trip up there next year but not sure how my male is going to do. He is not Big running at all, he is a pretty close working dog so not sure if Chukar will be his thing but any excuse to get in the mountains right.

Let me know. If we get no rain this spring it'll be a waste of time but if we do get it, I'll either show you a couple of spots, or lead you to them. Late Oct/early Nov is the best time to guarantee birds.

Hunted 4 days last week, for 9 birds. TOUGH!!

I'm done. We got 3 today. One great covey rise I didn't do my part on. Male was down wind, locked up hard, I was above him and walked into about 15 @ point blank range. One was all. They flew against the wind, uphill, over 400 yards. He got on em again but lost their scent. They're really educated this late.

Overall a pretty good season for the amount of birds.

Did some math on the way home. My male turned 5 last week. We've taken 490 chukar together plus about 150 quail. He does know what he's doing.