I applaud you for researching this bird. Chukars are probably my favorite bird to hunt because they are the most elusive of all game birds in the U.S. Talk to any sportsman out there that does any kind of bird hunting and only a fraction of them have hunted chukar.
That is because they are so dang tough to hunt.
Chukars live in steep rocky environments like river canyons and reservoir environments which you can find plentiful throughout states like Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, and Northern California.
Another reason why I personally like chukars is because they are generally on public land. Unlike pheasants and quail which occupy largely private land such as farms, chukars are in public land areas like reservoirs managed by the Bureau of Land Management or Forest Service.
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Locating Chukars
So now you know what states have chukars. As mentioned above it is a steep rocky environment that the chukars love. If you are lucky you can find some in-between areas that are not quite as steep as canyon hillsides tend to be but in general, they like to be in steep areas, somewhat near water.
The steep terrain such as canyons and reservoir hillsides offer the birds protection. They can see what is coming and quickly escape when spooked.
Sometimes you can hear the chukars. When you get into your general hunting location, take a moment to be silent and just listen to see if they are calling. You can even try and initiate the conversation by utilizing a chukar call.
Primos makes a pretty good one. It’s more of a “trying to get lucky” type of move, but they have been known to work when the birds want to react.
So in short if you want to know where to find chukars, look for sagebrush and steep hillsides.
When do you hunt chukars?
The season will vary from state to state a little but I’ll stick to what I know best which is Idaho’s season. In Idaho, the season is from the middle of September through January. If you are itching to get out in the field and get hunting before the October elk and deer seasons, chukars are a great way to bust the rust in September.
The season is so long for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that chukars are just so hard to hunt, that state biologists just aren’t concerned that hunters will make too much a dent in the population.
The second is that these birds are very sensitive to environmental factors such as water availability and harsh winter conditions making them even harder to find in great numbers. So the fish and game give you a longer season to try and find these little suckers.
Sometimes they have good years for reproducing and sometimes they don’t. Keep up to date by visiting your states game and fish regulatory website for reports.
Hunting methodolgy
Chukar hunting consists of walking up steep terrain for hundreds and even thousands of feet throughout the day. So a good pair of boots is needed to give you the ankle support needed while you side-hill the mountain looking for a covey of chukar.
They live in groups called coveys and are often accompanied by Hungarian partridge. Once you run into a bunch they will flush and either fly around the side of the mountain at your same elevation or just open their wings and dive off the hill and glide for hundreds of feet down from your position.
Once you shoot one they can drop a long way in elevation so it’s recommended to only shoot one at a time. Keep your eye on where you lost sight of the bird and start heading in that direction.
A lot of people use dogs. And they are awesome if you have a good pointing dog. They can save you a lot of pain when it comes to locating and retrieving birds.
However, it’s not necessary. I have hunted chukars without a dog and following my one-bird rule, have managed to find my downed chukars.
Let’s talk guns
You can use the same setup you do with almost any other game bird but if I had to create the perfect chukar gun it would be a semi-automatic 20 guage with 7 ½ shot size.
The main factor to keep in mind here is weight. When you are going up and down the mountain, you feel every ounce of weight. Everything about a 20 gauge is smaller than a 12 gauge, so I prefer a lightweight setup like this. The barrel is smaller, the shells are smaller etc.
Chukars are good eating
Chukar meat is a soft white meat. It is very delicious. You can cook it any way that you would chicken meat. A great way to eat it is to make a chicken pot pie, but use the chukar instead of chicken. Chukars are a type of partridge so size-wise, they are in between a quail and a pheasant.
If you get a couple of them you can easily make a decent meal out of them.
Early and late season game bird
In closing if you want a challenge that not that many hunters consider, try and get yourself a chukar. At a minimum, you will see some rough and beautiful country. In the late season, big game start to move into the same areas chukars live and you can see some elk, deer, and even big horn sheep on your hunt.
Be sure to prepare your body physically before going though. Chukar hunting is a cardio game and your legs will be on fire from going up the steep mountainside. It’s what makes a chukar such a trophy.
If you enjoyed this article, here are some more helpful articles from Pinetrees And Solitude.
- How Much Is A Mule Deer Hunt? Guided vs. DIY
- What You Need For An Idaho Mule Deer Hunt
- Catch Mule Deer While They Are Active
- What Should I Bring Elk Hunting? Idaho List
- Hunting Elk In Timber: Tactics To Even The Odds
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