Chukar, Chukar, CHUKAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

KDM

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I FINALLY GOT A WILD CHUKAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry for the over exuberence, but it's taken me TWO years of trying and about 30 miles of hiking in some of the most vertically angled and roughest country I've ever tried to hunt. I finally took my first wild chukar and a real nice one at that. These things are WAY WAY WAY UP on the rim edges of canyons and on the rock slides that come off the canyon rims. I have a very good friend who lives in Idaho that has been gracious enough to take me out several times over the years attempting to get me a wild chukar. The typical chukar hunt involves driving several miles up the mountains into a wilderness area on boulder strewn two track paths to get to the high country and this hunt was no different. We smacked several rocks with the underside of the truck over the two days we hunted. On our first day of hunting we covered about 8 miles of canyon which resulted in two tired guys, four cramping legs, one exhausted dog, and no birds seen. That's chukar hunting. The second day we decided to head to a different area and headed up at 0 dark 30 in the morning. Upon arrival we were greeted by the sun just peeking over the rock rims with one of the most beautiful mountain sunrises of the trip. We sipped coffee and talked softly about what we were planning on doing, when my buddy hushed me and pointed to a rock rim about 1500 feet above us and a good half mile away. That is when we heard the distinctive "chuk, chuk, chuk" of talking chukars. We both smiled broadly as these were the first chukars we'd heard on the trip. Now the problem was to figure out how to get to them. The rim rock they were in was on the other side of a creek that had 50 foot vertical sides. Par for the course there!!! So we had to walk downstream for about a mile and then start the climb up to the peak where we heard the birds. The total distance was about 2 miles horizontally and about 1500 feet vertically before we reached the back side of the rim rock. It took about an hour and a half. Once we reached the top our legs burning from effort, we grabbed a breather (that high country is tough on an old flatlander like me), and made a plan HOPING the birds were still there. My buddy took the dog directly over the top and I went around the side about 30 feet below him looking for the birds. When I got to a place I could see my buddy, he pointed to some rocks directly in front of him. I quickly cut the distance between us when I was about 10 yards from the rocks they literally EXPLODED with chukars. The birds launched straight out into the air attempting to get completely across the canyon and I dropped my first chukar with the first shot. Upon seeing that bird fold, I quickly picked out a second bird and sent that one tumbling out of the air to fall about 150 vertical feet down the face of the rim rock and into some sage and grass mix cover. I was stunned and elated at what had just happened. My buddy wasn't just standing around and managed to drop a bird of his own before the remaining members of the covey flew out of range and across the canyon to parts unknown. It took little time to find the first two birds, but that long faller took about 20 minutes to find. 3 birds in the bag and I had my first chukars!!!! We then just sat down and enjoyed a very well earned bottle of water and drank in the whole experience of finally achieving my long time goal of getting me a wild chukar and I marveled at the beauty of these very hard to get upland birds. WOW!!!! When we were done and ready to continue the hunt, we stood up and right below us, a mountain cottontail bolted from the same rocks the chukars were in. Boom!!!! add one mountain bunny to the bag. This hunt was getting very interesting. What made him just sit there while we talked, I'll never know, but I'm glad he did. We decided to check the other side of the canyon as there was some similiar rock and cover on the other side. We made the two mile trek back down the way we came up, across the creek, and up the other side. When we arrived at the top of the rim rocks the dog busted some skittish hungarian partridge well out of gun range, but we saw where they landed and headed right over to see if they would hold. Well........they held. We each managed to drop a hun before the covey made it out of gun range. The game bag was getting full and with this being the second of two very tough days on the mountain, we decided that our legs and those of the dog........were done!!!!! We headed back down to the truck where we took the following pics, cleaned our game, except the one I'm putting on the wall, and shared a 6 pack to celebrate the hunt. WHAT A DAY OF DAYS!!!!!

Enjoy!!



Chukar Hunt 1.jpg

Chukar Hunt 2.jpg

Chukar Hunt 3.jpg

Chukar Pic.jpg
 


DirtyMike

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That's awesome. My legs hurt just by reading that. Well done on the hunt and write up, KDM.
 

Wild and Free

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There is a flock of Chukars that hangs out in the 26th and Divide area by the Sleepy Hollow park in Bismarck, been there for several years. Saw a news story on them last year I think, G&F thinks they were released or escaped a farm and have set up camp and survived well on their own.
 
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DirtyMike

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Had a chuckar in our yard for a bit this spring. Then I found a tuft of feathers in the garden that have the same coloration. I think someone's kitty cat went hunting.
 


Twitch

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Excellent story....we used to hunt elk out in Oregon,and those things used to scare the hell out of a guy when you were making your way out to the ridges in the morning....of course with no shotgun to be seen. Sounds like you had a great hunt
 

camoman

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How are they as table fare? I remember shooting a few on an organized youth pheasant hunt but don't remember cooking them in any particular way. Really neat little birds regardless!
 

Lycanthrope

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They are in my yard every spring, Ive considered hunting them with my blowgun. Ill post pics if I ever get one.
 


muskelllunge13

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They were stocked in the badlands several times in the 50's and 60's never lasted more than 2 years. There has been a population in Bismarck the past 15 years centered off west century Ave. and over by sleepy hollow.
 

SDMF

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You're well on your way to the pinnacle of North American upland game. Now you only need to travel to the highest reaches of CO for a Himalayan Snow Cock and you will have achieved upland god status. (grin)

Congrats, I'm jealous. My one and only opportunity to kill a Chukar was a scratch bird on a sponsored game farm hunt and I missed the little SOB!
 


Allen

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that looks like a sea gull and a chicken got it on

Looks like the neighbor's chickens after my dog plucks'em. At least, I think that's what he's doing to them.




By the way, cool story. I never knew where they were indigenous until now.
 

dean nelson

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You're well on your way to the pinnacle of North American upland game. Now you only need to travel to the highest reaches of CO for a Himalayan Snow Cock and you will have achieved upland god status. (grin)

Congrats, I'm jealous. My one and only opportunity to kill a Chukar was a scratch bird on a sponsored game farm hunt and I missed the little SOB!

Never seen one in CO well living there but that was a while back. Did see one at fairly long range once in north east NV but didn't know what I was seeing till later. Thought is was a wonky sage grouse way up high. They would definitely be the ultimate upland bird.
 

Lycanthrope

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Never seen one in CO well living there but that was a while back. Did see one at fairly long range once in north east NV but didn't know what I was seeing till later. Thought is was a wonky sage grouse way up high. They would definitely be the ultimate upland bird.

But how do they taste.... Better than pickled Musky?
 

riverview

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I am going to shoot a chucker and ptarmigan before I get too old. thanks for the story
 
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