Chukar Hunting in Idaho Invite

[oxnam]

I wanted to give anyone that might be interested an invite to do some chukar hunting over my dogs tomorrow (sorry about the short notice).  I can't guarantee any birds, but if you like getting out to do some serious hiking, it will be a lot of fun.  I am planning on hitting the Salmon River north of Riggins.  It is extremely rugged but beautiful country and these are definately not farm raised birds.  Let me know if you would like to come.  If this weekend didn't work out, I think we have until the end of the month to work something else out.  Send me pm's.

[Guru]

This is a trad bowhunt right?

[creekwood]

Map Quest says it is only 1569 miles from my house to Riggins. If I left now, ya suppose I could be there in time?    

[oxnam]

Yes, this is a trad bowhunt, but if someone thought a compound would help, I wouldn't hold it against anyone.  They are often tough enough with a shotgun that anything less is pretty sporting.

Creekwood, so with the time change, should you be here by dinner?

[jason1040]

If I wasn't on the other side of the state, I would definitely take you up on it.       Good luck to you tomorrow. What type of dogs do you have?

[oxnam]

I have two German shorthairs and a yellow lab.  I had gone back and forth about going with my bow because it has been so cold I haven't practiced at all. With those devil birds, it doesn't help to be slow or rusty.  Hopefully I will have a chance tonight to get out the clay pigeon thrower to get warmed up.

[7 Lakes]

I wish I could make it.  Last year when we put on a Hunt Test in March everyone had run out of quail (store bought) we had to pay for about 300 Chuckars.  I don't enter Lucy in hunt tests as she is a cross breed (GSP & Brittney) but we got to the club grounds early the day after.  

Not even the store bought birds will sit still.  My dog is not fully trained on running birds & she thinks anything moving needs fetching. In fact "Fetch the new kitten" has become a popular game at our house. Long story short we never hit one with an arrow but Lucy fetched up 2 dozen and they are by far the best eating game bird I've eaten.  
 

[jason1040]

She is a good looking pup. I will be getting my first German Wirehaired pup this spring, I am pretty excited. Looking to chase chukar next year.

[IdahoCurt]

I love Chukar hunting.For me its the closet thing to Elk hunting since you're usually going straight up hill!
This is Duncan the destroyer,my Chukar buddy
 

 
I'm going tomorrow also.

[Andy Cooper]

Ahhhh, Riggins! That's the first place I ever white-water rafted. Those derned chukars were running around all over the place. Ummm...what do you call it if you hunt them with a bow during cast & blast??

[wingnut]

Man I wish I was there. Chukars with a bow would be a trip.

Mike

[Ragnarok Forge]

This year might be tough for me, particularly tomorrow.  Post up a hunt thread pre-season next year and some of us may make it for a hunt or two.  I have a buddy who lives in Clarkston I can crash with.  I have been thinking about doing a boat based trip for them on the Owyhee reservoir in Oregon.  They are everywhere around that area.  Your about the same distance by road from Vancouver, WA.

[Ricker]

Hey Mike I see yer puppy grew up and is packing his own lunch these days.(meow)

Good lookin' canines fella's.  

It would be too cool to go anywhere in Idaho let alone Chukar's over dogs with trad equipment.  That may be an overload on fun.

[oxnam]

I am not sure what they could call it instead of a cast and blast if you use a bow.  I guess they haven't come up with a name since know has been crazy enough to try it.  They are actually shutting down the "Cast and Blasts" or at least the part of people shooting from boats.  It's a new law for 2011.  

During the summer and early fall, the birds are thick along the river because water is so scarce.  After it gets wet again in the fall the birds really spread out.

I wish chukars didn't like such nasty country, it would make arrow retrieval sooo much easier.  Most would be surprised that a flu flu can make it a couple hundred yards under the right conditions.

Ragnarok Forge - The Owyhee Resivoir has great fishing at times.  I had some huge, rising german browns drive me crazy on the river.  After hours of trying, one finally took the fly.  It was a beautiful fish right at 20".  If you ever get back to Clarkston, let me know.  That's not too far from me.

No takers yet...

[chanumpa]

Mmmm,chukar breasts stuffed with garlic.And Ideho spuds n gravy.

[straitera]

7-Lakes & Idaho, Never seen more beautiful dogs & I've had plenty! My 90# Flat Coat Retriever looks like Duncan only black. My female Springer looks like Lucy. Beauts!!

[Mike Schlegel]

Derrick,

Had to go to Lewiston today, plus did not see your invite until this evening. I live in Grangeville and would be interested in accompanying you sometime in the future. I am retired and available most any time. Do you live in or near Riggins? I have a drift boat if that would be of value for access. Give me a pm or phone call:208-630-3001

[cactus]

Wild chukars with a bow? That does't sound possible. Great fun with a shotgun though.

[wollelybugger]

We don't have chuckars here in Pa. but raised 100 of them to train my Wirehaired pointer Cecil. They are great tasting birds.

[oxnam]

Mike - We'll definately have to get out.  I'll give you a call.  I would offer to take us out in a jet boat to access less pressured areas but my throttle has been frozen up for weeks.

When no one was able to come, I spend the better part of the day playing with our kids and helping around the house.  So I ended up going out for a short afternoon hunt.  

I decided to try and film the hunt myself which turned out, not unexpectedly, to be quite difficult.  I never realized how much I have one hand on the ground when hunting chukars.  So it slowed me down because I was stopping to film and I was alot more cautious.  If I took a hard fall, I could have been out a lot of money, since either the bow or the camcorder would likely have been sacrificed to try and catch myself.  

Because of my slowed progress and limited time, I never did get high enough for the birds.  If you are familiar with chukars, you'll understand that they laughed at me from the bluffs as I made my ascent but never reached them.  

In hind sight, I wish I had left the camera so I could have hunted more aggresively.  As the sun was setting, I thought, "at least I brought our good camera to take some nice pictures."  The full battery image I started with was now flashing dead.  It wouldn't even turn on.  I guess the cold must have really sapped the battery life.  

I wanted to get the video posted but I can't find my cheap camcorder that I use as my recording deck and I don't like putting the wear on the expensive one. I'll hopefully get some video posted soon.