January 1, Scouting
Conditions: Early afternoon, there has been recent heavy snow with about a foot on the ground. Cloud cover and light snow continues, temperature is around 30 degrees.
Notes: I spent the majority of New Year’s Day making my way to a rumored hot spring way back in the mountains - a mission that amounted to three hours of driving - one way - thanks to the foot of fresh snow. The same snow, however, gave cause to the elusive chukar to let down his guard and hangout nearer the road. The birds obviously popped to the naked eye against the fresh white backdrop. I counted over 100 birds in the time I wasn’t white knuckle focused on the road. I got out to flush 3 separate coveys with my 20ga, killing none but slipping and falling several times.
I found the bird’s tracks extremely distinctive in the fresh snow. This was my first time seeing a wild chukar up close! It confirmed to me that the birds are here in huntable numbers.
January 4, First Chukar
Conditions: Noon, the previous week’s snow has mostly melted, only clinging to the top third of the mountain. There is no wind and it is partially cloudy at a comfortable 40 degrees.
Notes: I spent the first outing on a trail and then traversing back behind the main set of slopes with no success. I spent my second outing hiking up a third of the main slope’s height to find an old overgrown access road. After half an hour of walking this road, I busted a covey of chukar in a fold in the mountain, missing all. I was following up on where I saw a trio land (back across the ravine, a 30 minute hike away) when I flushed an unexpected single. The bird came up only 5 yards ahead of me and swung to my right when I downed him at sabout 5 o’clock and 20 yards. Unfortunately I lost a different bird later on an overhead passing shot, the birds were spooked by a helicopter and about 50 flew down the mountain from above.
In total I saw about 150 birds, I flushed or re-flushed about 4 dozen, killed two, and claimed one.
January 11 & 12, A Pair with Chase
Conditions: Early afternoon with some clouds, no wind and temperatures in the low thirties. A light snow covers the top third of the mountain.
Notes: Unhappy with being unable to retrieve my downed chukar from last weekend, I borrow my dad’s Brittany named Chase and got out for a short hunt on both Saturday and Sunday. We amateurishly wild flushed and bumped about 50 birds over the two days and somehow even manage to collect two for the game bag.
I put together this short video to document the experience.
January 18, Last Chukar and Gold!
Conditions: Morning hunt a little further out with no wind and temperatures in the mid twenties. A light snow covers the top third of the mountain.
Notes: This is my last chukar hunt of the 2024 season, Chase and I start by making our ascent to the ridgeline. We climb for about an hour without any sign of birds until we see a few old tracks in hardened snow. Chase bumps a pair of chukar about 50 yards out as we sidehill after seeing those initial tracks, the birds soar to the other side of the canyon without a shot opportunity. Walking uphill about 30 minutes later I get a passing shot on a second pair. I stone one at 9 o’clock and 25 yards; Chase makes the retrieve. No other birds are seen despite numerous tracks and another hour and a half hunting.
After the Chukar hunt, I meet my mom who has been rockhounding down by the truck to try our luck panning for gold in a small creek and then later on a river. We strike it rich, finding about 30 flakes from around around 15 pans of dirt.
This is my last bird hunt of the 2024/5 season and I am very happy to have bagged 4 chukar in total this month. Pretty good for a pair of amateurs! I am ecstatic to have a bird dog of my own on the way - next year I will get my revenge on these little devil birds.
January 25, The Final Limit
Conditions: Afternoon hunt starting at 2pm, bluebird day and about 40 degrees on the Snake.
Notes: My mom called me up about a week before this hunt, proding that we should give it one final go before the season’s end. I was hesitant, given the string of bad luck duck hunts we had through December. We did decide to give it ago, and boy I am glad I gave in! We hunted a big bend in the river where the water turned into an Eddy. Hunting from the bank we expected mostly passing shots but threw out 8 or so decoys in hopes to pull in a few curious ducks. We did very little to no calling and it worked out extremely well - we got two limits and a great mixed bag. 5 greenwings, 1 mallard, 2 widgeons, 1 bluebill, and 5 goldeneye in all.
Most of the action was from 2 to 4, and there was very little activity in the golden hour. I believe at least half our limit was from the ducks that we flushed up from roosting that returned as we settled into our spot on the bank. Traffic from a few passing duck boats also helped stir up the birds, to give us more shot opportunities.
Overall great hunt with my mom, couldn’t have asked for a better ending to the waterfowl season. I am so excited to get back out there and chase more ducks in October 2025.
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