# 2nd Attempt at Chukars



## Russ J (Dec 11, 2009)

So after some internet research, Google Earth scouting, etc... I set off this morning on my second attempt at bagging my my first chukar. I hiked all over the mountain side and found the rockiest, shale strewn, cheat grass covered, sage brush infested place I could find. This had to be it. There we even bird droppings of some kind.

[attachment=1:ibefjej9]bird droppings.jpg[/attachment:ibefjej9]

As I stopped to look around a bird suddenly takes of behind me. In the split second I was trying to decide wether or not to shoot, Im still having a hard time telling one bird in flight from another, another one takes off then two more. It was exciting to find birds after all that climbing but at the same time frustrating because I could not tell if wether or not they were chukar. They were brown in color but seemed bigger than a quail. After I recomposed myself I walked 1/4 mile and the same thing happened again I could not be sure it was a chukar or not.

[attachment=0:ibefjej9]View from the top.jpg[/attachment:ibefjej9]

After 2 outings luck would have it I find multipule coveys of birds each trip. But how do I tell what kind of bird they are before I end up shooting the wrong bird? Any suggetions?

I plan on going back out a few more time before the season ends. Next week its back down to southern Utah and the 11th and 12th its in the west desert. I would apreciate any advice on my delima.


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

If the bird scares the crap out of you when it takes off, and flies low and fast straight down the 45* hill it took you 2 hours to climb, and looks like this, you have found a chukar.


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

I have two suggestions for you:
1. Take an experienced chukar hunter along the first time. They'll help you recognize a chukar and can give you some pointers.
2. Shoot some chukars at a game farm. Get used to knowing what they look and sound like.


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## tigerpincer (Dec 5, 2009)

In that kind of terrain their most likely Chukar. However possibly could be Sage grouse but they are huge and have pointed tail feathers, would be hard to confuse. Could maybe be Sharptails or hungarians but not likely. They are usually (not always but usually) lower and in the farm lands or CRP fields. Sharptails are also a bit bigger than a Chukar but pretty easy to tell the difference just by the way they fly and sound they make when doing so. They also have a pointed tail feather. Huns look more like a chukar in flight than those other possible candidates. If they are huns their season runs simultaneously with Chukars so shoot away. But The best suggestion is to take along a more experienced Chukar chaser if you just dont feel confident.


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## hemionus (Aug 23, 2009)

good on ya for waiting until you were sure what you were shooting.


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## Russ J (Dec 11, 2009)

I am starting to think it was a grouse due to it being brown and it did seem quite large but then again I really do not have anything to compare them to. I do remember wondering, for a split second, what a pheasant was doing out here. Its too bad they do just sit there until you can identify them then take off.

Good advice though thanks for all your comments. If there is anybody going out before the season ends in the salt lake and wouldnt mind me tagging along for experience I would appreciate it. I would even pay for the gas. Thanks again


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## lunkerhunter2 (Nov 3, 2007)

If they were mostly brown and larger than quail you might have found some Huns(Hungarian Partridge). Unless they were much larger than quail they could have been sage chickens or sharptails. This is cool that you are using available resources(Google earth etc) to study up on them and their habitat. Not many people do this. They just ask where to go. Bravo! :O||:


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## Trooper (Oct 18, 2007)

Proud of you RUSS for having the patience it takes to learn this game! Not many people have the cajones it takes to teach themselves to hunt chukar.

Cone on guys- I think Russ is very politely asking for a little "off-line" help. (Nobody tell QG if he's on this forum.) Somebody please take him along on your last hunt of the year- he's earned the right to pull the trigger, just needs a first-time shot caller. He's even got a good spot it looks like. (I'd do it myself- but as you know, I'm in Germany.) I bet he might even buy you lunch, if he bags his first wild chuk.

Where are you at Russ? Maybe I can lean on someone in your area. Also, go to http://www.utahchukars.org and sign up for the banquet. There will be lots of pictures of chuks to compare with.


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

If these birds are coming up individually and not all at once and they look like pheasants, you found some grouse. I hunt sharptails almost exlusively in terrain that looks exactly like what you're hunting. Chukars and Huns usually come up 10-50 at a time and all at once (Huns particularly don't hang around as singles). There is no doubt about what you're seeing when they come up.


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## byuduckhunter (Dec 2, 2008)

This link is to a video of chukars chuckin. It will give you an idea of what they sound like. They will usually call after they have flown and if they have been split up. I have found that they will sometimes make the call (or one similar to it) when they flush and when in flight. If you are up in steep rocky stuff they probably are, especially if they flush in a bunch of 6-20.


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## Russ J (Dec 11, 2009)

Wow you guys are great. Thanks for all the replys and pm's. I am starting to agree with those that are saying grouse. After watching the youtube videos, reading your comments and looking in the book "Field Guide to Upland Birds and Waterfowl" can see the resemblance to what I saw. Still two weeks left and not giving up. Thanks again.

Russ


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## Wolph (Dec 23, 2009)

I'm in the same boat as Russ -- trying to bag my first chukar and doing it the hard way, alone and without a dog.

My last time out I went to an area near where I had seen some tracks on a previous trip. High on a ridge, just below the cloud line, I was pausing to rest when I heard the tell-tale call somewhere in the mist above me. I quietly moved up the ridge, stopping and listening every few yards. Things went silent. Crap, I thought, now what? I move a few more yards up the hill. Suddenly I see motion. Birds running up the hill ten yards above and to my left, among some small junipers! Safety goes off and gun at ready, but they don't fly. Safety back on and I move up after them. Just as I start to move, they start to fly, crossing right in front of me. Gun to shoulder, target acquired, push the safety off . . . what the . . . my gloved finger fails to connect with the safety button! I fumble to find it. With birds disappearing over the ridge I finally get the safety off, squeeze the trigger and . . . it's a swing and a miss.

Spent the next hour or so pursuing the broken up covey. They were chattering like crazy, but I finally gave up, exhausted but happy for the opportunity. I'll have to wait until next time to close the deal!


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

You should have shot those birds, Russ. They were chukars. Those droppings aren't birds, more likely mice, but most definitely not chukar. Chukar droppings are about 1/4" in diameter, maybe 1 1/4" long, white on one end, and either dark green (fresh) or brown (old). Chukars often come up onesy, twosy, so be alart for late flushing birds. Fire away!!


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