# Released chukars?



## #1DEER 1-I (Sep 10, 2007)

Just wondering, I've seen the DWR has been releasing chukars in areas. They just shared a video on their facebook page, my question is, do pen raised chukars fair better than pen raised pheasants when they are released into the wild? It seems to me they wouldn't fair any better, but the birds they were releasing didn't look to be wild birds with their tail feathers missing. I know they released some for the youth hunt, but do chukars have any better odds at surviving and adding to wild populations than pheasants?


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

From what I've read, pen raised chukar, quail, and partridges all survive fairly well.


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## ZEKESMAN (Sep 14, 2007)

All Pheasants, Chukar, & Huns in the US were pen raised. Even if 5% survive the first year 
they will be a huntable population after a few years.


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## Airborne (May 29, 2009)

When pen raised chukars are released in areas that already hold wild birds, the pen raised birds will generally assimilate into the wild coveys and they have a much better chance of survival--relatively speaking. 

I view the current release of pen raised birds as a way to get kids and newbs into birds. I think that it is a fine thing to do. The amount of pen raised birds they are releasing compared to the wild bird population in the state is less than a drop in the bucket. Point being I don't think that it has a measurable affect on overall bird numbers and that's ok. Now the weather on the other hand--makes of breaks ya. Everything depends on the hatch. Even wild birds are such a short lived critter, most die within a year.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Anyone else think of this?






:mrgreen:

-DallanC


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

DallanC said:


> Anyone else think of this?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That one is still a classic


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## gpskid (Jul 24, 2012)

That's some funny stuff, try .01 % survival, probably dead before most get hunted
DWR needs to band them to get the real answer, which has been showed in past years not to me productive to the established wild birds.
Just good for the kids and lazy hunters for a couple days


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## ZEKESMAN (Sep 14, 2007)

I know some guys 5, who each put in $100.00 each spring and buy day old Pheasant chicks. They then raise them in a turkey barn until old enough to fly. They release them after this on farmland that they have permission to hunt on. After 3 years there were tons of birds. You could put up 50 to 100 in an afternoon. They stopped releasing after 4 years as the number of birds was crazy. Say what you will but I have seen the results. I wish I would have got in on the ground floor of this effort so I could hunt it. This is in Sanpete County. Vic


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Pen raised Chukars do not die any faster due to natural causes than do "wild" birds. Chukars are wild little buggers from day one no matter where they where hatched. They may, not really proven that I know of, fall prey to overhead predators for a while after planting, but once they get aquainted with their location you can not tell them from "wild" birds...cause they are.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Utah should do what Nevada has done and stick chuckers in every drainage that they can find. If they survive then stick more of them into it, if they don't then move to the next one.


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## Trooper (Oct 18, 2007)

The Utah Chukar and Wildlife Foundation has been helping to fund studies on this topic with Utah State University. We've had some really fascinating results and are developing data about the best methods to release chukars to establish breeding populations. There's a lot of science and so straightforward answers are tough to distill, but my down-and-dirty interpretation is that most of the time, almost all of the released chukars die. And they die really, really quickly. (90% mortality at two weeks.) But there are a few things you can do so that a few might make it through a winter and if they do, they have a shot at reproducing and if those birds make it- you've done it! 

If you'd like to know more about this study, get involved with the UCWF!


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

I would be very interested in that study if you could provide access to it. I know most upland game experience between 50-80% AVERAGE mortality each winter, so I'm curious how the release to next spring mortality compares to the wild birds in the same area.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Random question along the lines of the topic -

periodically we see the topic of surrogators being used to hatch / grow quail and it seems to be a ok solution. Does anyone know if a similar option is available for other game birds like pheasants?

Clearly the size of the surrogator would be a limiting factor, but I was just wondering if this is something that people use for other game birds?


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Bax* said:


> Random question along the lines of the topic -
> 
> periodically we see the topic of surrogators being used to hatch / grow quail and it seems to be a ok solution. Does anyone know if a similar option is available for other game birds like pheasants?
> 
> Clearly the size of the surrogator would be a limiting factor, but I was just wondering if this is something that people use for other game birds?


 Sometimes I ask a question without researching it myself.

Sounds like pheasant is possible, although it seems like most people focus on quail.

http://wildlifemanagementtechnologies.com/


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## Blackie6 (Jul 7, 2014)

I've probally seen 1000 chuckers this summer and fall while out scouting for deer. May give the hunt a try this year. I hear it is very tough hunt.


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