Boise Chukar

[NickOnTheRun]

I have found that most pups will naturally want to stay in front. I whistle or hup when changing directions and that's usually enough to get my dogs reoriented. They see I'm changing directions so they follow suit. For some pups I will drop down and hide if they are retarded about staying in front. Labs are usually clingy enough at young age to become anxious if I disappear. They soon learn I stay visible if they stay in front.

Most Vizslas are very clingy but not this guy. My pup has an extremely high prey drive. He'll go 3 miles chasing an elk before he realizes his people are 2 mountain tops away. He naturally points and stalks anything that moves. Flies, birds, cows, horses, your dog in the distance if it looks interesting. -- Those are issues I'm working on. He does take direction really well in that you can literally point a rocky outcropping in the distance and he'll go hunt that area until he gets on a strong scent or you go to the next area.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Jake (dog) has a very strong drive naturally. He'll hunt in front no problem or any direction I point him in, but he'll range out at times hundreds of yards if I don't keep a handle on him. He'll also gladly chase Elk or Deer for miles so we're working on that issue. It's definitely my fault we don't get into more birds. I'm not a good hunter of these birds yet.

I've never needed electronics but if you have a deer chasing problem, I think you should consider it. Curiously, my Lab will get all worked up if a deer crosses the road while I'm driving but in the field she barely gives them a look when they bust in front of us. Last week a yearling moose ran right by her and though definitely interested, she stayed put when I told her to "Leave it alone!" I don't think she had ever seen a moose in the field before.

If you go with electronics, get educated first. Though I have always managed without (credit the breed), I do know that improperly used an e-collar can ruin a good dog.

 

[NickOnTheRun]

Whenever he starts to chase, hold the down the continuous button on the e-collar until he stops chasing, then let up. It shouldn't be enough to make him yelp unless he continues to chase even through shock stimulus.

Yeah, that's basically what we've been doing. He's improving and we'll get it dialed in. We've been working with a private dog trainer on some obedience and conditioning calm stuff when we're not hunting or hiking which has helped too. If you show him a video on your cellphone of birds, elk, bear, mountain lion, etc he'll literally start shaking and stop listening. I've had a few hunting breeds over the years but never had prey drive this high. He'll stand at our back door in the middle of the night in a point stance shaking in anticipation of squirrels being in the yard.

 

[NickOnTheRun]

I've never needed electronics but if you have a deer chasing problem, I think you should consider it. Curiously, my Lab will get all worked up if a deer crosses the road while I'm driving but in the field she barely gives them a look when they bust in front of us. Last week a yearling moose ran right by her and though definitely interested, she stayed put when I told her to "Leave it alone!" I don't think she had ever seen a moose in the field before.

If you go with electronics, get educated first. Though I have always managed without (credit the breed), I do know that improperly used an e-collar can ruin a good dog.

Yeah, we do have a garmin collar and we are working with a dog trainer. The collar works well depending on the level of distraction involved. And having GPS is a nice piece of mind. He's a good dog we just have to focus his prey drive. If you had a bbq at your house and we came over he would say hi to you and spend two hours hunting flies in your back yard. We use a combo of positive and negative training. Mostly because he won't take food when he gets real amped up so your options are limited for the positive stuff in those situations.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Yeah, that's basically what we've been doing. He's improving and we'll get it dialed in. We've been working with a private dog trainer on some obedience and conditioning calm stuff when we're not hunting or hiking which has helped too. If you show him a video on your cellphone of birds, elk, bear, mountain lion, etc he'll literally start shaking and stop listening. I've had a few hunting breeds over the years but never had prey drive this high. He'll stand at our back door in the middle of the night in a point stance shaking in anticipation of squirrels being in the yard.

Well, when you finally get him "dialed in" it sounds like you will have a helluva bird dog. But I suspect he will always need electronic guidance. Better keep some extra batteries on hand!

 

[NickOnTheRun]

Well, if you ever get him "dialed in" it sounds like you will have a helluva bird dog. But I suspect he will always need electronic guidance. Better keep some extra batteries on hand!

Haha! Yep, we'll get him there. E-collars get a bad rap because of bad owners. The collar isn't meant to be a stun gun.. despite how some people operate them.

 

[exponentialpi]

Lucky Peak and Arrowrock hold some chukar as well. I have been hitting the local WMA's myself for pheasants but am getting a bit tired of the crowds.

 

[El Jason]

If you're focusing on a specific location, you're not learning about the birds and how to find them. Give a man a fish vs. teach a man to fish, right? Chukars are pretty ubiquitous birds. I've seen them at 7k feet, I've seen them in broken Pine timber, junipers, sagebrush, and bunch grass prairie. Sometimes they'll be clumped up in the sumac thickets by springs, and others they'll be on the highest rocks they can find.

Chukars are ground roosting birds. They prefer rock outcrops to roost in. They do not require water in the winter, but in the summer will likely be found within a mile of a source. Their diet varies wildly during the year. Learn to look for areas on ridge tops where they scratch and dig up tubers and other food sources. Look for droppings. Slope aspect can really be crucial sometimes.

Burn up tires and boots. That's the beauty of chukars. Try and refrain from hitting the same spot over and over. I rarely hunt the same locale more than 2-3 times in a year, even my favorite ones. You can't find new locations if you're always hunting the same ones, and once you learn what to look for, you can find birds in a lot of places.

 

[NickOnTheRun]

If you're focusing on a specific location, you're not learning about the birds and how to find them. Give a man a fish vs. teach a man to fish, right? Chukars are pretty ubiquitous birds. I've seen them at 7k feet, I've seen them in broken Pine timber, junipers, sagebrush, and bunch grass prairie. Sometimes they'll be clumped up in the sumac thickets by springs, and others they'll be on the highest rocks they can find.

Chukars are ground roosting birds. They prefer rock outcrops to roost in. They do not require water in the winter, but in the summer will likely be found within a mile of a source. Their diet varies wildly during the year. Learn to look for areas on ridge tops where they scratch and dig up tubers and other food sources. Look for droppings. Slope aspect can really be crucial sometimes.

Burn up tires and boots. That's the beauty of chukars. Try and refrain from hitting the same spot over and over. I rarely hunt the same locale more than 2-3 times in a year, even my favorite ones. You can't find new locations if you're always hunting the same ones, and once you learn what to look for, you can find birds in a lot of places.

Thank you! I really appreciate all the knowledge and advice.

 

[NickOnTheRun]

Lucky Peak and Arrowrock hold some chukar as well. I have been hitting the local WMA's myself for pheasants but am getting a bit tired of the crowds.

Yeah, I'm on an out of state license because I haven't lived in the area for six months yet and I didn't add the WMA designation. Mostly because I want to avoid the crowds and work on training my pup.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

Also late season chuckars are not stupid.
Try to hunt silently...where I used to hunt is was so steep,
the birds typically flushed downhill towards me if the dog busted them upslope.
Silence is golden...

 

[BT_NVhunter]

Looking for help. I also just started upland hunting and really have no idea being from back east (Maine) originally where upland consist of going through the nastiest thickest stuff you can find then having a heart attack when you almost step on a rough grouse. This open country in northern NV can be daunting on where to start, hoping for help not with spots but habitat/topo features i should look for to begin to find birds? Also anyone know of pointer breeders in the Northern NV area or southern ID/Salt Lake?

 

[El Jason]

Looking for help. I also just started upland hunting and really have no idea being from back east (Maine) originally where upland consist of going through the nastiest thickest stuff you can find then having a heart attack when you almost step on a rough grouse. This open country in northern NV can be daunting on where to start, hoping for help not with spots but habitat/topo features i should look for to begin to find birds? Also anyone know of pointer breeders in the Northern NV area or southern ID/Salt Lake?

Get a map of the guzzlers and then look for rimrocks within 1/2 mile to a mile from there.

 

[BT_NVhunter]

Get a map of the guzzlers and then look for rimrocks within 1/2 mile to a mile from there.

Thank you very much.

 

[Irrelevant]

I’ve circled some areas in red where I would start looking. Learn to look for food sources, which right now are fall green up shoots on southern exposures. If you’re hiking 10-15 miles a day and not finding chukars, it’s the location, not your dog.

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I slight poke here... if you're wearing a puffy chukar hunting, you're not doing it right.

They also make a helluva lot of noise most of the time. You can really learn to key in on them just by hiking and listening.

Unlike JLS, I don't find them near the tops, they are simply in the steepest terrain, around there that's lower to mid canyon levels. Though sometimes in the early afternoon you can catch them up high, especially after a snow and some wind.

 

[El Jason]

I slight poke here... if you're wearing a puffy chukar hunting, you're not doing it right.

They also make a helluva lot of noise most of the time. You can really learn to key in on them just by hiking and listening.

Unlike JLS, I don't find them near the tops, they are simply in the steepest terrain, around there that's lower to mid canyon levels. Though sometimes in the early afternoon you can catch them up high, especially after a snow and some wind.

Agree on the puffy.

Completely agree on the noise. @MTLabrador and I dimed out a covey of birds that were raising a hell of a commotion as we were getting ready to go for a pheasant hike.

I always start on the ridgelines simply because it's easier hunting. If I don't find them there, then you can adjust on the fly. Also, for a dog with a good nose the ridges give him the best advantage to start. Yesterday we found probably 90% of the birds at mid level or lower. You are correct in that can vary based on time of day and weather.

In Wyoming, I never found a covey on the ridgelines. It's important to look for sign as you go and note the trends you are seeing. Once you find areas the birds have been roosting in, they'll be somewhere within a 400ish yard radius usually.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

The puffy really confused me. You're getting top notch advice here so now you just to get out and shoot straight.

Once you find them save one shot for the straggler that always gets up after the covey rise. Get the covey broken up into singles and doubles and you'll find they hold a little better for your dog.

 

[Irrelevant]

Once you find them save one shot for the straggler that always gets up after the covey rise.

Absolutely, save the third for the dumb bird and not for the going away shot a 500 mph that you'll never get a far enough lead on

Get the covey broken up into singles and doubles and you'll find they hold a little better for your dog.

I don't find this to be true for chukars, huns yes, chukars seem to get more flighty the more you push them. But I have found that once you break them up, they'll call like a quail to relocate the covey, you can then use some real mountain stealth and sneak/run up on them, just stay low out of of sight, then ground pound the sonsaguns.

 

[Jim/Wa]

Haha! Yep, we'll get him there. E-collars get a bad rap because of bad owners. The collar isn't meant to be a stun gun.. despite how some people operate them.

My GSP would chase deer and elk when he was younger. I worked with him but ended up with an e-collar when he started chasing sheep. Problem solved...until he jumped his first lion. He’s chased 2 past me in the last few years that I’ve seen and who knows how many that I haven’t. Those things drive him crazy.

 

[Elkmagnet]

Absolutely, save the third for the dumb bird and not for the going away shot a 500 mph that you'll never get a far enough lead on

I don't find this to be true for chukars, huns yes, chukars seem to get more flighty the more you push them. But I have found that once you break them up, they'll call like a quail to relocate the covey, you can then use some real mountain stealth and sneak/run up on them, just stay low out of of sight, then ground pound the sonsaguns.

You boys really do hate those little birds