Chukar country snow levels?

[Jim/Wa]

Any chukar areas in OR/ID that aren't smothered in snow and ice right now? I'd really like to get my 15 month old GSP on some birds before season ends. Judging from the weather reports and highway shut downs around Baker City, it sounds like that whole region is a mess.

 

[JoseCuervo]

The birds are under stress now, in my estimation. I would encourage restraint in pursuing birds in this condition.

It is crazy in SW Idaho.

 

[brymoore]

Give the animals a break this winter.

 

[JoseCuervo]

Here is what the National Weather Service is show for snow ON THE GROUND as of today.





Up to 4' in some of the areas you were thinking.

 

[Jim/Wa]

Damn! That's way worse than what I expected. Thanks for the intel.

 

[OriginalOscar]

Go hunt. They are birds, birds have short life spans, they fly 200 yards and are done with you; unless you kill them. It was a good year and might as well hunt them while the season is still open.

Your dog deserves it.

 

[Sawtooth]

Here is what my friend and I have experienced with the tough winter weather. https://onyourownadventures.com/hun...h-winter-taking-it-s-toll-on-S-W-Idaho-Chukar. Like most have stated above, the last few weeks have been hard on the birds and restraint might be a good idea. Need to leave a few to reproduce next spring.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

I'm heading down by Riggins for a couple of days. I'll give a report on Sunday.

 

[Jim/Wa]

Shooting chukars is the least of my concerns. Dog work is my focus. Grouse hunting sucked this year and I only got 4 days to hunt chukars. The last thing I want to do is over stress a bunch of starving birds but if I can find chukars in relatively snow free terrain I'm all in. Sounds unlikely. Owyhees maybe?

 

[JoseCuervo]

The places that don't show snow in the Owyhees are because of no reporting.

Next 3 days bring more snow.

Be interesting to hear snow reports in Riggins.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

The places that don't show snow in the Owyhees are because of no reporting.

Next 3 days bring more snow.

Be interesting to hear snow reports in Riggins.

I talked to a guy down there last week and he said things were opening up on the southern exposures. If so, great. If not, it will be a nice drive.

The birds I shot last week were in surprisingly good shape. Plenty of fat and full crops.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

Any bird around Riggins that's starving deserves to be removed from the gene pool. Look higher than you think you should.

 

[brymoore]

The birds will survive the winter. The concern is that deer and elk are wintering in the same open areas as chukars. Deer and elk are having a horrible winter. I stopped chukar hunting so I wasn't pushing deer around.