WA - Chukar Populations

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tmensonides
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WA - Chukar Populations

Post by tmensonides » Wed Jan 10, 2018 12:21 pm

Any Washington people here been up into Whiskey "bleep" and Quilomene this year and have a report on chukar populations? I have had some good luck with my 9 month pup on quail and pheasant and been out a few times for duck. Last upland day I can get out this season is Monday and debating between doing chukar to get him the exposure to that environment without knowing how the hunting/bird populations are or going to a spot I can guarantee we will find some quail and probably a pheasant or two...

tmensonides
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Re: WA - Chukar Populations

Post by tmensonides » Wed Jan 10, 2018 3:06 pm

LOL official WDFW name of the area got moderated...

Bedight
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Re: WA - Chukar Populations

Post by Bedight » Wed Jan 10, 2018 8:06 pm

Hunted SE Whisky(edited for the ultra PC) last week. ( it was real cold, but no snow) Plenty of birds but REAL spooky. Dogs couldn't get within 70 yards of the covey before they flushed. Flushes were unusual too, instead of the usual downhill with the wind covey flush, these guys scattered in all directions and then regrouped about a quarter of a mile UPWIND. Weird.

Saw more birds the closer we got to the river. Less wind too.

Still, dogs had success on singles after the scatter flush. But was a lot of hard, hurried walking to get to points.

Saw LOTS of Coyote, maybe that's why birds were so skittish. Take your varmint rifle with you and get some revenge. No limit, anytime, any weapon any license for Coyote. Coyotes were real interested in the Setters but I had my Chessie with me and they kept their distance from her.

tmensonides
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Location: Gig Harbor, WA (hunt duck on family farm in Roy, WA & Upland East of the Mountains)

Re: WA - Chukar Populations

Post by tmensonides » Wed Jan 10, 2018 8:24 pm

That’s super helpful. Was intending to go into WD there, getting into quilomene north of kitittas is just so time consuming..How big do your setters run? I’ve got a lab who will point on the singles or if a covey is tight (on quail at least) or on the singles or doubles he runs bigger than a flushing lab, but not like a pointer will...he has bumped a few coyotes out with quail this year too over by royal city but they took off before he noticed...thankfully...

Just wondering if we are a little tighter group (dog + hunters) as whole they may hold a little longer...

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greg jacobs
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Re: WA - Chukar Populations

Post by greg jacobs » Wed Jan 10, 2018 8:42 pm

tmensonides wrote:LOL official WDFW name of the area got moderated...
Yup official name.
Been hunting a hair south east of there. Numbers have been pretty good for here in wa.

Bedight
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Re: WA - Chukar Populations

Post by Bedight » Wed Jan 10, 2018 9:17 pm

The scattered covey birds in single and doubles took 30 to 40 minutes to regroup, so plenty of time for the dogs to find them. My dogs range 100 - 300 yards but will keep moving out until they locate birds. I have to hack em back in periodically.

Your Lab will probably put up the covey at 100 yards, but have no trouble finding the singles and putting you in range. They tended to hold real tight and hide rather than fly when they are alone. I let the Chessie hunt alone for a while and she did very well on the singles. She stayed close to me and got close enough to the singles to flush them in my range.(She's a flusher not a pointer).

The Setters will get to the singles sooner than the Lab but have to hold them longer, so I found the Chessies slower and closer approach to be more effective for me ( I'm old and pretty slow).

The other big advantage your Lab will have is that the dead and crippled Chukar are very hard to find. They are the same color and smell as sagebrush. My Setters are reluctant retreivers even when the can see the dead bird. So I spend more time directing them to hunt dead than I do hunting. That's why I take the Chessie along, she, like all the Labs I've known, will alway retreive something, even it's not what you were expecting.

You might try spreading the hunters across the path you don't want the Covey to go to, hopefully they'll fly to less steep terrain and in a less scattered group.

tmensonides
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Re: WA - Chukar Populations

Post by tmensonides » Thu Jan 11, 2018 12:07 am

Thanks bedlight. I’ll update with my results next week...

tmensonides
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Re: WA - Chukar Populations

Post by tmensonides » Tue Jan 23, 2018 2:02 pm

Well unfortunately some last minute family friend tragedy's came up with my hunting partners and I acquiesced to my wife's request that I don't wander around alone in an area I never see other people and don't have cell coverage. Everything is good to go and I'll hit it up early next season Lord willing.

Attempting one more duck day this saturday.

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