Confessions of a First Time Chukar Hunter - Sam Wells
Confessions of a First-Time Chukar Hunter: Lessons Learned the Hard Way
By Sam Wells
Even though it causes me great embarrassment to say this, I must confess when I started researching chukar, my Google search read “chucker.” If you are like me and can’t spell or you just don’t know much about chukar, my hope is that this article will be of some use to you when you hit the hills for the first time in search of these extraordinary birds.
This year's chukar trip came to fruition in the summer when phone calls with buddies inevitably revolved around hunting plans for the upcoming fall. My good friend and bird-hunting partner Trey Johnson, threw out the idea of going to Idaho in November to hunt chukar. Trey had hunted them in the state previously and had a lot of on-the-ground knowledge. It would be my first time and I was eager to see some new country and add another species to the list. In the meantime, I had several other hunting trips planned along with travel for work, so thoughts of Idaho chukar fell to the back burner until the first week of November.
On November 10th, at 3:30 am we pointed the trucks north and settled in for a twenty-two-hour drive. My 4-year-old drahthaar Jäger and my 8-month-old setter Quanah were settled in their kennels. Shotguns, shells, and dog gear, along with camping and cooking supplies for the week were strategically placed in my truck. After sixteen hours we pulled into a motel in Rawlins, Wyoming for the night. The following morning we were back on the road with plans to have dogs on the ground that afternoon.
We pulled off the pavement and began to drive towards a landscape that looked more like Mars than one I ever expected to hunt birds in. We gained elevation through the switchbacks on the rough road and arrived at a flat spot in the basin where we would set up camp. Finally, with boots on the ground, we did our best to get our legs underneath us after so much time behind the wheel. With much excitement, Trey and I each got our top dogs out of their kennels, and we were off up the mountain in search of the bird we’d come so far to find. This is where I learned my first hard lesson of the trip.
Lesson #1 - Boot your dog
Trey and I had spoken briefly about booting the dogs as we were getting ready at the tailgate. We were in a hurry, so we shrugged it off, and I thought to myself, “it will only be an hour or so… not long enough to really do much damage.” I was wrong. Half an hour into the hunt Jäger came over, and as I was giving him some water, I noticed blood on the rock where his front left foot had been. I bent down to take a look at his paw and found a substantial gash on the outside toe of his left paw where he’d caught a sharp rock just right.
Although I had hunted Jäger a lot up to this point in the season, I had not run him on rocky terrain. I live in North Texas and don’t have access to that kind of country to condition my dog's pads. If you live in an area like I do, I highly recommend you boot your dogs from the beginning if you are planning to hunt chukar out West. I had to rest Jäger for the next 2days to allow the cut some time to heal before booting him for the rest of the trip. From that point on we booted every dog on every walk, and aside from sore muscles the dogs held up fine. A good pair of dog boots can make or break a hunt, especially if you don’t have extra dog power.
Lesson #2 - Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
On day 2, after a quick breakfast and some coffee, we set off up a particularly steep slope, and right away, I could feel my quads starting to tighten up. I consider myself a reasonably fit guy. Jiu-jitsu, running, and weight lifting are all a part of my weekly workout regimen, but it doesn’t matter how fit you are if you’re not hydrated. Regretfully, I spent 2 days in the truck drinking very little water in an effort to minimize stops. I was playing catch-up, and there wasn’t much I could do. These birds make you work hard enough, there’s no reason for the added challenge of cramping quads and calves while trying to make it uphill to a dog on point.
For the rest of the trip, I focused on drinking water between walks but also carrying enough for myself and the dog while hunting. I mixed electrolytes into my bottle to try and prevent further cramping. This is also where a good vest comes into play. Both my dogs drink a lot of water, so having the ability to comfortably carry a couple of bottles for them and one for myself is vital.
Lesson #3 - Mark your birds down, but trust the hunter with the longest nose
Halfway through our trip, we moved to a new area that was steeper and rockier than where we had been before. The breathtaking views and the snow-capped peaks in the distance served as a nice distraction. We got out of the truck after a drive up a rocky two-track and could hear chukar calling in the hills all around us.
We started up the slope to get up top so the dogs could work off the side to find birds. Trey’s female setter, Pearl, had pointed a few coveys of misbehaving birds that weren’t holding for us to get into range. After working our way around the top of the mountain, we were on the steepest and rockiest slope we had been on yet. There were rock slides and shale breaking up the tiny islands of grass on the slope. We made our way across, sidehilling most of the way. Ahead of and just below us, Pearl and Jäger went on point, drinking in the bird scent that was blowing up the slope. Trey and I hurried down and as we got into range, a 30-bird covey popcorn flushed off the side of the hill. I doubled, and Trey also knocked one down with his single shot .410. Both Pearl and Jäger scooped up a bird and started up the shale back towards us. As they made their way up, I noticed the third bird bouncing down the rocky slope, and I thought I saw it get hung up on a rock just 50 yards below.
After Jäger delivered the bird to hand, we went down the slope together where I had last seen the bird. A trail of feathers led us right to the rock, and Jäger had his nose down, working the scent. He went past the rock and continued down the slope. I called him back to search the area I was sure the bird had to be. Again, he went off down the rocky slope, shale sliding out from underneath both of us. As I tried to navigate the steep terrain, I saw him ease into a point below me some 60 yards away. I hoped that it was the dead bird and not a live one as I would have had no shot opportunity from my position. I hollered down to him “fetch,” and he flagged his tail, took a few steps forward, and confidently scooped up the dead bird. Trey and I high-fived and I snapped some photos as Jäger made his way up the rock slide.
Lesson #4 - Have fun, bird hunting is fun
A trip like this has a lot of moving pieces, and anytime you travel across the country, leaving your family for a week, you want to make the most of every opportunity. I put unnecessary pressure on myself and my dogs when I go on trips like this, and I sometimes treat the hunt like it’s something I can win or lose instead of something I am supposed to enjoy. I have to remind myself, “I’ve already won because I am out hunting birds in beautiful country with my dogs and one of my best friends.”
I started the trip in a bit of a shooting slump. I was struggling to connect on easy shots over good dog work, and it started to get to my head. I was upset with myself, and I wasn’t enjoying the trip for what it was. I am competitive by nature, so instead of being thankful for the birds I had in the bag, I compared myself to Trey or other hunters I saw on social media. This is a disease. Do not do this.
Chukar hunting is not easy; the hills are steep, your legs and your lungs will burn, and you will likely miss a few birds, but my goodness, is it fun. At the end of the day, that is why we all go bird hunting in the first place: it is fun. It’s fun to watch dogs do what they are made to do, it is fun to drink whiskey out of a flask with your buddy at the end of a long day, and it is fun to gain a thousand feet of elevation just to have a dog go on point 400 feet below you.
So next time you and your buddies are talking about hunting trips and plans for next fall, throw out the idea of taking that chukar trip you’ve always talked about. I know I can’t wait to go back. Just remember, boot your dog, hydrate, trust the hunter with the longest nose, and always have fun.
Sam Wells is an upland hunter, girl dad, husband, photographer and Social Media Coordinator at Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. You can follow along on his adventures via his Instagram.