Finally got out on short hike with the boys early this morning. Temperature was 58 degrees which was about as cool as it has got for quite a while. Grady and I are in terrible shape and didn’t cover as much country as we intended. But, what we did cover was very good. We went to a hun spot that wasn’t too hard to hike but usually holds some good birds. We found more huns in this area than I’ve ever seen. The covey’s were very large in number and the chicks were close to the adults size. Didn’t see any real small birds so it looked like the first hatch took hold well. Didn’t get any pictures because the scenting conditions were poor and Grady ran right through the covey’s before scenting them. It was a very optimistic morning.
The fires have taken a lot of prime hunting coutry. Both for upland and big game hunters. I believe they finally got a handle on the Paddock fire at close to 190,000 acres but it has already decimated the area. If North of Emmett is your destination you should make different plans.
The fires in eastern Oregon are pretty much stopped right now. Another chukar hunter, Mark drove the Durkee fire and described it as unbelievable and 95% destroyed. Although a lot of the country over there has burnt there is still some good country left untouched and huntable. A very reliable source said the chukar numbers are unbelievable in Oregon. He told me the first hatch was the best he’s ever seen and this guy spends more time in chukar country than he does at home. He’s a rancher and a chukar hunter and has been out in that country for almost fifty years and his forecasts have never let me down.
We still have a lot to be concerned about. It seems like about every three or four days another lightening storm comes through and starts another fire. Even if we have no more fires it’s going to be a lot tougher in the past because of the acres lost. But with the bird numbers looking good I know I’m excited for the possibilities.
The Reigning Chukar Champions 
fire season is just getting going , we need a break
lots of lightning last night off 95
LONG way to go
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Hey Larry, does the bird hunting truly ever recover in these burn areas? I assume it takes years if not decades?
-Ryan G.
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some areas do good , some take forever
sad one are in the middle.
a lot of mature sage gets removed for decades. Some areas get taken over by invasive species such as medusahead and are rendered useless
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From what I’ve seen in the past, and this only goes for my favorite bird, the chukar, hunting takes a few years to get decent again. But chukars bounce back fairly well. The fresh green shoots that sprout after a fire are perfect for wildlife. It’s tough to get on chukars where the cover is minimal and of course when they take flight they go much further than they do when there is plenty of cover. The chukars also have to adjust from the avian predators but they figure it out just like they have to when the heavy snows come. In my opinion, which doesn’t mean squat, the chukars that survived the fires will do fine but we’ll have to adjust. The sage brush will be forever to come back but chukars do fine in the cover of bunch grass and heavy cheat which only takes a year or two to be plenty of cover for chukars.
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lack of sage in flatter country hurts them big time
steeper country is easier for them to adjust too.
They are certainly as resilient as it gets
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Lack of sage or bitterbrush is a big problem and chukars don’t do well without it. It’s “canopy” cover and makes them safer from avian predators and it holds snow so there’s bare ground or, at least, less snow under it so they can find seeds. Chukars have never come back to previous numbers in areas I hunt where the sage and bitterbrush was decimated by fire. Huns come back pretty well. Go hunt areas that have no sagebrush and see if you find chukars.
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Thanks for your contribution. I agree about the cover for avoiding the avian predators but most of my favorite chukar spots don’t have sage. I very much hate to see the loss of sage. It takes forever to come back and so many animals depend on it and have a hard time surviving without it. But in my humble opinion I don’t believe chukars are one of them. I’ve seen so many steep hills void of sage from past fires where chukars thrive. Take the fires at Rocking M and Cecil Andrus just recently and how the chukars have come back so well. But that’s another great thing about chukars. The different cover they can be found in. Some people like hunting the thicker sage country while others like the Owyhee type terrain with lot’s of rock outcroppings to hold the birds. I happen to like the steeper slopes loaded with heavy bunch grass. It’s what works for me because I like seeing my dog running out there.
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