Idaho Chukar Opener 2020

[RowdyGSP]

Headed down south to chase some chukar around with Rowdy my GSP.  This was no country for Misty, the tripod setter, so she got to wait in the truck until it was her turn to run down low for quail.  I went there knowing that with Rowdy's shoulder issue he is still getting over, this would probably be a 1 day hunt and then I would camp and fish tomorrow.  Unfortunately, I forgot to grab the rods on the way out of the house early this morning.  Rowdy put in 12 miles in some ruggedly beautiful country that we climbed to the top of the canyon from the river.  I don't know how many vertical feet we climb when we hunt here, but it's a LOT.  It was still fairly smoky, but not horribly so.  Being as it has been cool I opted to stay high for chukar despite it being early season.  Right off the bat Rowdy pointed a covey of a bit over a dozen valley quail down in a creek bottom with trees and I doubled on them.  Off to a good start and up the mountain we climbed.  



 











We weren't finding coveys in the usual rims and fingers, but as we hit a third ridgeline, Rowdy went on point and I doubled on a mature and a very young chukar.  The young one might just be one of the smallest chukar I've shot, but goes with a September opener.  











We then were at the end of the ridge and I picked my way back down to the truck, having to unload my gun more than once, while carefully making my way down rimrock shoots/outcroppings and of course I fell hard a couple of times on the way down, as per usual.  We finally got back to the truck and I watered Rowdy and put him up and took Misty to try to find some singles from the quail covey.  She found a pair but bumped them and I didn't shoot.  She did about 2 miles and then we looped back around to the truck.  All in all a great day, just wish I'd of remembered the fly rod.





Here's a quick video I took of him:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tb9U1MQqjM

[orhunter]

Uhuuuuuummmmm......

[RowdyGSP]

Yes?

[J D Patrick]

nice trip,,well minus forgetting the flyrods!

gonna have to plan a boondoggle that way for chukar and quail,,,,but that may have to wait a year or two,,,,maybe tie it in with other things since it's a 3 day drive to get there,,,,

maybe a big loop of hunting,,,,kind of a "bird safari",,,

I gots some planning to do!!

[RowdyGSP]

JD you make it out this way get ahold of me. Bird hunting safari sounds downright amazing. Only 3 days from NC to ID?

[J D Patrick]

JD you make it out this way get ahold of me. Bird hunting safari sounds downright amazing. Only 3 days from NC to ID?

Maybe 3 1/2 days depending on the "where" in Idaho - I make it to SE Montana in 2 days of driving,,,

drove Ft Lewis Washington to Burlington NC in 60 hrs once....just once,,,and I was MUCH younger then,,,slept for 2 hrs at that first rest stop in Wyoming coming out of Utah on 80,,then got my "second wind" after making it through St Louis in the middle of the night,,,,but when I hit Burlington I was OUT of it,,,

not safe,,,but idiocy of youth and I was heading to my wife who was back there,,,,

may start planning this for next fall,,,,semi-retirement trip so to speak,,,

and I WILL take you up on the offer!!

[AverageGuy]

Great photos Rowdy. Keep em coming.