Not just for the birds

Upland hunting · Dogs · Idaho

The art, culture, & beauty of upland hunting

Essays, field reports, dog stories, gear reviews, and recipes from two decades in the chukar hills of the American West — plus books from Chukar Culture Press

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Recent Writing

  • Hercules Ramp

    Hercules Metals sent this press release today (July 30, 2026), announcing the addition of a team of (non-American) mining operations folks. I’m no expert, but it looks like Hercules is ramping up the exploration phase (which is how they sold it to the locals in Cambridge, with the carrot of jobs and other community benefits)…

    Read more: Hercules Ramp

  • Wonder

    Anyone who’s done this for a decade or more has watched a dog get old. Age, or agedness, is relative. Glenna only made it to 10. Angus 13. Peat turned 11 on April 2. Even though he’s still “going on two” we think he might be losing his mind. With all of the obvious (or…

    Read more: Wonder

  • Hercules Again

    Hercules Metals is expanding mining exploration in the Cecil Andrus Wildlife Management Area and USFS lands in Idaho, drawing community concern. During a town hall meeting, CEO Chris Paul couldn’t guarantee against open-pit mining. Environmentalists fear significant damage to wildlife habitats, water sources, and overall ecosystem health, with little local benefit anticipated.

    Read more: Hercules Again

Chukar Culture Press

SMALL PRESS. SERIOUS BOOKS.

A small independent press publishing literary nonfiction, fiction, and oral history rooted in the American West.

Books are printed on demand and shipped directly to you.

A dog holding a chukar bird in its mouth while standing in a grassy field, with mountains and trees in the background. The book title 'Chukar Culture: Memory, Dogs, Paradox' is displayed at the top.
Essays · Hunting · Nature

Chukar Culture: Memory, Dogs, Paradox

Seventeen years of essays connecting chukar hunting to art, music, literature, and the paradox of killing something you love.

$25

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Cover of the novel 'The Rim' by Robert McMichael, featuring a scenic landscape with a silhouette of a person atop a rocky ridge against a sunset sky.
Fiction · Novel

The Rim

A Cree residential school survivor and an Idaho ranching family, bound together by chance, choice, and the mystery of the land.

$18

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Book cover for 'Stay the Course' by Robert McMichael, featuring a golfer on a green course with trees and two birds perched on a branch above.
Fiction · Novel

Stay the Course

Ennis Sawtell returns — as father, husband, golf course superintendent — navigating a pandemic, a traumatic event at his daughters’ school, and a bold decision to leave it all behind.

$22

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Cover of the book 'Let My Horse Bring Me Home', featuring a child holding hands with a person on horseback along a country road, with greenery in the background.
Oral History · Idaho

Let My Horse Bring Me Home: A Salubria Valley, Idaho Oral History

Eighth-graders interview twenty long-time residents of Salubria Valley, Idaho — preserving stories that would otherwise be lost.

$20

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