Not just for the birds

Category: Uncategorized

  • New Things

    New Things

     

    The blog has a new look, and a new name. The old URL, chukarhunting.net, will still work but will resolve to chukarculture.com. Also, as you can see, we now have a logo and a prototype hat. Soon we’ll have them for sale in two styles. It might take a while for me to figure out how to set it all up, but I’ll post when it’s ready.

    Why the change? It could be a long story, but the short version is that we’ve always been more interested in the culture around our favorite outdoor activity than the hunting part, and I wanted a visual representation of that that we might put on a hat or a shirt. So Leslie came up with the phrase and – surprise – the domain was not already taken (can you imagine that?). So stay tuned. And to those of you (like myself) who aren’t crazy about changes in familiar places, I apologize for shaking things up. I hope the transition isn’t too traumatic for you or me! I’m always open to comments, too, and as always would welcome yours.

  • Pirouetting Chukar Hills

    As we turn off of the highway and onto the dusty dirt road heading towards the chukar hills, our bird dog stands up in the back seat of the pickup and sticks his nose out of the crack in the window, snorts, and wags his stubby tail in excitement. The last time we turned up this road we were heading out for a bitter cold January hunt. Dogs have a keen sense of memory. Does he remember the turn, the smell, or something else?

    The chukar hills are always turning with the seasons. Bright red Indian paintbrush, brilliant yellow arrowleaf balsamroot, deep pink sweet pea, purple Rocky Mountain penstemon, multi-colored wild lupine, verdigris sagebrush, and spring green grasses are now flourishing after a long winter. The reward from the snow melt is habitat and food for wildlife and a new batch of chukar that soon will be hatching in these hills.

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    We all wandered in different directions across the hillside covered in wildflowers blanketing the ground in a blaze of yellow and red. It was a short walk to admire the views and to collect some arrowleaf balsamroot seeds for our own wildflower garden. We eventually met up and sat down on some flat rocks in the warmth of the setting sun to quietly take a moment to reflect on the last time we hunted on these chukar hills.

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  • Snapshots of Chukar Hunting

    Guest blogger, Bob’s other half here. The other day, one of his followers commented how cool it was for Bob to be out there hiking around with Angus and sometimes the kid. Whoa…what about me!? Being behind the scenes with video camera in one hand, and regular camera in the other, I’ve experienced 99.9% of the action. Sometimes, after stopping to take still footage, I’ve had to run full speed up hill to catch up to Bob and Angus. Yes, that’s me doing all that huffing and puffing in the video clips trying to get a shot of the shot. It’s easy to forget that someone else is also experiencing all those steep hills, beautiful scenery, and wonderful moments.  These are some of my favorite photos. Enjoy.

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    The Kid.
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    Steep country.
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    On the move.
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    Foggy chukar hunt.
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    Cecil’s country.
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    Perfect point.
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    Snow dog.
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    Evening hunt.
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    Field of sagebrush.
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    Bob and the kid.
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    Stay.
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    The color of the season is hunter orange.
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    Foggy dream.
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    View from the top.
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    Where did Angus go?
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    Hell’s Canyon.
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    Eagle Cap Wilderness.
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    Snow chukar at all.
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    Hydrate.
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    Wild weed of some sort.

     

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    Heading back to the pick-up.

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    Bunch grass.
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    Before the storm.
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    Good morning.
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    Last day of the season.
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    Me and the kid.

  • Opening

    Finally: opening day chukar & Hun. Sick all week but went out anyway. Took it easy. Went up to a place I wanted to try last year but never did. Hiked along a fence past cows, then got into Huns (only) all along the east-facing slope. Cool, not too dry; bird sign once the bunch grass got thicker and longer with lots of new shoots. The birds were all about 30 feet in elevation below the ridge, almost like clockwork (so about 4650′ above sea level). Saw three different coveys in two hours, one with at least 25 birds. I shot six times and got two of this year’s birds (quite small). Angus was marvelous as usual. He even tried to tell me there was a huge blue (“dusky”) grouse in a lone pine tree but I was not on the ball when it launched. I’m lucky to have a tall wife who likes to go on these hikes with Angus and me and has no trouble with barbed wire fences.

    Terrain to be in
    Terrain to be in