Chukar

Native to the Middle East and Southern Asia, the Chukar was brought as a game bird to North America, where it has thrived in some regions of the west. From late summer to early spring, Chukars travel in coveys, but they may be hard to see as the range through the brush of steep desert canyons. They become more conspicous in spring, when the harsh cackling chuk chuk chukar of the territorial males echoes from the rocky cliffs.

This chukar has well marked black and white bars on the flanks and a black band running from the forehead across the eye and running down the head to form a necklace that encloses a white throat.  Adult males weigh from 19 to 26 ounces while females weigh between 16 to 19 ounces.  The Chukar is approximately 10 -12 inches tall.

     While hunting the Chukar, watch the upland game birds as they are flushed closely, mark where they go down, and follow up quickly.  Listen for the rally calls of scattered birds, which can lead you straight to singles. Lone birds often sit tightly, offering fine shooting if you can find them.

     A well-trained pointing dog can be invaluable, cutting off running coveys and pinning close-sitting singles, and thus doubling your shooting.  Also important is the aid a dog provides in finding and retrieving wounded or dead birds.  The chore of retrieving these can be daunting....unless you have a dog and they can retrieve the birds you shoot.