Happy Thanksgiving

As promised, I finally got the camera working. So for you guys over seas I took some pictures on the hill today hoping they find you safe and give you just a taste of what is waiting for you when you get home. Some of the pictures are redundant but they give me a chance to show off Riley.

The day started walking up this ridge.

Riley searched both high and low for two hours without finding a bird.

And then it happened. Find after find, Riley started doing his thing. Riley was a little unhappy with me and the square box in my hand. He was more concerned about getting birds than having me walk around him taking pictures.

But it all worked out the same with a couple of retrieves.

This was another of Riley's points that offered a great chance to move around him and take some pictures and then hopefully get some shots with the gun.

He finally relocated as I moved below him with the camera.

At this point I could tell he had the birds pinned between us so I looked in the brush to my left and I could see a couple of the chukars that were in a covey of about 15 that eventually flushed.

A couple more retrieves.

Here are a few more of Riley's points for the day. I'll leave you with these pictures and the hopes they  fulfill your hunting needs for a short time and bring you home soon and safely.

Hiding in the snow

I should have known better than to go out again today, but Riley and I had such a great time between the squalls yesterday we were ready to chance it again today. It wasn't a very good idea because there was quite a bit more moisture and wind in today's storms and the duration was a little longer. So we got a little wet.

Luckily we found a nice carved out spot in some rocks that gave us some protection from the blowing wet snow. I tucked myself back in as far as I could to protect both me and Riley, who was more than happy to hide with me. The hard stuff lasted for about a half an hour. It's amazing of the things that can go through your mind in that short of a time.

Riley pulled in as close as he could with his nose tucked deep into my chest. As he looked up at me with his eyes I suddenly saw Tucker in him. I remembered all the great times Tucker and I had together and how he used to sit next to me in the same way. He always made me feel like I was really something. Riley has turned into Tucker in his actions. He always wants to be close to me and is as aware of where I am on the hill as I try to be of him. If he comes back to where he thinks I should be and he can't see me he quickly gets that panic look in his eyes.

Tucker taught me more about chukar hunting than I could have learned from a book and now Riley is continuing my education. I remember feeling like all that I have to do to be successful in hunting chukars is to follow Tuckers lead and shoot well. We both had bad days but 9 out of 10 times Tucker's days were great. He had honest points that he would hold until I got into the position I wanted to be in. If I did my job the retrieve would be made with never a word being said.

Never a word being said. That is how my hunts now go with Riley now. Very few words have to be said for encouragement or because of discouragement, except for the times I'm cussing myself out. I know he does what he does because he loves it and it pleases me. I keep my mouth shut when he screws up because I know that he made the mistake trying to please me just as I sometimes miss a bird trying to please him with a possible retrieve. That is what Tucker taught me about being with a hunting dog. We are a team.

Finally the storm broke and it was time for Riley and I to work our way back to the truck before the next batch of snow and wind hit us. Riley jumped up and led the way, hoping to find a bird or two along the way. He seemed to know the way back to the truck and I was ready to head that way. As luck would have it, we did pick up a couple of more chukars along the way, but that wasn't what was important on my mind. It was the realization of how Riley and I had become one. He and I are not only good hunting buddies but are just great friends.

But with the good things our dogs do for us there is the one thing that they have no control over. They don't live long enough. With each passing of our animal friends we lose a piece of our heart. I have lost several pieces in my lifetime and Tucker took a pretty big chunk. Dakota, Tucker,s son probably only has a couple of years left before he will erase all physical evidence of his father. He will also take a large piece of my heart with him. He and his dad were an unbeatable pair on the hill. There will never be a pair of dogs that worked birds together than these two. Thus the name "Team Tuckota" will forever be engraved above my fireplace with the names of all their predecessors and followers listed with them.


While sitting under that rock I couldn't help but to wonder where I am going from here. I never thought I would have another dog that would fit with me as Tucker did. I don't mind saying that I bawled like a baby the day Tucker left and am getting tears now thinking back to that day. I also left some tears under that rock today. They were tears for Tucker but also tears of fear of the day when Riley leaves me. I don't know if I have many more pieces of my heart to give. I wish that the love each one of my dogs have given me would rebuild the heart but there's starting to be too much of a void.

Most who are reading this have hunting dogs so nothing more need be said except, thank you God for giving us such loyal friends and I pray we all see each other again.

Age, conditioning and shooting

Getting older has it's advantages. It also has some disadvantages. For the main scheme of it all, there are a lot more advantages than disadvantages.

One of the advantages is getting smarter as you get older. In other words you hunt smarter, not harder. I haven't quite grasped that one yet but I'm not alone. I hunted with Greg Munther of Missoula, Mont. the last two days and at 68 he has me by 7 years. I don't think smart is in his vocabulary when it comes to hunting chukars. He looks for the hardest hill and goes for it. He is in fantastic hunting shape.

I pride myself in being in chukar shape. I feel the best way to stay fit is to be on the chukar hills at least 150 days a year. Half of the time hunting and the other half just hiking. Outside of having a good bird dog, conditioning along with shooting are the next two major parts of chukar hunting. So what has that got to do with age?

I shoot aproximately 1000 rounds a year practicing at the sporting clays course or just with my automatic thrower and I keep in fairly good shape. I also have a great hunting dog so I should bring home lots of birds. It doesn't always work that way and today was one of those bad days. It wasn't that I just shot bad. It was that I crippled more birds today than the previous twenty trips. Usually you know when you make a poor shot, but today I felt like I was in slow motion when swinging the gun.

Greg hunted the same hill and he shot just fine so what could the difference be? I knew I was shooting behind most of the birds but just couldn't seem to catch up. It was kind of like the feeling when you're all bundled up in clothes. As I sat in the lounger watching the football game this evening it suddenly hit me. I couldn't even twist around to get my favorite beverage off the coffee table without moaning. I felt like rigamortis had set in.

I felt a little like this the last two days but not as bad as tonight. The problem is, this was the fifth day in a row of hard chukar hunting. When you're young that is no big deal but as you age your body doesn't recover quite as fast. As you age you have to give yourself a little more recovery time for the muscles to recover.

So, in short, what I'm trying to say is that I shot behind the birds because at my age I hunted too many days in a row which made me stiff so I couldn't swing fast enough on the fast escaping birds. That is going to be excuse #753 in my new book of 1000 reasons why I miss chukars.

Did I tell you I had fun today?

Fun four days with Riley

Being able to take off and hunt for a week or so is one of the great perks with getting older. Riley and I just spent four days hunting Brownlee reservoir on the Idaho side. Not only did we save a lot of gas, we found some new country to chase the devil birds in. A couple of the places we discovered may never be seen by me again but the birds were there in large numbers. The miles and steepness may restrict me from getting into these spots in the future. It was still exciting to know that these fairly untouched places still exist for the hunter that doesn't mind being a little sore at the end of the day.

Hunting some of these areas teach you a lot about yourself and your dog. You really know how much you love the sport of hunting chukars by how far you are willing to push yourself into the next draw, and the next, and the next. While you are pushing yourself and your dog, not a word is spoken between you and him.  He is just doing his job and finding birds.

Riley and I are going into our fifth year together and I must say we are working like a fine tuned machine together. We both have our screw ups, but not a word has to be said because we know we'll make it right the next covey that we find. We lost one bird that hit the ground. That is only the second lost bird of the season. The first, we knew where it was but couldn't get to it because of the steep rocks it lodged itself in. There have been some that I have dropped a leg or knocked some feathers out of that we aren't sure if they went down or not but out of the ones that hit the ground, only two losses is pretty darn good.

In the four days I only ran into one other chukar hunter (Herry and his dog Max). He offered me a ride on the road I was walking on but I had just a short ways to my truck so I declined. Herry has a good looking male solid colored GSP and you know my feelings about those dogs.  Also Greg Allen hunted with me on the fourth day. His shots were the only shots I heard besides my own in four days.

My camera's zoom wasn't working properly so I didn't get as many pictures as I hoped. Here are a few of the sights I saw dozen of times. Riley is out here on point at 289 yards somewhere.

There he is. I'll just move in a little.

Okay, now it's up to me.

Good team work has it's rewards.

This is the end of the day results. Because of the number of birds and the great country this can be a fairly common scene.

Now it's time to clean up around the house and prepare for the next big outing.

Rileys problem retrieve

Once again I didn't have a camera on todays hunt. I wish I would have had a movie camera. Riley put on quite a show. He was a pointing and retrieving machine. The wind and conditions were perfect for a great hunt.

But one retrieve lasted about four or five minutes and was quite a comical scene. Luck was shining on me and I knocked down a double on huns. The problem was that I crippled both. Riley was on the first one quick. On his way back with the bird the second hun ran past him down the hill. He dropped the one in his mouth and was in hot pursuit of number two. He soon caught it and was bringing it back to me when number one ran back down the hill past him. He dropped number two and headed after number one who was still full of energy except for a broken wing. Further down the hill he finally caught number one but on his way up the hill had to drop it because number two was back on the run.

Well, you probably get the picture. The biggest problem with the whole thing was each time they ended up further down the hill. I finally told Riley to whoa once he had one of the birds in his mouth. I walked down to him and took the bird from his mouth. The bird was still as energetic as when the whole thing started. I then gave Riley the dead bird command. He soon caught the other birds scent and retrieved it back to me, still quite alive.

Sometimes you wish you could get in the dogs mind and see what they are thinking.

Five days of Oregon chukar.

Riley and I spent the last five days chasing chukar in Oregon. The best way to describe the hunting is fantastic. We hunted five different locations, put on lots of miles, gained a lot of elevation, and found loads of birds. I would say chukar hunting is as good as ever in Oregon.

Riley got a puncture wound in his right hind leg on the last retrieve of the trip. It wasn't anything real bad, except for a lot of draining, but he earned some time off all the same. He had a great five days. I decided not to pack a camera this year because the pictures have become quite redundant. Chukar country pictures and Riley pointing pictures. I never get tired of seeing this but enough is enough as far as the photos of him goes.

I had a real treat for three of those days. Greg Munther of Missoula Mont. came over and hunted with me. I just met Greg and am happy to say I hope to hunt many more times with him in the future. Greg is a living encyclopedia of the outdoors and a total outdoorsman. He knows how to cover the mountain also. Together with his GSP Lucy they put terror in many of the chukars flight.

I'm hoping to meet many more of you chukar hunters in the future. Listening to others experiences and watching other hunters work with their dogs is (almost) as good as doing the real thing.

ouch

The chukar season is in full swing now. The only thing that isn't swinging well right now is me packing the camera. It's been a little wet and that has made my laziness to carry the camera a little easier. So needless to say, no pictures yet.

The birds are out there. I have to admit to not seeing as many as I hoped, but they seem to be localized right now. So when you find them there is some great action. Luckily for me the limit in Idaho is only six chukars this year so my poor shooting doesn't really seem that dismal. For you guys over seas, I'm leaving lots for seed next year.

Todays hunt was probably the most exciting of the last seven in Idaho. Riley and I went to an old favorite for the first time this year. The birds were there just like they were rehearsed. The weather was overcast with a decent breeze. So up the hill we go. Riley busts the first covey of chukar and then settles in. He's having a great day except that every covey point is straight up hill. The good point to that is that is my better shooting angle. Slow risers. We finally get enough birds that I decide to start side hilling more and staying on the trails. Riley obliges and starts working with me and producing some good action.

Problem number one for the season came as I tried to crash through the brush in a steep draw. I've done something to my shoulder and can't lift my right arm above my head without feeling some pain. I started feeling quite a bit of it. I've already decided I can take the pain until the day after the season closes. Shooting and dog work was pretty darn good and we needed only two more huns so we started down the steep slope knowing there were huns somewhere down below.

As I headed straight down the hill problem number two showed up. Five and a half years ago I had a knee replacement. It's felt great until today. Each step downhill with my right leg sent a sharp pain through my knee. I was hoping that would never show up again but on a recent check up my doc noticed a pretty good bone spur and said we probably would have to scope that soon. Well, that's one more for the day after season.

So Riley and I found a game/cow trail headed down and towards the rig. The rain started to drizzle down a little but nothing to worry about. Riley goes on a great downhill point. One of those you wish you had a camera for, head twisted back over his shoulder with uphill leg cocked. As I slid down below him the biggest covey of huns I have seen this year erupted and blindly I shot a double. With my gun unloaded Riley and I started the half hour trek back to the truck. The only problem now was the drizzle had turned to a down pour and the wind picked up. I tried to take a route that would keep the wind to our back but that was in the wrong direction. To add to all this it started hailing and thundering. The cell was obviously building right above us. The hill turned into a mudslide and getting down was getting a little more exciting with each step. Finally it happened. The hill went out from under me and down I went. Luckily the rock my cheek met was flat. I knew when I hit it wasn't pretty but there wasn't a lot that could be done about it at the time. The amount of rain and hail pasting my face would keep the cut clean. Although swollen, at least this one will heal before the end of the season.

We hit the road about a half mile from the truck and that was the last I saw of Riley until I reached the truck to find him hiding on the windless side of the truck avoiding the hail. I opened the doors and we got in not caring how much mud we packed in. About a mile down the road not a drop of rain had fallen.

Anyhow, you guys that aren't able to get out this year, things haven't changed. There's plenty of birds out there and those who are willing to chuk up will be seeing lots of action. Just keep your health insurance paid up. 

Dedication to Tucker

Well my chukar season started today with Riley. As I hope to do every year, Riley and I went to the spot that Tucker had his first point years ago. I had both barrels loaded with shells containing Tucker's ashes along with the 7 1/2 shot.

About 1/2 hour into the hunt Riley locked up. It was probably 250 yards from where Tucker's first point was. Knowing Tucker was watching, I decided that was close enough. I moved out in front of Riley for the flush. I could see a couple of the birds on the ground and could tell they were young birds. I was hoping for adults when they flushed. I couldn't differentiate between the juveniles and the adults and took the last bird with the first shot and the bird right in front of it on the second. As Tucker's ashes floated to the ground, Riley brought the first bird back. We walked down hill towards the second bird and Riley picked up the scent and brought it back to me also.

There is a large rock close to the spot of Tuckers first point. Riley and I walked over and sat in the shade of the rock. We stayed there for about five minutes and I gave Tucker thanks for all that he taught me and wet down Riley's throat. We were soon off to find some more birds.

The conditions were the worst. Today was an extremely dry day and perfectly calm. Riley was having to cover a lot of ground to pick up scent. Of course when he did the birds were moving up hill making this old man work a little harder in the heat. To make this short, I'll just say we got our birds with some hard work in bad conditions. Riley and I came off the hill after three and a half hours. The temperature had gone up 17 degrees since our start and the shadows were hard to find now. Riley's nose was a solid green color from all of the sage pollen and my shirt was mixed dust and pollen color from the sweat, dust and pollen.

It was a great day on the hill as most are. It's always good going back to all of the great hunts I had with the best chukar dog I ever saw. Riley did him proud and my first two shells of the season performed like Tucker was there with us.

Our last grouse hunt

The weather has been treacherous the last week. We hit a high of 101 degrees Saturday which eclipsed the old record by 7 degrees. It was a day that I enjoyed watching football from the couch. I had made up my mind that I would back off for a week and wait for some cooler temperatures. It was a short week of waiting. Two days to be exact. I woke up to a 40 degree morning.
I hustled the dogs into the truck which is always loaded for these type of emergency outings. There was a place I haven't been to in two years and it was calling for me and the boys to come visit. Being only about thirty miles from home and most of the miles paved I was there before dawn. I finished my coffee and the dogs and I headed down the old abandoned logging road.
I picked this spot because I knew it would be easier on Dakota who's hips are shot. He even got stuck crossing over logs twice today and waited patiently for me to come help him out. The old boy doesn't get off the trails much but he enjoys the outings just the same.
We found enough obliging grouse to have a good day and Riley actually held a few on point on the ground. Our last bird was a rough that held in the shoulder high brush as Riley pointed it.
I didn't pack the camera today and of course I had several decent opportunities. One was a calf elk. The boys were on point and as I moved in I could tell by their posture it wasn't a bird. Thinking the worst (skunk or porcupine) I whispered for them to whoa and crept in. On the other side of the brush was this calf elk that was as interested in us as we were of it. The calf (probably born in June) was alone and by the way it acted I'm sure we were the first dogs and human this elk had encountered.
The other good sighting was two hen turkeys with somewhere around  15 young ones. They were very small for this time of the year, about half the hen size.
I even heard a Tom gobble three different times, which is the first time I've ever heard one in the fall.
It was a great last grouse hunt for the year and it was especially nice to get Dakota out. It was 40 degrees when we started and 60 degrees when we got back to the truck two and a half hours later. 60 degrees is warm for the dogs when there is no clouds in the sky. They were starting to seek out shade trees.

The temps are back on the rise through the chukar opener in five days. It's supposed to be in the upper 80's on Saturday and then drop to the upper 70's on Sunday which will be when you find Riley and I up on the hill chasing our favorite bird.

Got the Blues

The last few grouse trips I took on the blues, so today I decided to try some rough grouse territory. Karl, the ramrod of Upland Idaho, keeps telling me how fun they are to hunt. So, Riley and I took a drive to find a good looking rough grouse area. We happened to find an Access Yes property that seemed to fit our needs.

It wasn't long before Riley was in the deep brush and not moving. As I tried to move in, I could hear birds taking off but was not able to see them. I would then hear Riley moving through the brush again. So I assumed he was pointing the birds that flushed. This happened at least a dozen times within the first hour of hunting. Finally, I heard a bird flush and could tell it didn't fly far. As I moved around to the opposite side of the brush I found Riley looking up in a tree. Sure enough there was a rough looking down at us. Not wanting to take a bird this way I threw a stick at it and it flushed down the draw.

This scenario happened several times over the next three hours. I finally decided that if I could get a shot at a rough as it flushed from the heavy underbrush and I THOUGHT Riley was on point that was the only way I was going to get a rough. I shot the next three roughs that exploded from the thickets and a little later plastered a tree with 7 1/2 shot as the grouse used it for flight cover.

After about three hours of this I decided to move to more familiar terrain in which I could see farther than 20 yards. With my shirt torn and a few new scratches on my face I hunted the sage area next to the timber on my way back to the truck. I was rewarded with a flush of three blues. I picked out one and dropped it. Riley was quick to retrieve the bird. Whether he pointed the birds before the flush or not I'll never know. At this point I was just figuring that hunting grouse was different rules than hunting chukars and huns in the open country.

Sept. 18

The weather made a good change this week. A cool front came through and brought some moisture with it. The kind of weather that insists that I make a trip to the hills. I've injured my right shoulder and can't lift my arm above my head but it still will come up high enough to shoulder the gun on my left arm which is good since I shoot left handed.

I hunted blues for two days, one with Riley and the second with both Riley and Dakota. I decided to hunt an area where I usually hunt chukars and find some blues in between coveys of chukars. The blues were there but not in the numbers that I have found in the past. In fact I was a little disappointed in the amount of chukars seen. But I know I could go back to the same places in a week and there might be birds all over the place.

I was hoping to get a picture of Dakota on point but it didn't happen. His range has shortened considerable and Riley got all the action. The blues we did find held great and are going to provide a great dinner for Barb and I. Tom, I even put a couple in the freezer for you when you get back. I know how you enjoy a good grouse meal. The weather is supposed to heat up. If it does I'll probably just do some exercise hiking and give my shoulder a break until chukar opens in 12 days. Be safe.

Miles with Riles Sept. 9

Well my oversea friends. I finally made my first hunting trip of the season. Jeff, you'll be able to recognize the area from the pictures. It's the old log landing. I've been holding off for a cooler and hopefully damp day but it doesn't  look like it's coming for a while so I decided to take off early this morning and give it a go.

Dakota, Riley and I took off early this morning in hopes of maybe hearing a few bugles before we started hunting. One bull obliged us and answered our bugles three times. It was obvious he was happy where he was at and if I wanted to see him I would have to go to him. My archery days are over and I was just happy to hear his bugle.

Shortly after the sun came up a young red fox crossed our paths. As you can see there is a fire somewhere and the smoke is settling in. I heard there was a fire in Oregon that might be causing the smoky skies. Shortly after spotting the fox, Riley jumped a doe and fawn and hurried back to hide behind me. He's my 88 pound chicken when it comes to big game.

Our first blue came off the sage brush tops. There seemed to be a sufficient amount of blues in small groups but the scenting conditions were poor and Riley wasn't holding until he was right on top of the birds. Luckily some were holding tight enough for some five foot points. By the time we found the birds Dakota was tired and happy just to stroll along with us.

We hunted the top a little longer and took a couple more blues before heading for the deeper draws in hope for a rough grouse. It was a good decision because I had depleted the dog water and we needed to find some water. When we found the water we also found the roughs. The problem with those darn birds is they like the thick cover. They either flew through the thick underbrush or flew straight up in a tree and stared at us. Needless to say, we didn't get a rough. We did, however, spook a bear out of the thick stuff.

Although it's much better than what you guys are doing right now, it's a little early to get real excited. The dust and hot weather is tough on both the dogs and myself. Last week I had Riley at the vets getting a piece of cheat from his throat. Today he and Dakota were doing a lot of sneezing. I probably won't be out much until we get some moisture to knock down some of this dust but I'll keep you posted.

I hope the pictures I posted keep your hearts close to home. 

Miles with Riles

I've had a couple friends who are over sea and asked me to keep them posted on the chukar hunting. Hopefully, this blog will help keep them excited to get back to the states and some great bird hunting. Barb suggested I call this hunting year "Miles with Riles".
With Dakota's hips giving out, I have retired him to milder hunts on flatter land. I might even take a few quail trips for his thirteenth season. Quail aren't my bird of choice, but Dakota deserves to be kept active as long as he can.
My 88 pound GSP, Riley will be the solo star on our chukar hunts. I hope my weekly hunting blogs will keep you guys entertained while you guys are keeping us safe.

The eyes have it

I went for a conditioning hike with Riley yesterday. We had to go to the high country to try and find some cooler areas. The area had plenty of old logging roads and game trails but once you got off of them it was very thick. I was very happy to see Riley's range shorten so much due to the thick country. Even with the shorter range I was glad I had my astro and a beeper collar on Riley. The collar said he was on point at 23 yards but I couldn't locate him. I got closer by pushing the locate beep and finally saw him on point in the thick cover. As I approached a grouse flushed but Riley remained motionless. I made as much noise as possible trying to flush another bird with no luck. No matter what I did Riley would not break point or come to me. I finally decided to beat through the brush and get him. I got about three yards away and noticed his eyes fixed on something. I looked for a couple of minutes and decided he must be still pointing the bird that had already flushed. No coaxing would get Riley to move so I reached out to grab him by the collar. As I did a rough grouse flushed right next to my right hand. Scared the crap out of me and Riley was off to find another.

Just wone word. TRUST

Push yourself

Probably the people that need this advice the most won't be reading this post. They are the people about my age and aren't to savvy about the computer and blogs. All the same I'll try and help those who are getting closer to the middle age.

It seems every time I have started up the hill training dogs or scouting chukar this summer it's been real hard motivating myself. I get started and within a short time I'm thinking maybe I'll make it a short one today. My hips are sore, breathing is labored and in general I feel pooped. But, because of the dogs I push on because I know they need a little more exercise.

What I have found is that every year it seems harder to get started but once the body gets lubed the hills seem a little flatter. Maybe the veins don't transport the oxygen to the muscles as fast as it used to or the heart isn't quite as strong as when I was forty but it seems like the oxygen finally gets distributed through the body and the next ridge doesn't seem quite so far.

Today I started up the hill very early. There were some clouds in the sky as the sun came up which helped the temperature some. I also try to walk the shaded side of the draws when possible to help the dogs. As I mentioned, about a half hour into the trip I was feeling bushed. I decided to get to the top of the first ridge and than decide how long of a trip I wanted to take. Ten minutes later I was there and that burning sensation in my lungs and legs was gone. I looked the country over and made my plans for the rest of our excursion. It was just a matter of pushing myself over the hump.

In my athletic days they used to call it "getting your second wind" or "pushing yourself over the hump". Today I call it just pushing yourself for the pleasure of getting there because of all the great experiences you have had in the past. Most pleasures in life are usually gained through some type of effort and chukar hunting is no different. As you gain a little age it sometimes becomes a great feeling just to push yourself over one more mountain, but that can't be done without getting over the first hump which seems to be the toughest one for me.

When I train or hike I always go with my hunting garb minus the gun. This way I keep reminding myself of what I need to put in which pouch making it more convenient for both me and the dogs.

Today I hiked to the top of this first ridge before I got the good blood running through my body. I picked the farthest knob on the left of this picture as my destination figuring it would produce several coveys of huns and chukars to work the dogs on.

I was a little disappointed in the birds although I saw lots of tracks and dust bowls on the dusty trails But the dog activity helped to keep the blood pumping in anticipation. On the whole trip I only had seven points and honors and three of them were unproductive but the excitement was still there as I walked out in front of the pointing dogs.

I am retired now so I have a lot more time to hike the hills. I go at least twice a week not only because I enjoy it but because I know that if I don't it will be harder to get started  again once I slow down. I had a knee replacement five years ago and a few other mishaps that have held me up for a few weeks and each time I felt like I had a gorilla on my back for a month. The conditioning came back but it's a lot easier if you don't let it go. So you guys over 60 keep pushing yourselves and lets not let all the 30 and 40 years old guys have all the fun.

Chukars: The perfect upland dog bird.

Watching a bird dog do his thing can be a fantastic experience. You need birds to make it happen. But which upland species is the best bird for bringing out the best in a dog? You'll probably get as many answers as there are upland birds. Since I am not a world traveler, I have limited experience. My travels have only taken me hunting in four western states where I have hunted pheasant, California quail, bob white quail, sage hen, Hungarian partridge and chukar. Although it is exciting to watch a bird dog work any of the above mentioned birds, I think chukars provide the best over all experience for an upland hunter and his companion.
There is nothing like hearing the flush of a cock pheasant as he takes air. The cackle, brilliant colors, and long tails make the heart pound in both canine and human and that excitement is many times the reason for a missed shot. It takes a good dog to get pheasants to hold and he/she must be a good tracker because crippled pheasant can run a long way and hide in dense cover. But pheasants aren't my number 1 bird for pointing dogs because of the cover they live in. Most times pheasant hunting is done in groups with blockers and pushing the birds. When a dog is on point it usually is heavy enough cover that you can't enjoy the beauty of the staunch point. Also many times you don't know whether the dog is retrieving the bird until he is within a few yards. Another negative when pheasant hunting, in my opinion, is that there is a lot of human noise since the hunting is usually done in groups. Human noises can be distracting to dogs, which takes away from the hunting experience.
Quail are a fast action bird. When you find the birds there is usually a lot of shooting in a short order. That is probably one of the best reasons to take youths quail hunting. They need action to keep them involved. But quail aren't the best bird for a pointing dog. Once again the quail like thick cover to retreat to. Many times you know your dog is in there on point but can't see him. I like walking in front of my pointing dog and doing the flushing which is impossible many of the times. Quail also like to hop from branch to branch in the bushes high over dogs heads which often times will cause many dogs to bark since these birds aren't playing by a pointing dog's rules. That brings me to grouse.
Grouse are a great bird for the solo hunter and dog. There is usually lots of ground to cover and a mixture of thick and open country. Dogs are a little more visible when hunting grouse where I do. My problem with grouse is that often times they fly straight up into the tree close to the point. The dog's see this and soon have their front legs on the tree trunk  barking up at the treed bird. I can't force myself to shoot a bird out of the tree or even flying from his perch.
Although I haven't hunted sage hen for twenty or more years, it was more of a slaughter in those years than a hunting experience. When you found the bird they were in such large coveys you had your limit of three in about ten minutes.
I have to lump huns and chukars together as far as the perfect bird for a pointing dog enthusiast. The only real differences between the two as far as hunting is concerned is the terrain and the fact that huns usually take off in one big group while chukars will often have some stragglers.
Chukar hunting, although usually quite hilly, means lots of wide open space. In that space you can usually see a pointing dog ranging at greater distances, which I prefer so I can see the dog work. You sometimes also see flushed birds at a distant, but crap happens. In chukar country you can watch a dog use the wind and slam to point. Also, you learn to appreciate the retrieve of your dog. The country is so steep it often requires a 200 yard retrieve or longer and usually straight back up the hill. Watching a dog make a 10 or 15 minute retrieve is proof of the respect we owe our hunting companions.
As far as the birds themselves, what a ride they can take a hunting dog on. They may not leave as much scent as a pheasant, but what they lack in smell they make up for in numbers. Chukars like to covey up which leaves plenty of scent and some to spare. They move up and down the steep hills and leave plenty of scent in the cheat grass covered slopes. The coveys are usually spread enough to confuse a dog as to where exactly the smell is coming from. Although they do like to run uphill, a good pointing dog can usually stop and hold them in the sparsest of cover. They very seldom fly uphill giving the shooter a reasonable chance of positioning himself for the shot. In my opinion a chukar will hold as long as a quail giving the hunter plenty of time to approach his dog and appreciate the abilities of this canine predator. As I mentioned earlier, chukars don't always flush simultaneously. Quite often there are stragglers. It is always impressive to see your dog hold point while a covey is rising because he is making eye contact with one that is still holding. It is equally impressive to have your dog retrieving a bird uphill and then locking in on another bird while still holding the dead bird.
Obviously the chukar is the bird of choice for me. Because of the open country they dwell in and because of their willingness to hold for a pointing dog. Another pleasure of hunting chukars is generous bag limits and the big country. A person can park his vehicle, start walking and hunt for six or eight hours before returning to the truck. During the excursion it's not unusual to have fifteen or twenty points or more. Just watching the enthusiasm of the dogs as they cut the scent and try to locate the birds is enough for most. Throwing in all the different animals you might see while traversing the hills is another plus to the chukar hunt. Add the different shooting scenarios the flushing birds create and you find the chukar a formidable opponent for both you and your dog.
I have never had a bad chukar hunt. I enjoy every one because of the great dog work. But success is only when I have combined my ability as a human with my dogs predatory advantage and bring home some meat. Chukars and chukar country provide the perfect challenge for me and my dogs.

Snake avoidance

Just a reminder for those who haven't ever had their dog trained to snake avoidance. Although very few dogs ever die from a snake bite the effect of getting bit is very ugly and can be very dangerous to their health. I have seen two dogs that were bit in the face and their heads were the size of basketball before the swelling went down. So, if you hunt the warm season I'd get it done and have a little more comfort for your dogs sake. Boise, Idaho should be having a class in the next few weeks.

Bored

Not much to talk about since my last post. We've only been up in the chukar hills a couple of times this month. I've been spending some time improving my pond and having fun with the grand kids. There is nothing like family and friends to help forget about chukar hunting for a while. Now that I've got new grass started around the pond Riley and I will have more time to venture back to the hills to observe numbers of chukars learning to fly. (I say that with fingers crossed)
Until then here are some pictures of how we spend our boring days.
My grandson, Conner, and I had a contest of who could outrun young Killdeer and catch one. Obviously he won.

Granddaughter Emily catching her first bass.

Granddaughter Megan catching her first bass.

My 2 year old grandson, Mac caught his first fish but my camera was out of batteries. It was a nice bluegill. Even the world's worst fisherman got some action.

Riley figures if Larry can catch one he could surely catch one of those bluegills in the shallows.

Barb and I took a camping trip and took in a few hikes in the old elk hunting stomping grounds. Barb and the boys enjoy our hikes.

This bull was keeping a close eye on them.

I could bore you with other such pictures but am anxious to get back to chukar talk. Here's to looking forward to cooler days and plenty of birds on the hill.