last day of spring

Just thought I'd add a few pictures taken this last week of the spring. Hopefully I'll be seeing some little fuzzy chuks and huns in the next couple of weeks. If so I'll be savoring the opener of upland season.
There are still some Tom's left and I did see some real young turkey chicks (less then a week) but couldn't manage a picture.

The big game animals had a great spring

I'm sure the predators will help keep the thousands of birds that are about to hatch in check so that we don't run out of shells this season.

They could have made home a little more accommodating.

While out this week I saw lots of singles as far as chukars and huns go. I believe that's good news and hopefully in about two weeks I'll be showing pictures of fuzz balls. Have a great summer and let's hope for a great upcoming upland season.

Still looking good.

Went out with Riley to one of my favorite chukar spots and was pretty happy with what I saw. We saw no fewer than 20 different pair of chukars and one pair of huns. We didn't find any babies yet and couldn't find the nests. Most of the birds didn't fly far and by the way Riley did a lot of relocating, the birds were leading him away from the nesting area. The other positive sign was no birds were talking. With the number of birds we saw you would think they would be chatting some. Until the little ones are big enough for their first flight chukars don't talk as much. They, like other wild life don't want to attract attention to their nest or young ones. After their initial flight they start talking much more and forming bigger groups.

The really interesting fact is what my records show. The last time it was this late before I saw my first chukar chick was 2005. It was a great chukar year.
Also of interest. Lot's of insects out there.

Spring 2011.

Well, I've been having a great spring despite the weather. Actually, because of the weather it's been a little refreshing walking the hills. Rather than telling a long story I figured it easier to just show some pictures and let you figure the rest.
Big male grouse strutting his stuff.

Blue Grouse nest late in May

Fox leading me to her den. I wasn't quick enough to get pictures of the young ones running under the rock into their den.

This rough grouse hung around on the ground for quite a while before flying into the tree indicating she had a nest close by but we never found it.

Always unwanted company.

Female grouse trying to encourage me to follow her. The wet little one had just exited an egg and it was time for me and Riley to leave mom to her duties.

Lot's of baby deer and elk around. The fawn pictures didn't turn out very good.
A little R & R.

Proud mom.

Doubly proud

Fighting over ownership.

Wheres my mom?

Riley pointing turkey on June 10. She reluctantly flew off, once again leading me to believe there was a nest or little ones close by. We looked briefly and then left to see her fly back five minutes later.

And last. Riley pointed this hun, who pulled the crippled bird act right down to me. I caught her, took a picture, took a picture of her nest and then vacated with Riley. This was also on the 10th of June. These eggs could be hatched tomorrow or in the next 23 days. Do the math and hopefully we're on our way to a good season.

Have a great summer.

The hatch

With the cooler and wetter weather we have had this spring I've been getting a lot of calls from hunting partners and other chukar hunters wondering what I think the hatch will be like. I, like every other chukar hunter, am very interested in what conditions make for the best survival of nests and babies. I have incubated and raised pheasant, chukar, huns and quail and know what changes in temperature, humidity and other factors can do during this artificial process for survival of chicks. I graduated from the great Boise State University (Boise State College at that time) with a minor in biology. I spend much more time in the field than the average guy. With that, I can say I don't know diddly squat about the hatch. But I have my beliefs so here goes.
Once in a while mother nature throws us a curve. But she is pretty forgiving. All creatures have basic instincts for survival and upland birds are no different. They do not no how to read a calendar so have no idea of what day they should start nesting. Certain weather patterns and conditions get the ball rolling.
Chukar eggs take 23 days to incubate. The hen will lay an egg a day or every other day until she is ready to sit the nest. Each day after laying the egg she covers the nest for protection. She does not sit on the nest until the final egg is down. Like in artificial incubation process the egg must be stored at a cooler temperature until incubation begins. By covering the eggs she is regulating the temperature. When she has laid the last egg she sits on the nest constantly beginning the 23 day incubating process. She gets off the nest only to turn the eggs occasionally and to eat and drink. Mother nature has given her the instinct to know she must keep the eggs at a constant temperature in order for them to hatch. In the artificial process that temperature is 99.5 degree. If you let the temperature fluctuate too much or not turn the eggs survival is compromised.
So here is where my theory comes in. The mother knows she needs help keeping the eggs warm during the times she is not on the nest. If the temperature is too cool she will put off laying eggs until it begins to warm. On years like this year upland birds may nest two to four weeks later than normal years. My guess is the majority of the birds will hatch between June 15 and July 1 this year instead of June 1 to June 15.
The curve ball I was speaking of is when we get that early false spring. We have two or three weeks of above normal temperatures which start the laying process followed by a big cool down and wet weather. The chicks are then hatched at a vulnerable time and survival will be tough. Also, eggs are more vulnerable to these conditions because the hen must get off the nest now and then to eat and the egg temperature may drop too much. In this case the eggs have been lost. In both cases the hen will renest especially if she has just lost the nest, but the clutch will be smaller.
This year's spring has been cool from the start and has warmed slowly. So, as I stated earlier, I think we will start seeing chicks running around in the next week or two. I've spent many hours in the chukar hills and my observations tell me that chukars are still sitting. But the only positive scientific explanation I can give is my HOPE for another banner chukar year.

Turkey slam

For most United States turkey hunters a slam includes the four species found in the states. The merriam, the eastern, the rio grande, and the osceola. In order to get all four species a person has to have more money than me, have time to travel the states, and have access to private land in Florida for the Osceola.
I formed my own rules for a turkey slam. These rules fit my budget a lot better. There are two rules in order for me to be successful. All four birds must be mature tom's and they must be shot in four different locations.
Although I've been fortunate enough to shoot two easterns in northern Idaho, they are few and far between so four merriams will have to do. Also, I already have an Oregon hunting license so I have to just incur the cost of two turkey tags in Oregon and two in Idaho.
With the seemingly endless winter still upon us for the opener in Idaho, I wasn't surprised to find myself hunting in snow. I hunted hard that first day and heard only two gobbles. I can't remember an opening day that the birds weren't hammering from their roost before sunrise until this year. Because of the deep snow I was unable to venture in as far as I have in the past, so day two took me further in because of a shortcut I found in years past. The birds were a little more vocal on this day but still unwilling to stay fired up. They gave me the impression that they weren't ready for love making yet.
On the eighteenth of April I tried a different location. I had seen birds there before but never hunted it but I knew the snow was gone from this area. I got on the hill early and was pleased to hear a distant gobble. As I worked in closer I heard him gobbling from the tree and then fly to the ground. I was within about 150 yards and quickly set up. A couple of yelps from me and two turkeys soon came over the ridge towards me. A jake and a tom. For three hours that tom spit, drummed, and gobbled at me from about 75 yards. He had me pinned down and all I could do was yelp softly with the diaphragm. He finally got bored with the game and headed up the hill. No amount of my calling could turn him around. He left me and the jake there to our miseries.
April 20th found me in yet a new location. I had to get up extremely early to get into this spot since it was a four mile hike up hill to this spot. I found it one year chukar hunting. When I got there the birds were really letting each other have it from the trees. I could hear at least three different groups of birds. I chose the gobbling below me. It should have worked out to my advantage. I could see several birds in a tree with my binoculars through the dim light. I moved into about 200 yards and let them have some soft yelps. They greeted me with a chorus of gobbles each time I would yelp. They finally hit the ground and they numbered 27 birds. They gobbled a few more times but then became consumed with fighting amongst themselves. They put on quite a show from 150 yards away and totally ignored my pleading to them for love. They suddenly quit fighting and started feeding in my direction. I don't know how many jakes and hens there were but I counted 11 long beards in the group. As they fed their way through the sage towards me, I could tell they knew where I (the hen) was supposed to be and kept looking for me with an occasional strut. At 35 yards away I was trying to make out which bird was biggest and they suddenly formed a line and marched straight away from me up the hill. Right below me was a red fox coming up the creek to investigate.
Well these birds were off to the races and they had consumed an hour and a half of hunting time so I headed back up hill to where I heard the other birds earlier. Luckily they were still there. I immediately got responses from two birds within 200 yards away and another Tom I could see strutting  well over a half mile away. Every time I would yelp they would answer. The furthest seemed to be most aggressive but I had two tom's within 200 yards. I called for a half hour and the two closer birds kept coming closer and then backing off. There was a small ridge about 30 yards away between me and the birds. I could see the fans once in a while but never the beards. Finally the bird that was way over there had crossed the draw and came up behind me. When he gobbled at about 30 yards behind me it was more than the two tom's could handle and they strutted over the ridge gobbling. I don't know which bird was bigger but I knew the bird my bead was on had a long beard and at the sound of the shotgun bird #1 was in the bag.

April 25th found me turkey hunting again. Although, it was hard not revisiting the spot of my last conquest, that's one of my rules. So I went back to the place where the big tom held me down for three hours. I don't know whether it was the same bird, because it didn't seem as big, but I called in a jake and a tom again. This time the birds came within 15 yards and a dose of number six gave me my second leg and last bird for Idaho. The time was 7:15 A.M.

Then the torrential rains came again and I was stuck at home working and waiting to go to Oregon. The dogs and I hooked up the fifth wheel Sunday the 8th of May and headed out. We had camp set up early enough to take an evening scout. The dogs appreciated the hike and I was a little depressed by the sign we saw. None the less we were there to hunt and hunting the next morn I would go. I was even more disappointed in the morning to not hear one bird from the roost. There was enough sign to say there were birds in the area but they weren't talking. I walked the logging roads and tried to raise a gobble but my efforts failed to interest any birds. Finally at 10:30 I heard a faint response. I hurried down the trail and got a response again. I set up and heard two responses to my call. Five minutes later two heads poked over the hill 25 yards away. I watched them gobble simultaneously and then they topped the ridge. I was disappointed to see two jakes and decided to sit still while they walked away. Suddenly another gobble came from the same direction but behind the two birds I could see. Fate was on my side. The big boy stepped over the hill behind the two jakes and displayed his fan. He got two good spit and drums in before I couldn't handle it anymore. Leg #3 done.
Back at camp I loaded up Dakota and Riley and head for another area 40 miles to the north. Once again we took a good scouting hike. Riley busted a couple of turkeys, giving me hope for the following day. At 5 A.M. I was on the mountain in search of the final leg. Shortly after shooting light I heard one gobble and headed in that direction. I set up and tried to get a response but heard nothing. After fifteen minutes or so I heard him spitting and drumming. I could hear him but couldn't see him. Finally behind a lg about 40 yards away I saw his white head peek over and then he would strut again. This went on for a half hour or so and then it was over. I have no idea what happened or where he went. He was just gone. I headed off in the direction of the bird but never heard or saw him again. But I did come face to face with a black bear. He must have thought I was one tough son of a gun. He turned tail so fast that I actually heard him fart as he took off.
About 11:00 A.M. I finally got another response. I could tell he was eager because anything I said made him gobble. I had a beautiful place to set up with a logging road in between us. He put on the best display of all four birds. He hit the old logging road spitting and drumming and pacing back and fourth. With each pace he got about five feet closer to me. I have never seen such vibrant reds, whites and blues as this bird showed. He was put to rest at 7 yards. So these two birds finished my slam, for whatever it's worth. (lot's of fun)

Although I was through hunting I decided to stay one more day and check another area out. So once again the dogs and I traveled to another area and took a scouting hike. We found plenty of sign and once again Riley flushed a couple of turkeys so I thought I'd give it an early morning try with a camera. Once again the birds were silent first light. I did have a pack of bear dogs give me some excitement. They were obviously on a bear and I could tell they were traveling the same trail I had used to get in there. I got up against a tree not knowing how the dogs would react to me. I knew the bear would run, but wasn't sure about the dogs. Luckily they turned before they got to me.
The dogs did elicit a shock gobble which I honed in on. After calling the bird pitched off the hill above me and landed in a draw 50 yards below me. Once again I set up with an old logging road between us. When the bird hit the road I moved to turn on the camera and the bird caught the motion and was gone in an instant.
One more turkey year in the books and time to prepare for the baby season and picture taking.

training and cameras.

I've been spending a lot of times in the last five weeks chasing birds and dogs with my camera. At the same time I've been trying to do a little training. I found it just as futile to try and train while trying to get that perfect picture as it is to train while hunting. The only way it works the way it should is if you have another person shooting the gun or camera while you're training.
Two days ago I was out trying to get a picture of Riley and the chukars flushing while I approached from the front. I never did get a good picture but I proceeded to let Riley start breaking at the flush. The same procedure he was doing towards the end of the gun season.
Today I left the camera in the truck. It took about 30 minutes to have Riley back into form. Proper training depends highly on applying stimulus at the right time. No matter what the stimulus is, e collar, rope, whoa, or whatever else a person might use. If a person tries to shoot a bird or take a picture and then apply the stimulus it is too late.
I was on the mountain for two hours with Riley and it took two corrections for him to remember what he is supposed to do on flushed birds. As we came off the hill we had three more hun pairs pointed. I flushed one pair and the other two pair flushed wild, but each time Riley stood fast until I released him. Because of prior mistakes in my training methods he won't release with an o.k. I have to slap my hands or leg or he'll stand steady.
I know that part of the way through the hunting season he'll start back with some of those bad habits but I usually live with it or put the gun up for a reminder lesson.

one year

My mentor and greatest hunting companion has been gone one year today. I went high on his favorite hill and fired a reload with his ashes to let Tucker know I miss him. As the ashes fell to the ground with the falling snow I felt at ease to know Tucker is hunting on a mountain where chukars are everywhere.

To shoot or not to shoot

I was having lunch with another chukar hunter yesterday and dogs were the topic of discussion, as usual. This was Mike's second year of chukar hunting and he has done a very fine job of training Aspen, his GSP. She is doing a very good job of pointing and loves to retrieve. She needs some work on backing and we'll be working on that in the upcoming months. I only hunted with Mike twice, but I could tell he was very safe minded when it came to firing a shot.
Well, after visiting with him yesterday, I found that it was more than just safety. He didn't want to shoot around me if his dog wasn't locked up. Every shot he saw me take was when Riley was locked dead solid on point and figured that was the way it was supposed to be. He told me he finally had to start shooting birds that either he flushed or the birds flushed once in a while or the shooting was going to be minimal.
He finally asked me if I only shot birds that Riley had pointed and I flushed. My answer was an emphatic ALWAYS SOMETIMES. It seems I was lucky and he saw me shoot four times at birds that were held perfect but he didn't get to see what happened after Riley and I disappeared over the rise.
I wish my dogs were so good that it was always a point, my flush, a shot and then a retrieve. But neither me or the dog are that good. Anyone that says that the only time they shoot a bird is when it is just right either gets very few birds or is distorting the truth.
The first year of training/hunting a dog I try not to shoot busted birds or passer bys, but after I know the dog knows what he's doing I change my thoughts some. Every dog and every hunter is different and we should style our hunting behind the dogs and the hunter. Too many hunters read books and magazines from trainers and trial dogs and figure that's the way it should be. Those big time trialer's and trainers are making a living off those dogs and if they don't win so many awards who is going to buy a pup from them? Most of those dogs are taken out of the field once they make a mistake and returned to retry another day. Most hunters wouldn't make it a half mile from the truck if that were the rules in hunting.
Mike admittedly didn't get a  much shooting last year as he would have liked. It didn't hurt anything but didn't help much either. Shooting birds is part of the equation also. Dog points, hunter flushes, hunter shoots and then the dog retrieves. That's the way it is supposed to work. So what do I do when the bird flushes wild or the dog flushes the bird?
It depends on the situation for me and my dogs. We are not perfectionists, but I want to keep it hunting with a partner (my dog) and not just killing. I try and never shoot at a bird that is intentionally busted by the dog. They know what their job is and that is to point birds and hold them. There is an exception to every rule. For me that is when those darned chukars are doing mach 1 up the slope and my dogs try pointing them but they just keep on moving up. There is a point when the dog gets tired of pointing running birds and finally rushes for the flush. If those birds fly over me I'm going to try and take one down. I can't think of many other times I'll shoot at a bird that my dogs intentionally chase up.
There are many other times that aren't perfect that I'll shoot at the chukars also. There are the times when I flush the birds and my boys have nothing to do with the flush. If the situation is safe, I'll shoot and then direct the dog for a retrieve if he doesn't see the bird go down. There are the times when the birds flush from a point before I flush them. This is no fault of the dog so why not take the shot and reward the dog for a good job done.
Another question Mike asked was if I made Riley stay until I released him for the fetch? Once again, I'm not a perfectionist so i let my dogs break on the flush. There are many pro and cons on the subject such as safety or the dogs busting more birds when he breaks but I deal with those issues in my own ways. I'm responsible for my dogs safety and I don't care if I get more then one bird out of the covey.
These two pictures are a good example of what I'm talking about when it comes to safety. This first picture Riley is holding a pair of huns between him and I.

I move in for the flush and after I flush the birds Riley breaks. As you can see there is not a safe shot. Possibly if Riley hadn't broke I might have been able to take a shot. A broke dog would still be at point at this stage but I'm not willing to add the additional pressure to my dogs.

Hunting for me is pleasure. I don't have to kill a bird to have an enjoyable hunt,  but I do base my success on the number of birds that me and my dogs bag while hunting together as cooperative partners. A few of my most memorable hunts were with the game bag empty but the most successful hunt I ever had was with 8 chukars and 8 huns weighing me down after my dog and I worked together as a team.

Staying in chukar hunting condition

It seems like every year about this time I get questions from my family concerning my senility. My kids are both health nuts and spend hours at the gym and my wife has her little home gym she likes to use. Me, well I'm a fool and just go back out in the wind, rain, snow, or shine and walk the hills. It doesn't make much sense to them.
I graduated from Boise State in the early 70s and used a track scholarship to pay my way. I was a sprinter and know all the benefits of weight training, running the steps, and all of the other activities involved with being an athlete. As I aged I continued working out and joining the local gym, playing basketball, racquetball, walking on the stair stepper and so on. I quit playing basketball at 44 because my back would ache the morning after and it was getting harder to roll out of bed to get to work. It occurred a couple of years after that when Tucker came along that I didn't have time to work, go to the gym, spend time with the family, and work my dog. Something had to go and it was the gym. That seemed the smart thing to do since my knees and back were starting to feel the effects of climbing ladders all day at work and then going to the gym.
Since that time I have made the outdoors my gym. I kill two birds with one stone. Work my dogs and also work myself. At first I only could get a couple of times a week because of my job or family responsibilities but now that I am semi retired I make sure to get out four times a week depending on the weather. My only rule is that I have to go at least four miles or 2000 feet in elevation to consider it a work out. I still stretch every day and maybe do a set of crunches and push ups now and then but I can't find any excitement about going back to the traditional work outs.
Of course while I'm out I have to respect the others that are out there and give them their space.

The elk are in a critical stage. In three months they will be calving so they need to save as much energy as possible. I always leave these areas immediately, and hopefully don't disturb the deer or elk.
My boys always find some treats to show off a long the trail.

I also try and go a different area each time I wander off. The reasons are obvious. Not only does it add to the excitement it allows me to find new places to hunt or maybe not to hunt. For those who like working out at the gym, let's call it sizing up the opponent. In this case the opponent is the hill. I use to watch an opposing player in a racquetball tournament before our match would come up. Now I walk the hills to see what opportunities it might present. I look for a lot of this kind of sign.

As I mentioned as I'm huffing and puffing up the hills and getting that burning feeling in my legs and chest I get to do a little training. I always dress my boys in full combat gear the same as me. The only thing different is I'm not carrying a shotgun and shells which takes about 9 or ten 10 pounds off. I make sure everyone gets their turn at pointing and honoring.

After the boys have made it clear that they know what they are doing I take advantage and move out front with the camera. Since it is taking the place of my gun I find what kind of a shot I am. As you see I need to get a lot more lead on this pair of huns.

I shot over the top of this chukar. Maybe this relates to why I only shoot 60% at chukars and have to spend a little more time at the sporting clays course.

The end result is I really enjoy my work out. Just like a snow skier can't wait for the next time he hits the mountain, a tennis player looks forwards to tomorrows match, hockey player waits for his next game, or the gym enthusiast can't wait to get on his treadmill, I look forward to each day I can get on the mountain with my dogs. Another month from now I will start scouting out for turkey season. My dogs will be along since we are only looking for birds and sign. When the season opens they will be missing the days I hunt but I make a point of making sure I still get them out at least twice a week.
At 60 years of age, the only thing I find hard about my training method is the first half hour. The body seems to take a little longer to get the lube in the right places, but once it is lubed I can go anywhere I did at 30. It takes a little more time than going to the gym a mile a way and you don't get to turn the T.V. on during your work out to see what's happening in Egypt, but the view you get is spectacular.

February training.

Although we've been out a couple of times this month today was our first training or photo session of the month. This is the best time of the year for training in my opinion. Especially on wild huns. They are already starting to pair up and those places where you found some nice coveys last hunting season are starting to scatter and present lots of training possibilities. My boys had a great year but wanted to help me flush the birds towards the end of the season. That's what I worked on today. Making sure they get back in tune to who does the flushing.
In another month the chukars will start pairing up and offering another good chance for multiple training ops in a day on wild birds.
Here are some of the pictures of our outing today.
Riley pointing with Dakota honoring.

Dakota pointing with Riley honoring from over 100 yards. Dakota used to honor from a distance like this but as he got older started fudging some to make sure he gets into the action. The wild horses are enjoying watching the dogs work.

I walked in and flushed a pair of huns but only got one in the picture.

Then I took a close up of the horses before they snorted a 50 gallon bucket of air at me and ran off.

Here's a long cross canyon point and honor with Riley being the pointing dog.

A couple more of Riley's points.

Once again I flush a pair.

Another point and honor.

Riley's last point of the day as I move around him taking pictures while Dakota is honoring.

And then turned and flushed these two huns for a possible double.

What a perfect day on the hill.