Chukar Partridge Numbers Down

If surveys by wildlife biologists are on the mark, scatter gunners who roam the Snake, Clearwater, Grande Ronde and Salmon River breaks this fall will see few chukar partridges.

Rainstorms and low temperatures in southeastern Washington and in North Idaho during the peak of the nesting season, it seems, decimated broods. Although chukar hunting likely will be poor along the Snake River drainage, Washington hunters should see lots of chukars in parts of the Columbia Basin.

Idaho’s chukar and quail season open Saturday. Washington’s early chukar season opens Friday, Sept. 22.

Wildlife biologist Pat Fowler said Fish and Wildlife Department personnel counted chukars in southeastern Washington last month.

Compared to last year, he said, chukar densities in southeastern Washington declined sharply - from 1,760 counted last year to 853.

“Chukar densities averaged 155 birds per square mile between 1987 and this year,” he said. “Densities declined to 78 birds per square mile this year.”

Fowler said that group size and number of groups seen also declined.

That spells poor hunting this fall for gunners in southeastern Washington. Hunters will have to do a lot of hiking along steep river breaks to flush a few birds. Only those who have outstanding bird dogs are likely to take limits.

The biologist didn’t have any figures for Hungarian partridges, which also become fair game starting Sept. 22.

Washington hunters can take six chukars and six Hungarian partridges a day. Possession limits are 16 chukars and 16 Huns.

Anglers and boaters who have run the Snake and Salmon rivers in Idaho the last couple of months know that there are few chukars. Boat captains for Hells Canyon Excursions and Cougar Country Lodge said they’ve seen few chukers.

The captains run the rivers nearly every day.

Jason Schultz, a bird hunter and captain for Cougar Country Lodge, said he thinks that most of the birds Idaho hunters will see this weekend and during the next few weeks will be adult birds.

“I doubt that many young birds survived the cold weather and rains of June,” he said.

Idaho Fish and Game Department officials say survey last month indicated that chukar numbers are down considerably from those of last year.

Idaho hunters will see enough quail for fair-to-good shooting. Because quail broods come off nests over an extended period, the population wasn’t affected as much as the chukar broods.

Hunters should see lots of quail coveys in brushy draws along the Clearwater, Snake and Salmon river drainages.

Idaho’s partridge limits are more generous than Washington’s. Hunters can take eight chukars and eight Huns per day. Possession limits are 16 chukars and 16 Huns. Quail limits are 10 per day and 20 in possession after the first day.

Many Washington gunners may elect to wait until Oct. 14 - opening of the general hunting season - to go after chukars. Indications are that there are record or near-record numbers of chukars in Grant and Douglas counties.

During the recent aerial survey in the Basin, biologists saw 1,839 chukars, compared to 734 last year. The previous high during the five years that helicopter surveys have been run was 800 in 1991.

The weather in Grant and Douglas counties during the chukar nesting season, it seems, wasn’t cold or wet enough to kill large numbers of birds.

A few Basin wildlife agents dispute the chunkar numbers that biologists reported. One agent said he thinks the chukar population in Douglas and Grant counties isn’t much larger than last year’s.

Although Okanogan County has produced some excellent chukar hunting in past years, hunters will find only a few birds this year, the survey indicated.

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The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Fenton Roskelley The Spokesman-Review