Last day of chukar season: Saddest day in a bird dog’s year

HUNTING — Monday was a bittersweet day to be out with a bird dog. The last of Eastern Washington’s upland bird hunting seasons — for chukar and quail — ended Monday afternoon.

My English setter, Scout, is lean, rock hard, tough footed and season hardened for finding birds in some of the most rugged and gravity-challening bird hunting terrain on the planet.

Now, the season of rest poses the challenge for hunter and dog to maintain the toughness for next fall.