This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Hunting chukars can be one of the more challenging upland game pursuits. The sport often involves hiking up steep slopes in search of the elusive birds.
The good news for Utah chukar hunters who plan to be out Saturday for the opening of the season is that biologists doing helicopter surveys in north-central Tooele County are seeing close to a record high.
Surveys in Box Elder County also show the highest number of birds since surveys were started there in 2009.
Jason Robinson, upland coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, said the number of chukars usually spikes every eight years. The season after a spike, they usually plummet.
What's unusual this year is that the 101 chukars per square mile count in 2015 in Tooele was the second highest on record, so the drop wasn't bad.
Biologists aren't sure why the bird numbers didn't drop, but weather may be a factor. Weather conditions have been ideal over the past nine months.
"Whatever the specific reasons," said Robinson, "chukars in Utah are doing really well this year. This should be a great season to get into chukar country and pursue this unique and tasty bird."
Still, hunting chukars is never easy.
Finding the birds is a big part of the challenge. The best habitat is found in the rocky, desert areas west of Interstate 15 in Tooele, Juab and Millard Counties. A few are found in the rocky foothills along the Wasatch Front. The Book Cliffs hold a few, as do rocky river spots in southern Utah.
Hinters should focus their efforts on steep, rocky slopes that have cheatgrass, bunch grass or sagebrush on them. Hunting early morning hours is a good time because the birds are most vocals.
Chukars live in coveys that typically number between five and 30 birds.
"When the covey is feeding," said Robinson, "it always posts a sentry. The sentry sits on a rock that provides it with a good view of the surrounding area. If the bird sees you, it will call out to alert the other birds. There's a flip side to that, though: the sentry's calling will alert you that a covey of chukars is in the area."
Finding a water source is helpful. As winter approaches, hunt south facing slopes.
The challenge is that the chukars almost always run uphill to escape danger.