packing for chukar gypsy's

[baltz526]

i have 1/4 cord of fire wood loaded, the 12'x14' wall tent and kitchen. the tent will be for gathering and overflow campers. with wood stove for heat. the tent crapper is loaded with just a hole needed to set it over if anyone needs something, just ask. i'll try to fit it in. i have more firewood but need someone else to haul it. i can bring other tents, but will need pryor notice to get them loaded. i'll be driving my new truck with canopy and will be using it as my mobile camp/bedroom. hope it dosn't get brutally cold. i have room for a rider, but they will need to be very flexable in schedule. i might get there early and leave late. right now the dates are 11/14 thru 11/21 for the hunt, but i'll try my best to strech it out on both ends if possible locations by pm as normal but in general we will be east of burns. a central camp with roving trips out from it. no fuel is available near by, bring it with you. there are some juniper trees in the area for campfire wood if you bring a saw. bring your tire chains, greasy mud and snow is likely. cell service is very limited.

[Eagleclaw]

You guys have a safe trip.

[baltz526]

last requests

[baltz526]

final packing tomorrow, i leave tuesday am. final requests, tent, cot, etc.

[Hooked up]

Good luck and have a safe trip.

[cwh]

Wish I was going this year. You boys take lots of pictures and post them ok? I'm saving up some vacation, and may have to make the trip next year. Obviously the pain from last year has started to wear off.

That reminds me - last year I thought it would be a good idea to break in a new pair of snow-type boots on the chukar hunt. Ok, I knew it was a bad idea, but they were warm, had good tread, and great ankle support. The next day (of course) I had 3 big blisters, so I thought I'd try the duct tape thing to keep them from tearing open. It worked - kind of. I ended up pealing back the tape with sweat and gumming up the inside of my wool socks with that duct tape gunk. I put those socks on the other day and had to laugh - the duct tape gunk is still in there. Ah - memories of a good chukar hunt.

[Bugle4em]

pm sent

[Chukar Chaser]

I've been reading your posts... Any chance an Idaho gunner could join in? I do hunt Oregon, mostly the Owyhee mountains. Depending upon where you are, I might be able to do a day trip or spend a night... Have dog, will travel.

[baltz526]

pm sent

[Big Unit]

Not trying to rain on your parade...but I heard of bad reports from the Owyhee area. No birds and come home early.

Is it that bad over there? Or is it that spotty??

Good luck and please take lots of pics as I do love that country!!

BU

[baltz526]

where we are going has the best numbers east of burns. lots of spoiled (fair weather) hunters in my opinion. it is not suposed to be easy to hunt chukars. long miles, rough country, tired dogs and hunters is what we do it for. standing on top of the world after a 3 mile climb and never firing a shot is chukar hunting, then dropping into a canyon with 400 birds.

[baltz526]

packing is done

[Wing'n It]

Good Luck! There is nothing better than abusing yourself chasing those very hard earned birds. Take lots of pics.

[Big Unit]

Oh ya, the abuse. I spent many years on the breaks of the Deschutes with a single shot shotgun and NO dog. Dang birds drove me crazy. But I loved it!!

Good luck!

BU

[Bugle4em]

Headed out the door. If your going, see you there.

[Maverick Maxcat]

Packing up, got a little office work to do, will be there tonight!

[Lucky Guy]

I just got back from a couple days over there. Baltz has set up a good camp and there were five there through today, with a couple leaving and some more expected to come tonight and tomorrow.

We found a fair number of birds yesterday and ended up with 12 chukars and a pheasant. My setter pup got his (and my) first chukars yesterday and today. He pointed and retrieved two out of the three. On the third one he walked by a group of three and and they came up behind me. We still got one of them and he made a good retrieve on it.

Rain moved in overnight and it was windy, rainy and foggy all day today. Maverick, Bugle4m and I drove up out of the canyon before the road got any worse and hunted down into the canyon from above. We found birds today in the same areas but they were pretty wild, we couldn't get close to most of them. Maverick and I each got one more in three hours or so before we hung it up and headed out. Baltz and Nunyet hunted from below but I didn't get a chance to hear how they did today.

For anybody going over there take Baltz's warnings about the mud, 4wd and chains seriously! The Riverside Road is fine, but the mile or so into the camp is rutted and was already pretty muddy and slick when I drove up out of there this morning. It rained there all day today (and probably will all night tonight). I'm sure it's alot slicker and deeper by now.

For all the bad reports of bird numbers this year we found more than I was expecting we would. The pheasant are a nice bonus. Baltz found a flock of rock doves that he thought needed thinning and was spending some time on that. We didn't find any quail, and the ducks haven't come in yet.

Great time, I wish I could have stayed for another 3 or 4 days. Thanks again to Baltz for organizing this and setting up the camp.

Here's a few pics. The camp is in the bottom of the canyon in the first pic.

[Rauly]

One of these years I am going to get the time to do this with you guy's. I sounds like a great time. Have you got any pictures to share?

[Bugle4em]

Made it back a couple hours ago... The side road out of camp as Lucky Guy mentioned was bad, but even worse today. Sliding all over the place, even started to slide towards the canyon edge in one spot. Pucker Factor 10!

I had thought about going back down to tell Baltz how bad the road was, but I barely made it out the first time.

It looked like someone had made the attempt to get into camp, but didn't make it up the initial hill. One of my mud flaps was ripped off due to all the mud. Hopefully it dries up for Baltz so he can get up out of there.

If you go, be ready for the mud.

I'll post report and pics later tonight.

[nunyet]

I also made it home this afternoon, had a great time ...wanted to stay another day but left friday afternoon after a all day rain... very greasy ...had mud clear to the top of the camper... once you hit the main road from camp the road is good... spent the night at the malhuer to spend the opening for pheasants on the refuge .... 20 rigs parked in a 2 mile stretch at the opening..... pretty much a joke as groups of 2 to 6 hunters ran to get in front of each other.....didn't even get out of my truck.... makes me remember why I like chukars they like ground only a sick person could love.

Much thanks to baltz for all his work putting this hunt together.... great camp.

Vegetarian Norwegian word for bad shot

nun-yet

[Bugle4em]

Here are some pics...

The drive out :

These made me come to a complete stop on Hwy 20 :




The scenery :








Lucky Guys's pup Ben :

The results of my hunt the first day.


Bird numbers were fair. Third day I had to hunt without the dog because of her feet and I jumped more birds than the other three days combined. The only problem is they were flushing way wild and I could only take one out.

I ended up with 6 chukar and 1 pheasant. And, I met a couple more great Ifishers.
I hope to do it again sometime.

[Eagleclaw]

Bugle4em,

nice pics... is that a bull in the back? it looks like a branch bull but not sure.

[cwh]

Nice pictures Bugle4em. Sounds like you guys had fun in spite of the mud. Good work there

How did your dog do this year?