Chukar Count Best Since 1987

Chukar numbers in the Brownlee Reservoir area of the Snake River are the best since the banner year of 1987. The annual helicopter survey of a 12 square mile area along Brownlee Reservoir during the last week of August turned up 1,724 chukar in 127 groups for a 143.7 chukar per square mile average. That is 63 percent over the 10-year average of 90 birds per square mile and a 16 percent increase above last year. In the 2000 count, there were 1,488 chukar in the same area for a 124 bird per square mile average. The best year for chukar on record came in 1987 when 2,652 birds were observed, an average of 221 per square mile. Chukar have increased steadily each year since 1998,an unusually good streak for a bird that can vary from one year to the next by 50 percent or more. In the Brownlee count, biologists noted a slight decrease in group size from last year, down from an average of 14.3 birds to 13.6 but saw 10.6 groups per square mile, up from 8.7 last year. The Brownlee count is often indicative of western Idaho chukar populations, but numbers can vary by area because of local conditions. Chukar counts in other areas include the Lower Snake and Salmon Rivers near Lewiston. Last year the flights were delayed due to wildfire and when conducted the data revealed a drop in numbers. Hunting reports supported the delayed survey information; chukar hunting was not as good as the previous year in the Clearwater Region. Surveys were back on schedule this year and chukar numbers increased slightly on the Lower Salmon but remained down on the Lower Snake. One positive sign was the large chukar groups observed using the burned areas (from last summer) on Craig Mountain WMA. That portion of the WMA is not on the standard chukar flight, but these observations provided some insight on the impacts from the 2000 wildfire affecting chukar habitat. Chukar season begins September 15, along with hunting for quail, sage grouse and gray partridge. Rules can be found in the 2000-2001 Upland Game Seasons booklet available at vendors and Fish and Game offices and on the department web site at http://www2.state.id.us/fishgame/. The entire state is open for chukar and gray partridge hunting until the end of the year. Limits are eight per day of both chukar and gray partridge (potential 16 partridge in the daily bag for outstanding shooters and the extremely lucky) with possession limits of 16 of each species. Gray partridge may be found in the same general areas as chukar, particularly on the Snake River and Lower Salmon. Gray partridge may also be found in agricultural areas where small grain production is common. Gray partridge are more difficult to survey before the hunting season than chukar and population trends may not be clear until hunters go afield for them.