Fish and Game Ends Chukar Flights

Idaho Fish and Game biologists will no longer conduct aerial chukar surveys. Fish and Game has conducted annual chukar surveys since the mid-1980s primarily to provide a 'forecast' for the upcoming season. The data was not biological data used to set seasons. This was one of the aerial surveys eliminated after a review conducted to assess risk and cost in relation to value of biological information collected, following a fatal helicopter accident last year. Fish and Game has conducted helicopter surveys in late August or early September along a portion of Brownlee and Lucky Peak reservoirs in most years since 1984 to monitor chukar population trends. Biologists also surveyed the breaks of the Snake River from Tenmile Creek upstream to Corral Creek by helicopter annually since 1985. Since 1991, the Salmon River breaks from White Bird to Maloney Creek have also been surveyed in most years. Though other factors are involved when predicting fall harvest, the aerial surveys reflected general trends in the fall population. To gather data on which to base seasons, biologist collect wings from harvested birds to obtain an index to production and estimate harvest from annual hunter harvest surveys.