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Cost for Day and Weekend Chukar Hunting Packages
The cost for the average Chukar hunt runs between $500 and $1,000, with both full day and half day hunts, depending on the location, amenities, number of hunters and number of birds released. Most Hunting Guides will include the use of bird dogs to help find the birds.
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For luxury upland bird hunting adventures, try quail hunts at an Orvis-endorsed Wingshooting Lodge or Beretta Trident Hunting Ranch.
Chukar Hunting Season
The hunting season typically runs from October to February.
Hunting Chukar
These birds pose quite a challenge, to even experienced hunters with great aim. It is a beautiful game bird, similar to the roadrunner. It is not colorful, but still handsome with its gray coat and red legs. It is a small, fast, agile little bird. Just sighting one of these birds is a rare event. Most bird hunters will never see one in the wild because they prefer rocky hillsides and scruffy terrain that most humans would avoid. This makes finding and shooting one of them all the more exhilarating.
The Chukar will usually run or fly if it feels threatened, and part of the difficulty of the hunt is determining which it is going to do. If it does fly, it will usually just dart a short distance and set down again, like a quail. On the ground, they are fast and can outrun even fleet-footed hunters. They are fast flyers, too. Hunters must shoot immediately or theyll have to stalk them to get another shot.
Physical Characteristics
It is also beautiful, and it has often been compared to a roadrunner. The Chukar weighs in at a little more than 1 pound and 12 inches in length. It sports a gray/brown coat that is handsome and impressive, despite its lack of color, and it has bright red legs.
The Chukar has bold brown stripes on its wings, and the down between these stripes is lighter than the gray on the back and throat. There are similar brown markings encircling the face, and the face itself is white. The bird has an orange beak that really stands out. Despite its small size, it looks a bit plump, especially while sitting.
Origin and Native Habitat
The Chukar gets its name from the distinct sound that it makes, which sounds like “chuck” or like “chukara.” If hunters arent sure what bird they spotted, listening for this sound is the key. The Chukar is native to Eurasia, and has now spread all over the world. It prefers difficult habitats, like rocky hillsides and terrain covered in loose stones and scrub trees. It sticks to places where hunters dont usually go, making it hard to find if you dont know exactly where to look. It doesnt like humid areas or places where it rains a lot, and it ranges significantly when looking at elevation, sometimes found as high as 13,000 feet.
In terms of global distribution, the bird has been found in Israel, Turkey, Lebanon, Iran, India, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Behavior/Social Characteristics
The birds live in flocks that range from 10 to 50 animals. They are most active;and call the most;in the evening and morning. They breed during the summer months, when the males call out and show off for the females. The Chukar eats both insects and seeds.