The number of chukars are down this year but that isn’t surprising biologists with the Division of Wildlife Resources. Upland game coordinator Jason Robinson says chukars follow a population cycle that lasts about nine to ten year during which the population remains stable for about 8 years, then skyrockets for one year, after which numbers lower to the long term average. It’s been interesting in Utah because the last spike actually lasted for two years which was something that had never been seen before. “We’re not exactly sure why it happened,” shares Robinson. “Chukar hunters, myself included, were definitely happy to have two years of extremely high numbers…” 2017 was a return to normal chukar population levels but this year they have declined yet again. “There are still birds out there, though,” says Robinson. “You’ll just have to walk farther… You can still have a good hunt, but you’ll have to put in more effort to find the birds.” For more information on the approaching chukar season, visit
www.wildlife.utah.gov
.
