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Bitsy at 9 months old. She is developing into a first class chukar dog, with excellent range, endurance and nose. If she would only retrieve ... ugh!

Hunting chukars without dogs is like playing baseball without a glove; it can be done, but it hurts. A good dog will dramatically increase your success and enjoyment. A really good dog will save you a lot of walking, most of it uphill.

Chukar hunters overwhelmingly choose to hunt with one of the pointing breeds. I have seen people hunt chukars with flushing dogs, but it didn't look like much fun. Chukars have the annoying habit of running uphill when approached by dog or man. Chasing a hot-on-their-heels flushing dog up a 30 degree slope is a workout you'll never forget. If you don't keep up, you won't get a shot. A good pointing dog will hold them until you get there. I have had dogs on point for over 30 minutes while I located them and climbed Mount Everest. In some cases, I've even had time to catch my breath before moving in on the point.

Any of the pointing breeds can produce excellent chukar dogs, with German Shorthairs enjoying the most popularity. Because of my Southern quail hunting roots, I like big running dogs and currently hunt over two English Setters. I subscribe to the theory that a dog will find birds in direct proportion to the amount of ground covered -- my horizon busters cover a lot of territory and find their share of birds. The downside to big runners is that you frequently lose sight contact with the dog.

Molly pins a group of runners. Molly is the proud owner of my friends Mike and Terri.

For many years, I hunted with a Tri-tronics Upland Special e-collar, using the "locate" feature to keep track of my dogs. While this was a wonderful improvement over the yell and scream method, it had a downside. In windy conditions and steep terrain, a beeper can be deceptive. I have scrambled up many hills only to find that I had been chasing an echo -- my dog was on the other side of the canyon. I recently purchased the Garmin Astro, a GPS collar that significantly reduces the amount of time spent looking for dogs. I have found dogs on point over 700 yards away. Try that with a beeper.

If your hunting enjoyment is enhanced by being able to see your dog at all times, get a Shorthair, Brittany, Wirehair, or other "continental" breed. If you can live with losing your dog occasionally, consider a bigger running variety like a pointer or setter ... and get an Astro as an accessory.

Regardless of the breed you choose, you should look for a strain that is known for endurance. It is not uncommon for my dogs to run more than 30 miles in a day of hunting and we frequently hunt 6 or 7 hours without taking a break. Friends have described my brand of chukar hunting as "extreme", but any dog in chukar country needs a good set of wheels. A small, lithe dog will fare

This ridge runner has an excellent nose -- a critical attribute in BIG country.

much better than a heavy boned brush buster.

A final thought. Because chukars inhabit huge expanses of land and aren't present in quail-like densities, it's important for a dog to have an excellent nose. When hunting widely dispersed birds, a dog with superior scenting ability will find more birds by using the breeze and terrain to cover an incredible amount of country. The best chukar dogs will run a ridge and "wind" birds lurking many yards below. One of my dogs has a significantly better nose than the other. On many occasions, the better-nosed dog has caught scent the other dog did not detect.

A superior nose also offers great advantages when searching for dead or wounded birds. It takes exceptional scenting ability to track a wing tipped chukar across a wind swept rock shelf. Similarly, a "stone dead" bird can be difficult to locate if it rolls down the hill. In steep country, I have seen shot birds roll an unbelievable distance down the slope. Most chukar dogs learn to quarter down the hill when they hunt dead, following the faint scent left by a tumbling bird.

A rule of thumb: when choosing your chukar prospect, get a variety that will give you the most hunting pleasure -- and place a premium on endurance and nose.