10 DIY Upland Bird Hunts
From deserts to plains to the Northwoods, here are 10 upland bird hunt ideas to inspire your season.
Western Oklahoma Bobwhites
Bobs are the primary target here, although an occasional pheasant or scaled quail may be found in the northern region. Beaver River, Cimarron Hills/Bluff, and Cooper/Fort Supply WMAs in the North, Packsaddle WMA and Black Kettle National Grasslands in the middle, and Sandy Sanders WMA in the Southwest, form the nucleus of opportunity, although the Oklahoma Land Access Program (OLAP) promises even more acres to hunt.
This is classic southern plains quail hunting with, depending on location, a mix of mixed and shortgrass prairie, rolling sand-sage hills, and rugged canyon breaks.
Bring plenty of water, as November early-season temps can soar, and boots for the dogs, because sandburs are ubiquitous.
Southeastern New Mexico Scaled Quail
Scaled quail are king here. These notorious desert runners thrive in the region but like all desert quail, their populations are dependent upon weather. Check the spring and fall reports on the Quail Forever website before planning your trip.
This is true desert hunting, which means heat, thorns, and cactus. Rattlesnakes are a concern, too. What makes this hunt special for the DIY bird-hunting adventurer is the wealth of public land in the region. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oversees a big chunk of southeastern New Mexico, and some of the best scaled quail hunting can be found on these BLM tracts.
Northern Minnesota Grouse and Woodcock
The Chippewa and Superior National Forests are prime grouse and woodcock destinations, as are a dozen state forests in the central and northern counties. In addition, the state actively manages 49 ruffed grouse management areas that encompass over 100,000 acres, the vast majority of them in the northern part of the state.
If you’re a plains and prairies bird hunter, leave your claustrophobia at home, because this is woods hunting at its finest. Bells or GPS collars on the dogs, good boots, and a good compass or reliable GPS for you, are all recommended so you can wander at will. Consider early October to try and hit the woodcock migration.
Nebraska Sandhills Sharptails
There are four large tracts of federal public land in the Sandhills region, and all of them offer excellent sharptail hunting:
- Samuel McKelvie National Forest and Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in the North.
- Nebraska National Forest in the central part of the state.
- Crescent Lake NWR on the western periphery of the Sandhills.
Camping is allowed on McKelvie and Nebraska National Forest, but not Valentine NWR.
The city of Valentine is the closest town to both McKelvie and Valentine NWRs, and provides dining and lodging options. The Nebraska National Forest at Halsey has modern campsites at the Bessey Recreation Complex and two primitive campgrounds.
Cowboy State Chukar
Northern Wyoming is a viable option to get a wild, public-land chukar fix on a tight budget and timetable. The Big Basin region of northern Wyoming encompasses some 10,000 square miles of terrain, much of it public land free for hunting. If you find rimrock or other steep terrain in conjunction with sage or cheatgrass, and access to water, you’ll likely find chukar.
Early-Bird Kansas Prairie Chickens
What if there were a way to get the Kansas upland experience almost two months earlier than the regular season opener? Well, you can, during Kansas’s early (usually a September 15 opener) greater prairie chicken season. This time of year, chickens tend to hold a bit better for dogs than they do later in the season, and the early opener can be a great way to knock off that summer rust.
Check the regs, and always be aware of where you are, as you can only hunt greaters in the central and eastern parts of the state. Farther west, the season is closed to protect the threatened lesser prairie chicken. There are state WMAs that offer good chicken habitat, but in Kansas, it’s all about the walk-in areas.
The Kansas Walk-In Hunting Area (WIHA) program offers over one million acres of leased ground, most of it in the central and western parts of the state, and much of it provides excellent prairie chicken hunting. Check the WIHA Layer on your Hunt App and hit the road.
Big Bend Blues
For a truly unique hunt, head to the Trans-Pecos region of far western Texas.
Black Gap WMA borders Big Bend National Park and shares 25 miles of the Rio Grande with Mexico. North of Black Gap lies Elephant Mountain WMA, while to the west is 11,000-acre Sierra Diablo WMA. This is primarily scaled quail country and it is rugged and utterly isolated. Bring an extra spare, extra water, extra gas, extra shells, extra everything.
Colorado Timberline Ptarmigan
If you want to measure what you’re made of, chasing white-tailed ptarmigan above 13,000 feet will hand you the yardstick.
This bird of the alpine tundra, the smallest grouse in North America, can be found in scattered high-altitude locations across Colorado, almost always at or above timberline.
Along with the Himalayan snowcock, the ptarmigan is the highest-altitude bird you can hunt in the lower 48. Public-land opportunities abound in Colorado’s National Forest areas, and most hunters targeting ptarmigan concentrate on boulder fields and scree slopes above treeline.
However, this is no hunt for the weak of leg or heart. The air above 12,000 feet gets mighty thin, and weather conditions in the high country can change from bucolic to deadly in minutes. Being in shape, dressed appropriately, and prepared for emergencies is critical.
High-Altitude Nevada Snowcock
Native to the Himalayas of southern Asia, and introduced into Nevada’s Ruby Mountains in the 1960s, the snowcock is easily the most unique—and perhaps the most difficult—upland target the traveling wingshooter can try for.
The Ruby Mountains are the only place in the entire western hemisphere the snowcock (a member of the pheasant family) is found, so it’s also popular with birders looking to add the species to their life lists.
Occupying steep, rocky slopes above 10,000 feet, the snowcock of the Ruby Mountains may not have the ptarmigan beat on elevation, but they are exponentially more difficult to approach.
How rare is it to bag a snowcock? The Nevada Department of Wildlife explains that snowcock harvest reports have ranged from two to 23 birds. Since 1980, the average number of birds taken each year stands at eight. That’s tough hunting. Most hunters forego dogs and instead try to stalk close enough to flush.
Central Montana Hungarian Partridge
In addition to state and BLM lands, Montana’s Block Management program gives hunters access to millions of acres of private land. Lewistown sits smack in the middle of central Montana Hun territory, and makes a perfect base from which to explore the region.
Huns generally prefer open agriculture areas mixed with grassland and brushy draws, so concentrating on fields, wheat stubble and old homesteads (what famed bird-hunting writer and Hun specialist Ben O. Williams calls “hunsteads”) will produce birds
Adapted from an article by Chad Love.
