We have had snow on the ground and very cold temperatures here in Western Nevada for the last week. Us chukar hunters were a little disappointed to see that the storm did not make it very far east, leaving many of the favorite mountain ranges in the State dry. We have a new storm system upon us now though, so hopefully that will help bring some moisture to the rest of the state.
I took yesterday off work to hunt a more local area. Since the storm we had two days of good sun. My thinking was that even though it is still well below freezing the rock piles on the south faces would be starting to melt off, and that is where I would find the birds. It is crazy how it can be 10 degrees out and you put your hand down and feel a rock that has been in direct sun light all day and it almost feels hot. Well, the birds know this too, and for certain they know where they have the best chance of finding accessible food. Given the opportunity and some sun shine, that is where you will find them after snow storms and really cold weather. They may get pushed down the mountain, sometimes all the way to the valley floor, but for certain when they have the opportunity they will make their way back up to a rocky south facing slope.
So, I had a great day hunting yesterday. I did not see a lot of birds, but I didn’t need to, as they held really well and shooting a limit was no problem. Despite it being really cold it was a beautiful day to hunt. The dogs had a great time and I can’t think of anything else that I would have rather been doing.

Jay