howellm70

This is my first post on this site so hello all. I' m a newly graduated hunter in WA state so please excuse what may be pure naiveness.

This is my first year hunting upland game birds in WA. Thus far this year, I' ve spent a fair amount of time hunting grouse in the Leavenworth/Wenatchee area - with actually pretty good success I think.

I' m heading over to the Lake Chelan area for Thanksgiving and am wondering if anyone could give me some instruction/direction about the types of birds I might find over there and where to look. To my knowledge the terrain is quite a bit different so I' m not sure grouse are a possibility. What about quail/pheasant? Any general areas to consider?

Any help is much appreciated. Thanks in advance and good luck in everybody' s hunting adventures.

PugetSound

We camped in the town of Chelan this summer and I went driving along the north side of the lake in the public lands and saw an unbelievable amount of quail. Didn' t see any pheasant. Good Luck.

Nate

howellm70

Thanks Nate - were you on the Manson side of the lake or the side that leads back to wenatchee? Any idea if you can hunt these lands?

seattlesetters

Welcome! While I haven' t hunted much directly on Chelan, I have taken more than a few chukar, huns, pheasant and quail within a fairly short distance. Lots of places near Coulee City and Grand Coulee dam, and quite a few more closer by on the east side of the river.

Do you have a bird dog? If so, some of the places I am thinking of would be worth a look.

Let me know if you find any quail on the North Shore...I have a couple of pups I am bringing along and there is nothing better for that purpose than large quantities of California Quail!

Where do you live? I am always looking for new partners, so if you ever want to go bird hunting, let me know.

PugetSound

It was past Manson and I was looking for a place to go fishing in one of the small lakes out that way. It seemed like where ever I drove, there were quail.

SeattleSetter, can I play to[8D]. I can' t get a dog anymore. The wife is pregnant with our 3rd so she slapped the idea of a dog down for a couple of years.

Nate

seattlesetters

Nate - I go every weekend (and some weekdays!). You are welcome to come along. Right now I am hunting my stud male and a 7-month-old female pup. Both are really nice dogs...although the pup is still in the knock-and-chase mode. I usually hunt chukar and huns but also love to get into valley quail, especially if I' m hunting the pup. Let me know when you' d like to go and we' ll set something up.

Mark

PugetSound

SS,I' ll get a hold of you in the next week or so. It will probably have to be early november before I can do anything at this point.

Nate

Ma hunter

I' m new to WA in 2001. Hunted ruffed grouse for 20 years in MN, but trying to figure out where to hunt here on weekends. I live in Seattle. Any ideas.

seattlesetters

Lots of ideas...not many of them involve grouse, though. That would be quite a drive for a weekend hunt, but it can be done. If you want to hunt chukar, huns and valley quail, you' ve moved to the right place.

Do you have a dog? If so, what breed?

Ma hunter

I had a german shorthair, but she died before the move. No dog now, I live in the city and it wouldn' t work here. I hunted for a long time without a dog.
Thanks for your reply. I also recently married a non-hunter spouse who I am going to teach.