Southwest Idaho's chukar population has taken a dive in the last two years because of harsh winters and drought, and it might take that many years for populations to recover even under improved weather and nesting conditions.
That's the word from Idaho Department of Fish and Game biologist Andy Ogden.
This could be a pivotal year for chukars because they typically live only two years. A high proportion of Idaho's chukars are already 2 years or older, and if adult birds don't reproduce this spring, most won't be around for another nesting season.
If that happens, it may take four or more years to recover chukar populations.
Last winter, deep snow hit southern Idaho's chukar habitat, but weather conditions probably were not severe enough to repeat past population crashes when heavy snow was accompanied by frigid temperatures.
"This is fortunate because late fall 2007 chukar populations were already very low due to extremely poor summer reproduction," Ogden said. "Some chukar populations (including Lucky Peak, Arrowrock and Garden Valley) likely declined even further this winter due to snow levels, while other populations where snow levels were less extreme (Brownlee, Hells Canyon and Owyhee) probably fared better."
For maximum winter survival, chukars need significant fall "green-up" of perennial bluegrasses coupled with germination of cheatgrass seeds.
Those high-value foods allow chukars to gain weight during winter so hens have fat reserves for spring nesting season.
Biologists believe that vitamin A found in green vegetation is vital for triggering the chukars' reproductive instincts. In the deserts of California and Nevada, upland birds won't attempt to nest without sufficient green-up of vegetation stimulated by winter rainfall.
Without significant fall green-up, chukars survive on seed heads of dried grasses and forbs, which nourish the birds through winter but not enough to add body fat needed for nesting.
Idaho had good green-up last fall, so chukars should be in good shape for spring nesting season, Ogden said.
Ideal chukar production conditions include a rainy spring with no snow that produces maximum growth of leafy green vegetation and lots of bugs.
For best production, that's followed by dry weather in early June when the chicks are hatching to increase their survival during the critical first few days of life.
"It is too early to know how spring production will fare and predict the fall chukar hunting picture given that last fall's population levels were the result of reproductive failures, not winter weather," Ogden said.
F&G does its annual chukar surveys in late summer by flying over the same areas year after year and comparing chukar counts.
Even with above-normal nesting success this spring, it may still take two nesting seasons to return to normal chukar populations.
But Idaho has been in this situation and recovered from it fairly quickly.
During the 1992-93 winter, the Brownlee area had heavy snow for over a month and not enough wind to clear snow from ridge lines.
Chukars crowded into riparian areas along streams and reservoirs, and many were too weak to fly across reservoirs, so they became an easy meal for predators. Chukars died by the dozens that winter.
Biologists counted 78 birds per square mile in the Brownlee area before the 1992-93 winter and a record-low 18 birds per square mile the following fall.
Chukars rebounded to 88 birds per square mile after two nesting seasons.
* Roger Phillips: 373-6615