Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game First time eating chukar. Why?

I cooked up my chukar and quail from my recent hunt. Marinated in teriyaki overnight. Bacon wrapped then baked. I think Chukar is my favorite eating bird. It's absolutely fantastic. I may have to do that hunt again just for the table fare.



And the quail cooked the same way.

Are chukar white meat breasts and dark meat legs and thighs ??

I would say yes. Chukar breast meat is whiter than quail. Quail seems to be pretty much all dark meat. All this based on this meal alone.

Worth the hiking, for sure.

My wife's uncle hunts them in around the Snake River in Oregon. He's told me how good an eating bird they are. Of course, here in the east they are all captive bred. But fine eating , nonetheless.

After the first and last time I had Chukar I would have to agree with you.

They're delicious because of the effort it takes to kill one.

Unless you're hunting pen raised parrots with yer flatland fat lab...

What kind of quail are you referring to? Bobwhite?

California Quail (AKA Valley quail) and IIRC mountain quail are really white meated like chukar and ruffed grouse.

Bobwhite. Bobwhite breasts seem fairly dark. Not thigh and leg meat kinda dark, but darker than typical white breast meat. And darker, definitely, than Chukar. At least with these birds.

I've eaten Bobwhite before. It's easy to dry them out cooking them. They way we cooked them above kept them nice and moist. Marinated in teriyaki overnight, wrapped in bacon, and cooked at 325 until the deep breast meat hit 165.

The chukar, though, had a better overall flavor. And there's a little more to them than the bobwhite.

A lot of truth here. But they really are damn good eating

Shot a handful of them (pen raised birds) for training with my Airedale over the late summer/early fall. They are delicious. She likes them, I like them. Delicious.

Down here in Bobwhite country, we mainly dust them with flour and fry. All the quail I've killed here in GA all my life have what I would consider white-meat breasts. I'm talking about wild quail. I have noticed that some of the pen-raised birds are a little darker meat.

First time was many years ago on a regulated hunting ground. I was told they were delicious and it was true. Since then because I run bird dogs I have shot more chuckers than I can count and both my wife and I really like them. I am still shooting them and eating them, I belong to a Sportsmans club that has a spin off bird dog club and we shoot chukars , quail and pheasants . They are all good. I will admit I have never shot them in the NW US.

I thought the same thing about chukar the first time I had it.

I do like to eat chukars. It’s been a long time ago tho.

WILD Bobwhites are White/light meat Birds.......I really KNOW

Chukars are fine eating bird for sure. Seasoning and milk dredged in batter then fried. Fit to eat.

Two reasons for hunting wild chukars again and again.

- best table fare of any bird, bar none. Delicate white meat.

- revenge

Where do you live

I am coming to dinner

How much bacon do you want me to bring

What kind of beer do you like