Although from time to time we stand on our doorstep at the Minam Store and hear chukars calling from the hill above, our guided chukar hunts beginning on the Wallowa River are primarily focused on the ten mile stretch of the Grande Ronde River above the Powatka Bridge takeout. As the Wallowa flows into the Grande Ronde and continues to descend north, its canyon opens and pine stands give way to the open grass slopes and rugged basalt rimrock that chukars love. That being said, there is plenty to do in the canyon before we reach that stretch. During the months of October and November the upper portion of the trip provides rafters with a beautiful backdrop of larches, alders, and cottonwoods turning golden and beginning to drop their leaves. Additionally, for people interested in combination guided hunting and fishing trips, both the Wallowa and Grande Ronde offer excellent trout fishing in the fall with the chance of hooking steelhead improving as winter approaches. If you'd rather focus soley on bird hunting, the canyon offers excellent ruffed grouse numbers in the riparian zone and ample dusky(blue) grouse hunting on the open timbered ridges and benches above.
Why book a river trip? This stretch of the Grande Ronde is a designated Wild and Scenic waterway and is within a roadless and trailess area. This limits access and insures the birds aren't overly pressured. Chukar hunting down the river helps prevent bumping elb. . .
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Although from time to time we stand on our doorstep at the Minam Store and hear chukars calling from the hill above, our guided chukar hunts beginning on the Wallowa River are primarily focused on the ten mile stretch of the Grande Ronde River above the Powatka Bridge takeout. As the Wallowa flows into the Grande Ronde and continues to descend north, its canyon opens and pine stands give way to the open grass slopes and rugged basalt rimrock that chukars love. That being said, there is plenty to do in the canyon before we reach that stretch. During the months of October and November the upper portion of the trip provides rafters with a beautiful backdrop of larches, alders, and cottonwoods turning golden and beginning to drop their leaves. Additionally, for people interested in combination guided hunting and fishing trips, both the Wallowa and Grande Ronde offer excellent trout fishing in the fall with the chance of hooking steelhead improving as winter approaches. If you'd rather focus soley on bird hunting, the canyon offers excellent ruffed grouse numbers in the riparian zone and ample dusky(blue) grouse hunting on the open timbered ridges and benches above.
Why book a river trip? This stretch of the Grande Ronde is a designated Wild and Scenic waterway and is within a roadless and trailess area. This limits access and insures the birds aren't overly pressured. Chukar hunting down the river helps prevent bumping elbows with other hunters or fighting for access to the best areas with hordes of other gunners. Our multi-day guided hunt trips have a minimum of 4 days. On these trips, hunters will have both the opportunity to hunt along the river as we move and hunt out of camp. For groups of 4 or more our trips are customizable, so if you would prefer to have a layover day at a certain camp that is an option as well.
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