Sid Eaton, NDOW biologist, said 300 birds were released at locations in the San Antonio Mountains of Nye County while the other 300 were divided between the Schell Creek Range in northern Lincoln County and a site north of Panaca. Another 407 chukar were trapped during the operation with 207 of the birds being sent to Colorado to fill a request that state made to Nevada seeking chukar for their upland game bird program. The other 200 birds went to Idaho State University in Pocatello for nutritional studies and telemetry research that is being conducted.
Plans originally called for mountain quail to be trapped for release in Nevada. But that didn’t occur because biologists determined that China Lake did not have adequate quail reproduction this year to allow the removal of birds.
Eaton said the chukar were released at isolated water sources and newly constructed small game water developments (guzzlers). These introductions will help NDOW to "jump start" chukar populations in these locations.
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