Who has hunted the chachalaca?

Be fun to try it once just for the novelty of it. It seems these goofy birds make decent table fare.

https://honest-food.net/hunting-chachalaca/#:~:text=And%20I%20here%20to%20say,a%20ruffed%20grouse%20is%20not.

ive wanted to for years. ive asked every fishing guide and rancher i know in the valley about hunting them, and everyone has given me the exact same response

"no problem! My (mom, aunt, granny, etc etc) has them at her bird feeder every day! just bring some beer and a lawn chair and your pellet gun"

that being said ive never done it, but i might!! id like a pair or 3 mounted

Oh, man, I have both a lawn chair and a good pellet gun, and like Geedubya in the knife forums, "I like beer."

I hunted them years ago when I lived in the valley. Not tough to hunt if you are in their preferred area. I shot several on small acreages in north McAllen. Yes, they are tasty.

I watched some youtube videos about hunting them. They made it sound like they were hard to find. Except in town. Maybe a bucket list hunt.

Slow fliers, good to eat but away from town they mostly are found in dense brush and difficult to recover. If your idea of a fun hunt is an easy shot followed by a long crawl through dense thorny brush too recover your bird, this is the one for you.
Most of the chachalacas that make it to the table are bagged with a pellet gun after raiding someone’s garden.

We have many on our lease near Edinburg. Have heard they are good to eat but have not figured out how to hunt them yet. Like Mundo said most are on the edge of thick brush and would be difficult to retrieve.

Bucket list hunt for me, unfortunately I’ve never had the opportunity

I love this story of hunting chachalaca with a cat instead of a dog.
Thread has so insight.

https://www.levergunscommunity.org/viewtopic.php?t=38182

When I was a kid I had a barn cat named Killer. We had thousands of sparrows in Odessa. Every day when Killer would hear me shake the BB’s in my gun she would instantly come to heel. I shot at least 30 sparrows a day off of the sucker rod horse pens. She would grab each one and stockpile them in her corner of the barn for her and the other cats to eat. She wouldn’t eat one and let her friends have at them until I was done sparrow killing.

She could jump over 6’. The sparrows would get trapped in the chicken pens and I’d throw her in there. She would snatch them out of the air with amazing jumps. I don’t like cats but would love to have another Killer.

I’ve never seen a chacalaca but would like to hunt one if my dogs would point them.

MClark, I have been on Paco's forum for many, many years (as Bill in Oregon) and had missed that post completely! Thanks.

if anyone knows of a place to hunt them id be willing to pay.

Lived in Harlingen in mid to late 70s and had them in town; as said they will pick the thickest, thorniest stuff possible to nest, Perch in. Supposedly have a distinctive chirp or call to them. Only seen 1 or 2 back then, think a cross of pheasant and peacock and that pretty much paints the picture for you.

DQ Kid wrote"think a cross of pheasant and peacock and that pretty much paints the picture for you."

I'd say, more like a cross between a roadrunner and a chicken.

Dead Meat season 5 episode 8 Texas Chachalacas

They are trying to hunt one to cook with little success.
At a reserve area it was crawling with them.