texashuntingforum.com logo
Main Menu
Advertisement
Affiliates
Advertisement
Newest Members
txhunter22, Benk10, Torlans, cromans008, STX hunt fish
72772 Registered Users
Top Posters(All Time)
dogcatcher 110,840
bill oxner 91,416
SnakeWrangler 66,451
stxranchman 60,296
Gravytrain 46,950
Stub 45,634
RKHarm24 44,585
rifleman 44,461
Forum Statistics
Forums46
Topics546,889
Posts9,841,023
Members87,772
Most Online25,604
Feb 12th, 2024
Print Thread
Bucket List. Rarest Gamebird in TX #9136397 11/10/24 04:17 PM
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,333
Q
QMC SW/EXW Offline OP
Pro Tracker
OP Offline
Pro Tracker
Q
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,333
I have always been the type that likes the unusual and uncommon. So when work to me to deep south TX in the Rio Grande Valley it didn't take me long to realize I have a gamebird here that is somewhat unique, the Brown Chachalaca. You can only hunt them in deep south TX and even there they are only legal to hunt in 3 counties, one of which I currently live in.

So as soon as I got here I began researching them and found I had several public hunting areas near me that it was legal to hunt them on. I called the game warden for the area and sort of picked his brain and he recommended I concentrate on one of the unit of the Los Palomas WMA. The season opened on Oct 26 and I went but had no luck. Then I went last weekend and had no luck on birds but did pop a couple of cottontails with a Rossi 410 single shot.
[Linked Image]

But today was a different story. About 30 min after first light I was making my way along an overgrown path and heard some in a couple of big mesquites. These things are really loud and the game warden had told me I would probably hear them before seeing them. He was correct and fortunately I knew from the 2 weeks before that the path I was on would take me next to the mesquites. As I slipped in I saw a chachalaca on a bare limb and it took flight but a load of #7 1/2s stopped that as it crossed the path. About 7 or 8 other birds also took off and I managed to get another shell in the 410 and dropped the last bird in some really thick brush. The first bird was easy to recover since it fell next to the path but I ended up crawling on my belly to get the second bird.

[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]

These things are pretty cool. The back is sort of an olive green with a tan and white breast. Tail feathers are about 10 inches long with most of the feathers having a white tip. I'd guess them to be about half again the size on a big pigeon. I plucked them and will try roasting one and will break the other one down to fry. They had an incredible amount of yellow fat in the cavity and the crops were full of a purple berry. Now I know what food source to concentrate on.

On my way out I came to a big chilipetin bush and picked about 50 chilis to dry for later use. For those that haven't seen them they are very small but incredibly hot and make a great addition to chili or other dishes.
[Linked Image]

So how cool was that morning? It isn't every day you get to scratch one off the bucket list!

Cheers Y'All


Retired Navy Chief
NJROTC Instructor for Los Fresnos High School
Re: Bucket List. Rarest Gamebird in TX [Re: QMC SW/EXW] #9136454 11/10/24 06:04 PM
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 21,445
Sniper John Online Happy
gumshoe
Online Happy
gumshoe
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 21,445
Outstanding! Congratulations and thanks for sharing. If you eat them, let us know how they taste. But if I had shot those, I would have had to get both mounted. The couple times I inquired about hunting them on public down there, I was pretty much told to forget about it, not present on those places. So I know how big of an accomplishment taking one, much less two was. flehan

Re: Bucket List. Rarest Gamebird in TX [Re: QMC SW/EXW] #9136460 11/10/24 06:25 PM
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 18,149
6
68rustbucket Online Content
THF Celebrity
Online Content
THF Celebrity
6
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 18,149
Congratulations! I also would have at least one mounted.



Re: Bucket List. Rarest Gamebird in TX [Re: QMC SW/EXW] #9136525 11/10/24 08:39 PM
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 492
M
Mundo Offline
Bird Dog
Offline
Bird Dog
M
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 492
That crawl thru the brush is why very few people hut chachalas.

Re: Bucket List. Rarest Gamebird in TX [Re: Mundo] #9136560 11/10/24 09:54 PM
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 18,149
6
68rustbucket Online Content
THF Celebrity
Online Content
THF Celebrity
6
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 18,149
Originally Posted by Mundo
That crawl thru the brush is why very few people hut chachalas.

Pretty snakey in that part of the country.



Re: Bucket List. Rarest Gamebird in TX [Re: QMC SW/EXW] #9136597 11/10/24 11:34 PM
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 27,037
Creekrunner Offline
THF Celebrity
Offline
THF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 27,037
Very cool hunt and write up. Well done! cheers


...and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Gen. 1:28
Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread

© 2004-2024 OUTDOOR SITES NETWORK all rights reserved USA and Worldwide
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.3