From chukar high on a rugged canyon rim to ducks on a marshy tree-lined lake, a variety of bird-hunting opportunities can be found in Central Oregon every fall and winter.

According to Corey Heath, a wildlife biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in Prineville, chukar are the most popular game bird among hunters in the area.

And with good reason. The nearby canyons of the Lower Deschutes and Lower John Day rivers offer some of the best chukar habitat in the state.

Chukar season runs through Jan. 31, 2012, in Eastern Oregon.

Introduced into the western United States from Europe and Asia, chukar are rotund partridges with light-brown backs and gray breasts.

“They’re fairly well distributed on public lands, it’s a long season, and people like to hunt them,” Heath says. “(Hunters) love the big, wide-open, steep country, challenging for both the hunters and the dogs. (Chukar) are small and fast and tough to hit. The guys that do it just like it a lot.”

Most chukar hunters like to hunt as early as possible during the season — which this year started on Oct. 8 — because once the snow starts to fall it can make hunting conditions difficult.

The Lower Deschutes and Lower John Day rivers offer a chance for bird hunters and anglers to try the “cast and blast” double: fishing for steelhead on the river, then hiking the steep canyon slopes with a shotgun in search of chukar.

While looking for chukar, hunters frequently encounter California quail, another popular upland game bird but hard to find on public land in Central Oregon.

“There’s a good population of California quail in Central Oregon, but they’re not very accessible to hunters,” Heath explains. “If you have access to private land, most of the quail are on private lands, and there can be some good hunting.”

As with chukar, California quail hunting season runs through Jan. 31.

Heath says that pheasant hunting is almost nonexistent on Central Oregon’s public lands, but hunters can pursue pheasant on several private preserves in the area. One such preserve, the Canyon Creek Hunting Preserve near Dufur in Wasco County, will be the site of a youth pheasant hunt offered later this month by the ODFW and the Oregon Hunters Association.

Abundant waterfowl hunting opportunities can be found in Central Oregon and beyond. To the south, Summer Lake and the Klamath Basin are excellent locations for goose and duck hunting, Heath notes.

Locally, the high Cascade lakes should offer good waterfowl hunting before the lakes begin to freeze. After lakes and ponds ice over, Heath says, hunters can find geese in fields, though public land opportunity is limited.

“Geese are already using the fields in both (Prineville and Bend) districts, and that will offer good hunting through the winter,” Heath says. “But most geese are on private lands, and you need (landowner) permission.”

Most ducks in the area fly south once water bodies in Central Oregon start to ice up. But the geese stay put and converge at the big reservoirs, then fly out to the fields to feed, according to Heath.

The biologist notes that for hunters with access to private land, goose hunting is their best option. He adds that for hunting on public land in Central Oregon, duck hunting is typically better.

In most of Eastern Oregon, duck season runs through Jan. 22, 2012, and goose season runs through Jan. 29.

Opportunities abound for bird hunters in Central Oregon now through the end of January.

“You have to pick your species,” Heath says, “and look at the weather and (consider) access to private lands.”

Some Eastern Oregon game bird seasons

MIGRATORY

Duck: Oct. 8-Nov. 27, and Nov. 30, 2011-Jan. 22, 2012

Goose: Oct. 31, 2011-Jan. 29, 2012

UPLAND

Chukar: Oct. 8, 2011-Jan. 31, 2012

California quail: Oct. 8, 2011-Jan. 31, 2012

Youth Pheasant Hunt

What: Introduces new and beginner hunters to upland bird hunting. Youth 17 and younger can experience a hunter-safety session, safety skills clay pigeon practice, and a one-hour hunt with a partner, a guide, and a dog. All hunters will learn how to clean and prepare their birds.

When: Saturday, Nov. 19.

Where: Canyon Creek Hunting Preserve near Dufur.

Cost: $10. Hunting license and proof of hunter’s education certificate required.

Contact: Bend ODFW office at 541-388-6363.

Preserves in Central Oregon

Places in the region that offer game-bird hunting:

• Alder Creek Ranch, Sisters, 541-549-3019

• Bitterbrush Preserve, Madras, 541-475-6630

• Centerfire’s Keystone Preserve, Prineville, 541-447-3841

• Central Oregon Game Preserve, Redmond, 541-383-0001

• Crafty’s Quail Farm, Redmond, 541-548-5126

• Deep Canyon Preserve, Bend, 541-323-3007

• Gateway Canyon Preserve, Madras, 541-475-2065

• Hidden Meadow Preserve, Prineville, 541-420-4103

• Homestead Preserve, Prineville, 541-420-4103