Walk-up with Dogs · Chukar
Hells Canyon, Snake River, Oregon
Float Hells Canyon camp to camp, hunting chukar off the canyon walls by day and fishing the Snake for smallmouth, trout, steelhead, and sturgeon from the raft.
This trip is guided by
Minam Store Outfitters
Grant Richie
Owner
If there is a Mecca for chukar hunters, it is the Snake River through Hells Canyon. Nowhere else in the United States are chukar as abundant and other hunters as sparse. Class IV rapids and rugged basalt and granite cliffs stand guard over the deepest gorge in North America, and without an intimate knowledge of the country and the experience to navigate it, success is hard won. Minam Store's veteran guides and their dogs have the know-how.
This is a true cast and blast. Each day, as the boats move camp to camp, you can climb the canyon walls after birds or stay on the water and fish. The smallmouth fishing is world class and there are plenty of trout. At the right time of year salmon and steelhead are in the river. The outside chance is a sturgeon, catch and release, over ten feet and several hundred pounds. While you are out, the gear boat crew runs ahead and has camp set before you arrive.
Alongside chukar, wingshooters pick up scattered coveys of California quail and Hungarian partridge, with ruffed grouse and the occasional mountain quail on the lower stretch.
Seasons and durations
- 4 day, Hells Canyon Dam to Pittsburg Landing: 3rd Saturday of September to 2nd Saturday of October, from $3,200 per adult. 32 river miles, the biggest whitewater of the canyon including Wild Sheep and Granite.
- 5 day, Hells Canyon Dam to Heller Bar: 2nd Saturday of October to mid November, from $4,000 per adult. 46.5 river miles, mellower water with occasional Class III.
Groups of six or more can charter a trip. Smaller parties may be able to join an existing departure. Maximum party size is nine guests. Minimum age is 12.
Chukar
Valley / CA Quail, Hungarian Partridge, Ruffed Grouse
Shotgun
Walk-up with Dogs, Boat-based
Public / leased units, Wilderness / backcountry
N/A (birds / waterfowl)
Hunter buys over-the-counter (we advise)
The hunt spans the Idaho and Oregon openers, so which licence you need depends on the stretch you book.
Not included
Approximate area, not an exact location.
Minam Store Outfitters
Operating since 1909
The Minam Store has been a family business since 1909, when the Goff and Fleser families built the first store at the junction of the Wallowa and Minam rivers to supply a community of sheep ranchers, loggers, and mill workers. A larger two-story store went up in 1925 with a general store downstairs and a dance hall above it, and served travellers until the highway was widened in the early 1960s. Grant and Lottie Richie bought the store, raft rental, and shuttle business in 2011, then bought the Minam Motel in 2013 and moved the whole operation to a permanent home on the east bank of the Wallowa.
Grant Richie
Owner
Grant Richie
Owner
“Nowhere else are the birds this thick and the hunters this scarce. Bring a shotgun and a rod, and we'll put you where they are.”
Trips from
$3,200 / person
Set by the outfitter and subject to change. Confirm current rates directly.
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Hells Canyon, Snake River, Oregon · 4–5 days · 6–9
Contact the outfitter for more information today.
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