| Window | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Window 1 | 01 SEP 2026 – 01 JAN 2027 | 123d |
| Window 2 | 01 SEP 2026 – 10 JAN 2027 | 132d |
As publishedSep 1 (res.) / Sep 11 (nonres.) - Jan 1, 2027 (Jan 10, 2027 in a specified Carbon County boundary)
Chukar occur primarily in Carbon County.Combined bag/season with Hungarian partridge (shared 8-bird aggregate daily bag). Standard season Sep 1 (res.)/Sep 11 (nonres.) - Jan 1, 2027; a described portion of Carbon County (Route 72/Hwy 310/Edgar-Pryor Rd/Crow Reservation boundary/Big Horn Lake area) runs 9 days longer, closing Jan 10, 2027 instead of Jan 1.
Montana's own 2026 Upland Game Bird Regulations state plainly that chukar partridge occur primarily in Carbon County, a hard, agency-stated regional claim, not a density inference. The regulation itself further sub-divides Carbon County: a specific described boundary within the county (Route 72/Hwy 310/Edgar-Pryor Road/Crow Reservation boundary/Big Horn Lake area) gets a legally longer season (closing Jan. 10 instead of Jan. 1), which FWP would have no reason to carve out unless that specific area held a real, distinct population worth the extra season length. Chukar is regulated as one combined 8-bird daily bag with gray/Hungarian partridge statewide, but the agency's own wording narrows this to a single-county range claim rather than a statewide one.
Montana FWP's 2026 Upland Game Bird Season Outlook, published August 31, reports that brood counts in Region 5 point to good chukar numbers this fall. That matters more than a single regional finding usually would here: Region 5 is south-central Montana, taking in Carbon County, which holds the bulk of the state's chukar. FWP's positive read effectively covers the whole practical range rather than one corner of it. Because it comes off brood counts, it's a read on this year's production specifically, so expect the good news to show up as young birds in the fall crop. The same Region 5 brood count gave gray partridge the same positive read, so south-central Montana is shaping up as a two-bird trip this fall rather than a chukar-only one.
Good 2026 brood production in Region 5, the south-central country that holds the bulk of Montana's chukar.
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