Palmdale to Rio Vista: chukar season, a long road and a gun dog to train

Palmdale has about 165,000 residents and a median age of 33.0 (Census Bureau). It is a high-desert city, and for an upland hunter in dry country the season on CDFW's calendar to know is chukar.

The honest hours

From Palmdale to Rio Vista is about 358 miles, or about 6.8 hours with no traffic by OpenStreetMap routing. This is the overnight tier, so expect a full day of travel each way.

A dog's stay with Richard turns that into one trip north and one trip back. Call him about drop-off and pick-up from Southern California before choosing dates.

Chukar and the upland calendar

CDFW lists the 2026-27 chukar season as October 17 to January 31, with a daily bag of six (fetched October 27, 2026), and pheasant as November 14 to December 27. Season dates on that page are summaries, and CDFW's regulations booklet has the legal language; our 2026-27 seasons page links to both.

Chukar hunting is walking, climbing and covering ground, and it asks for a fit dog that hunts within range and comes when called. That is training you can start with a professional and keep up at home.

Camp H, a listed field-trial venue

Camp H in California City, formerly Castle Butte Wells, is the listed venue for 2026 Southern California pointing-breed field trials and hunt tests (California 2026 trial and hunt test calendar, read October 27, 2026).

Read about the California hunt test calendar to learn how to confirm an event.

Building the trip

Details of the arrangement live on the board-and-train page.

1. Phone Richard to describe the dog and the hunting you want it ready for.
2. Settle on the program with him; lengths and weekly rates are published.
3. Decide with him how drop-off and pick-up will work, and arrange the long drive.
4. Take a handler lesson at pick-up and learn the dog's commands.

Questions that help Richard plan

Describe the ground you hunt: open desert ridgeline, brush or farm edge. Say how far the dog ranges now and whether it returns on command. Mention any gunfire or water experience. Richard has hunted upland birds and waterfowl himself and can talk through how your dog's habits fit the plan. Hours listed on Google are 8 AM to 2 PM Monday and Wednesday through Sunday, closed Tuesday, so call within them.