Outdoor News Daily

With timely spring and summer rains across much of the grouse range in South Dakota, biologists are cautiously optimistic about the outlook for grouse hunting this fall.

According to Game, Fish and Parks Department Regional Wildlife Manager Andy Lindbloom of Pierre, sharp-tailed grouse and prairie chicken populations in South Dakota are monitored using information from spring lek surveys, harvest report cards, and wing collections from hunters.

“Leks are areas where grouse traditionally congregate during the breeding season and compete for breeding opportunities,” Lindbloom explained. “Lek surveys completed in 2010 indicate that both sharptails and prairie chicken breeding populations have declined in many areas of the state compared to 2009 survey data.”

Grouse age ratios, determined by examining harvested birds’ wings, were slightly lower in 2009 than in 2008, suggesting poorer reproductive success last year. Hunters can help biologists better understand prairie grouse population dynamics by submitting wings at wing boxes located throughout the state.

Locations of these wing boxes can be found online at http://www.gfp.sd.gov/hunting/small-game/prairie-grouse-wing-boxes.aspx

Based on harvest report cards, hunters harvested about 39,000 grouse last year, which was lower than the estimated 47,000 harvested in 2008. Average grouse harvest per hunter, however, was very similar to last year.

”These grouse surveys are important in monitoring population trends, but do not provide sufficient information to accurately predict fall hunting,” Lindbloom said. “Similar to many upland game birds, a majority of harvested birds are young-of-the-year birds. The number of young birds present in any given fall is highly dependent on habitat quality and quantity, the former being heavily influenced by spring and summer weather.”

GFP is currently studying relationships between recorded weather variables and grouse reproductive success, in hopes of developing predictive models that will be useful to grouse hunters in the future.

“Although the adult breeding population of grouse observed this spring is less than last year, the good news is we had great habitat conditions because of adequate precipitation. This should equate to good reproduction, which is the most important factor in determining hunter success this fall,” Lindbloom said.

“We encourage hunters to visit with landowners in areas they intend to hunt,” Lindbloom said. “People who are on the land on a daily basis often have a good perspective on how their local grouse populations are doing.”

Lindbloom reminds hunters that pheasants may appear in some areas normally hunted for grouse.

“Hen pheasants, young pheasants, and grouse can appear very similar in color and size,” he said. “Be sure your target is in fact a grouse before you shoot.”

Hunters also need to remember that they will be required to use nontoxic shot for grouse and prairie chickens and other small game hunting on most public lands.

The 2010 grouse season opens Saturday, Sept. 18, and includes prairie chicken, sharp-tailed grouse, and ruffed grouse.

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