Sage Grouse

[aeast8]

Anybody hunt these jokers? I am wanting to hunt Sage Grouse in Wyoming. I'm thinking about fall of 2015. I do not know much about it and I am not finding a lot on the internet. Any info would be helpful especially a general location to hunt them, shot size (assuming 5), choke tubes, etc. I am also wondering if I should get a guide to help locate but I will be taking my GSP. Using a guide is not really my style but I will be driving 12+ hours and would like to come back with a few. Hunted sharpies and chickens for the first time this fall in the sandhills and had a blast and I am now hooked on those. Bad news is the sandhills trip has me hooked on wanting to hunt some other species. Any info. would help.

[Vision]

Sage Grouse are easy, just drive dirt roads early in the morning. 5's are overkill they die out of fear of being shot, and after you have killed a few be sure to add your boot to the pot for flavor and tenderness.

[fishvik]

aeast8, The best way to hunt them is to get to a likely area(broken sage and grass near a water source) at sunrise. Start hunting small rises and ridges. A guide maybe helpful but not neccesary. I usually hunt them with a modified choke and 1 1/4 oz of 5's. Our birds tend to get spooky so a little longer range is needed. Better hurry though they are a candidate species for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

[SCT]

2015 may be too late to hunt them as that's when the F&WS have to make a decision on listing them as endangered. I love the dog work on them and they are fairly easy to kill if they don't get up wild from 35-45 yards. 20 or 12guage and #6 will do the job if they are getting up relatively close. They rise fairly slow compared to sharptails or prairie chickens, (unless a falcon is overhead).

Also, they taste excellent if you know how to cook them IMO. Most importantly just don't overcook them. I'll be hunting them this year for at lease a week in WY, probably the whole season. If your dog is experienced you'll have no problem, but I've seen many dogs new to sage grouse run over the first ones they come in contact with. Depends on the time of year though.

Talk to the biologists in Green River, they can usually help you find a place to start.

Steve

[DoubleBarrel GunDogs]

2015 may be too late to hunt them as that's when the F&WS have to make a decision on listing them as endangered. I love the dog work on them and they are fairly easy to kill if they don't get up wild from 35-45 yards. 20 or 12guage and #6 will do the job if they are getting up relatively close. They rise fairly slow compared to sharptails or prairie chickens, (unless a falcon is overhead).

Also, they taste excellent if you know how to cook them IMO. Most importantly just don't overcook them. I'll be hunting them this year for at lease a week in WY, probably the whole season. If your dog is experienced you'll have no problem, but I've seen many dogs new to sage grouse run over the first ones they come in contact with. Depends on the time of year though.

Talk to the biologists in Green River, they can usually help you find a place to start.

Steve

Good post.
Follow this advice and go this fall if you can.

Check out Farson-Eden area. I have a friend who runs pointers and falcons up there and says it is a good area. Call the Wyoming Fish and Game Dept. for some tips.

Good luck,
Nate

[aeast8]

Thanks for the help. I have moved the trip up to this coming fall. Glad I posted this in time or I would have missed out. Can't wait.

[DoubleBarrel GunDogs]

The gov't will be deciding the fate of the sage grouse on May 12.

Nate

[SCT]

The gov't will be deciding the fate of the sage grouse on May 12.

Nate

Where did you see this? Can you post a link?

[DoubleBarrel GunDogs]

I heard this on a local radio station. After some research I found out its the "Gunnison Sage Grouse" they were actually referring to. Sorry about the confusion.
http://www.telluridenews.com/articles/2 ... 429425.txt

There are several recent articles concerning the ESA and the Sage Grouse in the Missoula news.
Google: missoulian sage grouse

Nate

[SCT]

Yeah, I get emails on all that stuff.

[aeast8]

http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/spe ... agegrouse/
http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/pre ... 3_COT.html

Not sure if they will or will not but I think I will go hunt these suckers either way.