Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game Sage grouse season is underway!!

Sage grouse season opened last Sat. and will run to the end of the month.. There is talk of listing this big grouse as endangered next year, so I am trying to make the most of this season.. Sure hope they don't list it, but who knows..
This is last night's limit. My old 870 12 ga. field, coat, and a few WW 3 1/4- 1 1/4-4's.. The dogs were busy smelling and missed the photo session..

Great birds. Get them while you can.

I bagged a few in Elko co, NV years ago. They are really neat birds.

Got a few more this time.. Used m 870 20... Lovely shotgun.. I need to use it more...

I just got a 20 ga LW magnum recently. I got to load it Sat. on a dove hunt but did not get to fire it. Public land doves here in VA can be pretty much of a wishing thing. It has a shortened stock, but I still like the gun, I will get some squirrel action in with it soon.

I visited and did some video on a SG lek in Lyon county years ago, at eye level, the booming is really cool.

I haven't been for 20 years or so but I sure used to enjoy hunting sage grouse but for eating,the blues were much better.
Have you heard any reports of blue grouse numbers over toward Encampment? How are the jackrabbit numbers in Carbon County.There was a time,in the 80's,when they were everywhere...it was almost like old videos of the rabbits in Australia but then they kind of died out.

Blues are much better.. But I have a few older folks who love sage grouse.. So I have shot grouse for them for many years.. They are all gone now except for one widow.. It sure was fun..

Blue grouse are not plentiful .. They seem to have had poor nesting conditions for the last couple years..

There are a few jacks, but they are not plentiful...

One thing we do have, thanks to the tree huggers, is an abundance of hawks, owls, eagles, magpies, and ravens.. All of which should be on the predator list........

On the sage chickens,one friend that went hunting with me,would shoot the biggest ones in the flock,the bombers,we called them.Me,I looked for the young ones.
Is the processing house still open in Baggs? The owner was Boone something(I don't recall his last name)and his son was working there with him...really nice people.Had them make antelope jerky and sausage.

There is a processing shop on the east side of Baggs.. Never had anything done there so I cannot say if it is the one you refer to or not. We make our jerky here at the house, have a buck in the freeze and may take a doe later for the same purpose..

Sage grouse is so late now, it is tough to tell the young from the old... Unless they are all roosters..

Shot my last grouse of this season.... My friends have all they want..

Looks like you had a great time. Glad to see you brought the 870 out. Looks like a really beautiful upland bird.

Congrats and the pics are excellent.

battue, thanks.. an enjoyable season.. doubt I have another like it.. grouse were fairly plentiful.. plus I checked my old hunting logs, found I had done better in past years than I ever realized.. Needed a few to round off the numbers.. A fun season, my young golden really preformed well.. She is a winner if I can just keep her into birds..