The upland birds we've taken around here also include sharptails and Merriam's turkeys.
There were a LOT more sharptails when we moved here 32 years ago. In fact, one morning maybe 20 years ago I put up 4-5 coveys on a local ranch.
But there were far fewer turkeys, and for years there wasn't a season. FWP eventually started a draw for 25 tags (which we never drew), and then suddenly two years ago made it a general season. There are quite a few now.
Also, there were some sage grouse within an hour's drive, but haven't seen any for a while--or even any sign of 'em. Some ranchers say they've seen a few southwest of Townsend, in the big sagebrush country southwest of Toston. The last covey I saw was on the other side the pass over Deep Creek heading to White Sulphur .
There were also a few wild chukars some years ago, evidently the descendants of birds planted both by FWP and people who had "preserves." I have never run into any, but some of my friends have.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
