Sharp-tailed Grouse

[Rooster Booster]

I just finished reading the article by Brad Fenson in the June Alberta Outdoorsmen magazine entitled Year of the Sharptail. I don't know where he was in Alberta but he said he flushed 60 different flocks of Sharptails in the week! One flush he estimated at sixty birds! I went out in the first week of November last year South and East of Milk River with my buddy and his Springer and we only saw one in two days of hunting and that one flushed out of range. Someone told me they saw lots North of Jenner, North of the River. Anyone else see lots of Sharptails last fall? Really like to know where Brad was.

[bessiedog]

I have a few areas that i noticed a higher number of sharpies. As a rule, I tend not to shoot them cause they've been fairly rare whère I troop.

This year I took three. Got one beauty mounted cause it's one of the most awsome birds to taxidermy.

I'm not really seeing serious increase in nimbers of sharpies...

But I will tell you.. I haven't seen Hun numbers more plentiful than I did last year! It was crazy!

And Thems good eatin!


Nope.... Not telling ya where. Sorry!

[angery jonn]

My dog has found lots east of Jenner over the last 2 weeks, but no covies that big!

[wwbirds]

We used to hunt near jenner and it got so bad we quit hunting them a few years ago. while hunting antelope in a completely different area the following year we unintentionally hit the sharptail bonanza. Often seeing and flushing that years birds from the ditch driving to our hunting spot and they only ran or flew over the fence.

Regional differences in chick mortality seems dependent on available bugs for feed, rain and weather seem to have a large impact and yet 20 miles away there can be loads of birds. We have flushed 60-100 birds in a day in prime habitat and they seem to group up after being flushed in small groups so you can get 50 birds flushing in one group of birds when you find the hiding place.

[oldgutpile]

Here in the south, I have seen massive increase in the flock numbers, as well as the number of flocks themselves.
This last year we did a release hunt on pheasants, and in one particular large cattail patch, we estimated 700 sharpies to have risen. Wave after wave of them!! Havent seen numbers like this since I was a kid.
Incidently, with that much bird scent around, it drove the dogs nuts!

[albertabighorn]

Seen a flock of two around that area wouldnt say alot by any means

[oldgutpile]

Seen one flock alone, that had to be close to three hundred birds! The colder it gets, the later in the season, and the more they seem to congregate together. Never seen it this good before.

[catnthehat]

We generally see quit a few flocks when hunting down south and see the odd one up in Ft. McMurray here as well.
Some days out at the Syncrude tailings area a person will run into some large flocks but not hundreds .
Cat

[elkhunter11]

When I was growing up in Saskatchewan, it was common to see flocks of 50 to 100 birds. Now much of the brush has been cleared, and a person is lucky to see a few birds in a week of deer hunting, in the same area. I have seen a few flocks in Southern Alberta while hunting big game, but certainly not large numbers of birds. When I retire next year, I will be spending a lot more time hunting birds, and I hope to find some huntable flocks of sharptails.

[-CLM-]

Hunting mulies in southern AB last year we must have seen close to 200 birds over the span of 3 days. They were everywhere.

[Dacotensis]

I saw thousands last fall.
Shot 5.
I think the population is safe from me.

[cotang]

Anyone find them in the waiprous area?

[Speckler]

Only spruce.

[brcarcol]

We had our best year ever last season for sharpies. We have been hunting gophers this year in the same area and are seeing very large numbers.

[Bassett]

My area was a year of ruffies. Not one single sharp or spruce.

[Rooster Booster]

Can someone even give me a clue as to where all the sharpies are? County or WMU? PM me if you don't want to broadcast the info?

[Mhunter51]

Very nice to hear that the numbers are way up even if it is in certain locals only in Alberta. I have spent quit a bit of time out last fall and this year in Sask but have not seen anything close to those numbers. On the NEGATIVE side of this thread, I would think it is a VERY foolish-if not illegal- to run a dog chasing up sharptails on late nests or with very young chicks. I think they have enough trouble with fox and coyote harassment. A little control of the dog ( and owner ) would be in order, and smart !!!!!!!

[Brian Bildson]

Watched them on a lek this spring. pretty impressive action

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

When I was growing up in Saskatchewan, it was common to see flocks of 50 to 100 birds. Now much of the brush has been cleared, and a person is lucky to see a few birds in a week of deer hunting, in the same area. I have seen a few flocks in Southern Alberta while hunting big game, but certainly not large numbers of birds. When I retire next year, I will be spending a lot more time hunting birds, and I hope to find some huntable flocks of sharptails.

I remember flocks of a hundred or more sharpies here in central Alberta too.
Used to be they would all perch on the stooks in the fields. I haven't shot one in forty years. Still see small coveys in the same areas. I do remember that they were very wary birds to hunt.

[goldscud]

Just for clarification, isn't the sharp tailed grouse seasaon Oct 1-31 in southern Alberta?

[puppyhood1]

Originally Posted by goldscud

Just for clarification, isn't the sharp tailed grouse seasaon Oct 1-31 in southern Alberta?

The season was changed quite a while a go to the Oct dates and most of the big covey's of birds are seen late in the year and you may note some of the posters were deer hunting (Nov). On a few occasions I have seen them group up at the end of Oct.......pupphood1

[puppyhood1]

Originally Posted by Mhunter51

Very nice to hear that the numbers are way up even if it is in certain locals only in Alberta. I have spent quit a bit of time out last fall and this year in Sask but have not seen anything close to those numbers. On the NEGATIVE side of this thread, I would think it is a VERY foolish-if not illegal- to run a dog chasing up sharptails on late nests or with very young chicks. I think they have enough trouble with fox and coyote harassment. A little control of the dog ( and owner ) would be in order, and smart !!!!!!!

I didn't see anywhere on this thread about chasing birds off their nest? Sask. has rules that run from May to July no dog training on game birds for that reason. Pointing out dog training as a major culprit is based has no validity just the usual easy to identify group of people the politicians can control and claim they are actually doing something for the birds. Start rolling up your sleeves and put back habitat control and don't allow the PFRA pastures in Sask to be privatised then start giving advise to dog trainers.........puphood1

[angery jonn]

He may have been speaking in reference to my post. Just to clarify, I'm not running my dog on nesting Sharpies. I happen to be working in the area and need to let my dog get his runs, pee and poop. At no point did I ever go out and intentionaly look for birds! if he goes on point I pull him off and do my best not to flush them. Theres a lot out here right now and I'm just saying he is finding them.

[21 Gun Salute]

numbers on the north Milk River Ridge look good so far this spring, can only hope to have a few more weeks without major hail storms.

[6mm rem]

I've seen lots of sharptails further north in the muskeg . 60 plus bird fllocks east of wabasca. A little harder to hunt mind you.

[H380]

Originally Posted by goldscud

Just for clarification, isn't the sharp tailed grouse seasaon Oct 1-31 in southern Alberta?

Beat me to it ..

[Thinlizzy]

Originally Posted by Brian Bildson

Watched them on a lek this spring. pretty impressive action

Nice pic Brian.

[Rooster Booster]

I should have said first week of October not November. Thanks for pointing that out to me. I remember we saw lots of Pheasants and we could not shoot them. Did see lots of Huns though.

[happy honker]

I used to love chasing sharp tails or "prairie chickens" around growing up in Manitoba.

Once when we were kids...my brother and I were hunting a field, when i watched across the field as he flushed a flock…shot 1 with a 4.10…from the hip!!

I came over and said "great shot, why did you shoot from the hip?"
My brother said…"I forgot my glasses"!!

I think my brothers current hunting partner is Dick Cheney, not me.

Anyhow…I saw a bunch west of Nanton last week…more than I've seen in years….even had 1 do the "follow me….I'm wounded and can't fly" thing after I scared it up in a pasture. That was cool…I'd heard of birds doing this but never experienced it. I must have been real close to the chicks or nest.

[PFKGSP]

Last fall when hunting along the MR Ridge there were so many sharptail that the dogs quit pointing them because we weren't shooting them. It was pretty neat. They would go into the cover and dozens upon dozens of sharptails would leave. They would just ignore them and keep working. Once they went on point we walked in adn it was a pheasant or hun every time.

We easily saw a thousand birds over 3 days. At one point in the late afternoon there were about 400 getting up from one spot.

I think puppyhood is right though. THat was in November and other people hunting there in October saw very few birds. It takes a little weather for them to start grouping up.