North American Grouse Partnership
Always A Perfect Hunt
Source: www.uplandalmanac.com
Published: Sep. 26, 2006
It’s hot! The dogs are eager, but tire fast. Having more than one sure helps. It’s short-sleeve hunting in the early season, but then the wind almost always blows on the prairies to cool you just a bit. The birds are scattered but less wary than they will be in a few more weeks. But the birds are there and the dogs know where.
It will be time to be afield again sooner than most of us will have old dogs ready or new pups started. My fall hunt plans are well under way — and planning is always a promising part of the game.
The weather always cooperates, the birds are always plentiful and hold tight for even the most inexperienced dog, hunting companions are wonderful old or new friends and bag limits are always filled – it’s all part of the plan! Ever consider the diversity of upland birds you could hunt early season in a short span of time? We think about that, those of us who don’t have the luxury of hunting out of our back door.
We have limited time to travel far to walk the prairies. No disrespect, but avoiding the onslaught of pheasant hunters narrows the window. To miss that crowd, you have to be out of the field in Montana by the beginning of October and South Dakota by the middle of that month.
The early seasons open usually near the first of September in Montana and Wyoming, followed in the middle of the month in the Dakotas and Nebraska. So plans begin to take shape and the logistics of setting up and moving bird camp becomes part of the plan. Early season in the higher country of Montana and Wyoming offers woodland birds – ruffed and blue grouse.
This is the time to get familiar again with your gun, build a little stamina and still have a reasonable chance to give the dog birds to retrieve. Montana adds a bonus of sage grouse, sharp-tail, chukar and huns in other habitats.
By mid-month the Dakotas and Nebraska provide my favorite hunting – rolling grasslands as far as the eye can see and farther than most dogs can run. In my humble opinion, this is prairie chicken and sharp-tail hunting at its best. You can do it all, seven species and varied terrain in the span of two weeks.
You only need to move camp once, but then you’d miss the variety of great hunting to be found in this part of the country. Personally, my plan includes quality time with my dog and sampling the very best upland bird recipes roasted over a campfire.
Just two weeks for us distant travelers will store up almost enough memories to carry us through — at least to planning time for next year. A visit to the game and fish department websites of all these states provides complete information of seasons, license fees and in most cases outlooks for the upcoming season.
- Montana: fwp.mt.gov/hunting/planahunt
- South Dakota:www.sdgfp.info/wildlife/hunting/grouse/index.htm
- North Dakota: gf.nd.gov/hunting/small-game.html
- Wyoming: gf.state.wy.us/wildlife/hunting/index.asp Nebraska:www.ngpc.state.ne.us/hunting/guides/planning/grouse.asp
So as I sat by the fire this winter with a dog at my feet, eyes closed (both of us), the perfect bird season was already taking shape in our minds. It requires only patience to wait till opening day. I hope your plans are in the making and this next bird season will be as perfect as I know ours will be!
A Final Word: Prairie grouse populations continue to trend down and future prospects are troubling with new and rapid changes to the landscape. Sound resource policies and good land management won’t happen without the attention and support of all of us who care deeply about the birds and the lands that support them.
Come join with us to help assure that our grandkids will have the same fun planning their hunts and that abundant open country remains where they can follow their dog from bird to bird all the way to the horizon: www.grousepartners.org/joinus.htm.
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