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Upland Idaho Forum - Sage Grouse Hunt
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BlakDeth
Hungarian Partridge>300 Posts
USA
364 Posts |
 Posted - 10/05/2011 : 15:37:28
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Got a chance to go after sage grouse and my boy got wind of it. He let me know in no uncertain terms that he would be coming along. We headed a bit north of home and jumped out in a really neat area that burned around 25 years ago. It is really healing well now and is a great area for a walk. It was hot and the dog work faulty, but a good walk for me and the boy. His eyes lit up when I showed him some way up in the sky cruising in to a feeding area. We went after them and Remy bumped a single about the time Easton and I did, so I got to show my boy one up close.
I'm a little emotional when it comes to sage grouse and their problems because of the way I grew up hunting them. That is why I'm so sensitive to the management of our public lands. I sat down with Easton and explained very carefully that it was important to me that he remember this day we got to spend together observing and hunting such a fascinating species. My hope is that someday he'll get to tell his grandchildren of the day that he and I hunted this impressive bird and how he held an animal that may be extinct by the time he tells the story. I certainly hope that doesn't happen and recent potential for change in the way federal lands are managed makes me a little more optimistic. Here's to hoping for their strong return. I sure like having them around.
Would really like to have a mature tom mounted while we can still hunt them. Went out in the rain this morning but Remy intentionally pushed the only one in range and I didn't shoot. It was a youngster so the decision wasn't hard. May get out one more time on Friday (closing day) since our mtn goat hunt was delayed. |
"Blakdeth is flat out wrong."
-harold |
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Shrthrcrzy
Supporting Member
USA
612 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2011 : 18:58:17
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Awesome! Thats a great story.
I rescently talked to a retired BLM guy who was in charge of a large part of Northeast Oregon. He was a biologist at one time, and did a big study on the sage grouse in the early 90's. He told me that they put cameras on numerous sage grouse nests, and they found that the biggest cause of sage grouse mortality was crows. He said crows will run the female off the nest and eat the eggs. He said the increase in crow populations in sage grouse areas are their demise. He said BLM and USFW has known about this for years and havent said anything. I don't know what their agenda is, but sounds like some crows need to be shot. Working for a similar agency and having friends with BLM and USFW, I inquired about this little known fact. The USFW person I talked to said its true, crows destroy a lot of Sage hen nests.
Sage Grouse was the first birds I ever shot over a pointer. I got lucky and killed two sentries the first time hunting them. I feel very fortunate, and though I haven't hunted them since I have always loved them and thought they were a neat bird. Hopefully there plight gets better with time. |
" Never kick a fresh Turd on a hot day"
-Harry Truman |
Edited by - Shrthrcrzy on 10/05/2011 21:17:49 |
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wingnut
Supporting Memeber - Boulder Roller
USA
478 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2011 : 20:31:09
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Good stuff BD,great pic. I to find the Sagegrouse fascinating.
I been out chaseing them Bombers the last couple of afternoons myself, been seeing plenty of em and almost took a crack at a huge one, I could of sluiced him in the road no problem but just let him be i was pretty sure I would see more and I did see plenty, but
the only ones I had any good shots on were young-uns so I passed, them older ones kept giving me the slip.
Like you I just want a big ol male to get mounted.
Think I'm gonna head out to a very cool spot tomorrow lots of birds and a bunch of arrowheads to-boot, my buddies hunted it the first couple days of opener said they seen over 150 birds.
You might of already seen this,CONSERVATIONISTS WIN SAGEGROUSE RULING
http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005138841
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situk
Supporting Member
USA
533 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2011 : 08:56:44
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Hey BD,
Great looking kid, dog, and bird, I am glad you were able to cherish the moment. I too spent a lot of time with my son hunting and enjoying the outdoors and now he is off to Texas with his studies. Each email he reminds me of how much he misses the adventures together. They grow up fast—carpe diem.
Todd
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Todd Petersen
Supporting Member |
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BlakDeth
Hungarian Partridge>300 Posts
USA
364 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2011 : 06:47:40
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Sage grouse have a lot of predators, no doubt. Ravens have been well documented to exert a lot of pressure on nesting gamebirds, including sage grouse. I don't think crows have much contact with sage grouse, they're more normally associated with urban areas. Ravens, magpies, badgers, skunks, foxes, ground squirrels, snakes, and hunters will all predate eggs, chicks and adults every chance they get, but then again they always have. My take is that predators exert and influence, sure, they helped mold the sage grouse into what it is today. In the absence of healthy habitat predators can exert a troublesome influence on a species and can prevent low populations from rebounding. So I think that predators are a contributing factor to a much bigger problem, a healthy place to live. Rangeland management in the last 150 years or so has led to conditions that convert sage grouse habitat to annual grasslands that burn too frequently for the sage (that sage grouse require) to recover. They are simply running out of viable places to live across the western U.S., my opinion. Once they reach a point that larger populations are isolated from each other I think we'll see the species begin to disappear much more quickly. In Idaho I don't think most sportsman recognize that they are in trouble because, locally, sage grouse are still fairly abundant. We can still hunt them in a limited fashion. But there are vast areas across the west where they were at one time abundant and they have vanished. It will be a sad day when we realize that a North American game species could not be rescued from extinction because we didn't realize they ran out of places to live in time. Other species are suffering as well, they're just not as high profile an animal as the sage grouse so we don't hear about them as often (examples: pygmy rabbit, burrowing owl, slickpot peppergrass).
At the same time, recent developments like the one WingNut provided give me some hope that the tide will turn in time for rangeland habitat to benefit. Rangeland stakeholders are currently working hard to create solutions that balance the needs of all users of rangeland. I'm crossing my fingers. |
"Blakdeth is flat out wrong."
-harold |
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BlakDeth
Hungarian Partridge>300 Posts
USA
364 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2011 : 06:52:09
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| Todd, carpe diem, I like that! The boy does a great job hiking for his age. At times I'd like to go further but he is extremely happy when we're out together so it is well worth it. Thanks for the reminder that it will slip away all to quickly. |
"Blakdeth is flat out wrong."
-harold |
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situk
Supporting Member
USA
533 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2011 : 08:40:18
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BD,
What a great write-up on sage grouse. I know they are in trouble and should be considered a trophy and a privilege to harvest.
As I was reading your post I realized that sage grouse are a ONE ECOSYSTEM BIRD, without sage brush they cannot survive. Then I thought I am a one ecosystem system dude, I certainly need the great outdoors and sporting lifestyle for my survival, mostly. It certainly is essential for my happiness. Keep up the great posts.
Todd
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Todd Petersen
Supporting Member |
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Sage Grouse Hunt
