Sage Grouse

mnmthunting

mnmthunting

Banned
Sage Grouse
Spent a week out in Montana, shed hunting and covered a lot of ground.
One of the things I wanted to see during the trip was a Sage Grouse Lek.
I was hiking up 1 long ravine nearing the top. Thought I heard a boom, boom, boom way off. Stopped to listen, my heart was pounding somewhat from the climb couldn't tell what I thought I was hearing. My plan was to cross this sage flat to the head of the next ravine then down to where the truck was parked on the 2 track. Anyway I came across this small prairie dog town and there they were, the area was alive with male grouse. I stayed back and watched the show through the binos. I counted 36 males and more showing up from everywhere. These two came right out in front of me.
Wish I had a better camera.
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I found sheds too.
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Results from the trip
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Very nice. Getting in on the sage grouse on their lek is awesome. My farm hand was in the middle of the lesser prairie chicken booming last week. My wife and I will try to slip up on some LPC today. I told my farm hand, "Very few people in this world have ever witnesses prairie grouse on the lek, so count yourself very fortunate."

Nice sheds also.
 
Nice trip!!! I've seen the Greater Prairie Chickens boom, but sage grouse would be neat! What a load of antlers. There must not be as much competition there as there is here.
 
It was a great trip. The sheds are from my week in Montana. Lots of walking involved. It's getting harder because of the popularity of shed hunting.

Stockponds are full of water and full of ducks. The grouse seem to be plentiful.

Pheasants seem to have taken a hit out there. I got a chance to do some hiking in the pheasant country and was disappointed.
 
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