Prairie Chicken?

[Curly]

My mistake.  I thought prairie chicken was just slang for sage grouse..........  

[boneaddict]

Prairie chickens are closer relatives thus looking like them(sharp-tailed) than the sage grouse.   I have heard of them planting sharpies in the Methow, so.........good likelyhood thats what he saw.   Obviously thats a deduction.

[Da stump]

I grew up in Montana and used to call them sage hens if we are talking about the same bird.  When i was a kid there used to be quite a few of them.  I guess not many made it to the ark.

[rasbo]

I grew up in Montana and used to call them sage hens if we are talking about the same bird.  When i was a kid there used to be quite a few of them.  I guess not many made it to the ark.

x2 thats what we called them in se Idaho..dry frigging meat

[yelp]

Columbian Sharp-tailed grouse and greater Sage Grouse are both natives to Washington.  Columbian Sharp-tailed grouse are located in several areas of Okanogan county...Scotch Creek, Chesaw, Tunk Valley, and places in between.  Sharp-tailed grouse also are located on the COlville reservation, Douglas County, parts of Grant County and Lincoln County  Sage Grouse are primarily located in Douglas County and Yakima Counties.  Sage Grouse are the largest.  They strut on Breeding Leks (dancing grounds)From March to May.  Sharp-tailed grouse dance on breeding leks by stomping feet and moving along ground with wings out like an airplane.  When they flush they make a tuk tuk tuk sound.

[Tom Reichner]

How do you know for sure that it could not be a sage grouse?  Alec did not post pics that I'm aware of.

No one said it couldn't be a Sage Grouse.  Until now . . . if it was near Winthrop, it wasn't a Sage Grouse.  The habitat around the Winthrop area is all wrong for Sage Grouse.  It's a completely different environment than that around Moses Coulee.  There are Sage Grouse in northcentral Washington, but not in the higher, wetter, more wooded areas like Winthrop.   

As for it being a Prairie Chicken, well, it really couldn't have been that, either. They don't even exist in Washington.  According to the Audubon Society, the very nearest Greater Prairie Chicken population is smack dab in the middle of South Dakota - that's half a continent away.  The closest Lesser Prairie Chicken population is down where Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico meet. 

I really look forward to seeing the pictures - hope they get posted soon.

PS:  Here are a couple photos I took a couple weeks ago of a northcentral WA Sage Grouse.  Keep in mind these are very large birds - approximately 3 times bigger than a Sharptail Grouse or a Prairie Chicken (6 to 7 pounds compared to 2 pounds).  It'd be really hard to confuse a Greateer Sage Grouse with any other gamebird.

[bobcat]

Great sage grouse pictures!

[TeacherMan]

Nice pics!!!

[old boat]

I think  he saw a Heath hen! We used to have them back east when I was younger, looks like a sharptail but they used to like the wetter, forrested meadows. Tasted good, easy to catch, but my friends say they're not as numerous as they once were.

[WDFW-SUX]

I want to shoot a sage grouse soooooooo bad

[Tom Reichner]

I want to shoot a sage grouse soooooooo bad

Me too.  Unfortunately, I'll have to be content to "shoot" them with a camera for now.

[alecvg]

I will have pics up tonight or tomarrow.

[yelp]

How do you know for sure that it could not be a sage grouse?  Alec did not post pics that I'm aware of.

No one said it couldn't be a Sage Grouse.  Until now . . . if it was near Winthrop, it wasn't a Sage Grouse.  The habitat around the Winthrop area is all wrong for Sage Grouse.  It's a completely different environment than that around Moses Coulee.  There are Sage Grouse in northcentral Washington, but not in the higher, wetter, more wooded areas like Winthrop.   

As for it being a Prairie Chicken, well, it really couldn't have been that, either. They don't even exist in Washington.  According to the Audubon Society, the very nearest Greater Prairie Chicken population is smack dab in the middle of South Dakota - that's half a continent away.  The closest Lesser Prairie Chicken population is down where Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico meet. 

I really look forward to seeing the pictures - hope they get posted soon.

PS:  Here are a couple photos I took a couple weeks ago of a northcentral WA Sage Grouse.  Keep in mind these are very large birds - approximately 3 times bigger than a Sharptail Grouse or a Prairie Chicken (6 to 7 pounds compared to 2 pounds).  It'd be really hard to confuse a Greateer Sage Grouse with any other gamebird.

Like Tom said process of knowing these birds in their habitat.  Now with that said..there have been reports of Sage grouse around the Brewster Area, parts of the Chiliwist Area may have a report or two.  Sometimes weird things happen.  The shrub-steppe habitat type does go up the valley aways.  Also Sage grouse usually migrate during winter months to lower elevations so that is another reason for not thinking it was a sage grouse.  Prairie Chickens just don't exist in Washington that I am aware of.  I say that what he saw was a Sharp-tailed grouse, Blue grouse, Ruff grouse, Spruce grouse and possibly a Sage Grouse but it would be weird to see one up there.. 

Wyoming is the best chance of shooting a Sage Grouse, not sure about Montana.  We shot a couple back in Wyoming on our antelope hunt.  We got one mounted...pretty sweet. 

Tom nice pics...

[luvtohnt]

I want to shoot a sage grouse soooooooo bad

I got to shoot some in Wyoming 3 years ago. I was useing my uncles over/under and did not open it far enough to cock it, so I missed my first flush. I could have had my limit! O well I may have picture some where. Sorry 

Brandon

[boneaddict]

OUTSTANDING photo op Tom. Thats a dream of mine right there.  I didn't realize we had any in Yakima.  I'd sure like to find them.