Sage grouse: A bird on the bubble
Submitted Photo - - The last time North Dakota hunters could pursue sage grouse was 2007. Game and Fish biologists counted 159 male sage grouse on leks that year. By 2008 the count dipped to 77 and sage grouse season was closed. Just 69 males were counted in the spring of 2009.
The numbers tell the story. Sage grouse have experienced a 90 percent population decline and have lost 50 percent of their habitat in the past 100 years. If the trend is not reversed soon, the nation’s largest grouse seems destined to be become a novelty in a few select areas of the West. North Dakota retains a small population of sage grouse, the remnants of a larger number of birds that existed in the state just a few short years ago. North Dakota has never been a major player on the sage grouse stage, sharing minimal numbers of sage grouse with South Dakota, Colorado, Utah, California and Washington, but nevertheless has always been home to small numbers of sage grouse. Larger populations of sage grouse reside in Wyoming, Nevada, Montana, Oregon and Idaho. The attack on sage grouse and their habitat has come from many directions. In Wyoming thousands of acres of high bush sage required for sage grouse survival has been lost to oil wells, gas wells, pipelines and roads.
» Full StorySage grouse vanish with the West
Ever since I first saw them, I’ve been fascinated with sage grouse. My first personal encounter with sage grouse occurred during my first deer hunt, a mule deer hunt in the North Dakota Badlands.
» Full StoryBRIEFS - Bighorn, elk, moose applications coming due
Applications for this fall’s bighorn sheep, elk and moose hunting seasons must be in the mail and postmarked before midnight March 17.
» Full StoryDAKOTA REC REPORT - March 12, 2010
OUTDOOR NOTES
Saturday: Spring crow season opens.
Monday: Permanent ice houses must be off area lakes but can be used if removed daily. Darkhouse spearing season closes.
April 1: New fishing licenses due.
The quest for the 'perfect dog'
MENOKEN -- It may not seem probable that a dog trainer who has 13 field trial champions in two different breeds to his credit, and who has trained hundreds of dogs, would still be seeking the “perfect” dog -- but he is.
» Full StoryMunicipal moose
Residents of the city of Minot have entertained moose within the city limits for much of another winter. Despite the fact that moose have been making appearances in Minot for a number of years, their presence still attracts plenty of attention.
» Full Story
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