SAGE CHICKENS???

elkassassin · Nov 28, 2014

Wondering How many of you Guys seen some this year & How many?

I thought the Few that I knew about around here were completely gone until a couple weeks ago!

Went up early one Morning to look for PISSCUTTER Bucks!

You gotta be the first vehicle up this road to see them!

I hadn't seen any all Fall!

The Flock has been getting Smaller & Smaller for years!

But Headed up Early that Morning I seen 4-5 Small Bunches!

About 25 Birds in all!

The Same area use to Hold a couple hundred Birds!

They're in Small enough numbers now the Predators could easily wipe them out!

I've still got a Bad Taste in my mouth from the last big Bomber I ate!

Don't Think I'll ever shoot another one!

Probably never be legal again!

Seems the Pine/Blue Chickens have been doing Perty Good the last few years!

Just wondering what You Guys & Gals have seen as far as Sage Chickens?

[font color="redhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMsueOnu0kY

tailchasers · Nov 29, 2014

We got a pretty fair population of them north of town near the south side of the monument. Most that we see are near the tops of the big saged drainages. See a couple dozen every year in 3 of 4 groups. I have yet to taste one of them birds but others have stated as you about them not being very palatable so I think I'll take your advise into this as well.

"Courage is being scared to death but
saddling up anyway."

NVBighorn · Nov 29, 2014

Bess, dont you know? They are going extinct. If you closed that road and turned it all into wilderness they would flourish. Just ask USFWS and Harry Reid.

I have deer and elk hunted the same unit for the last five years at the same time of year. We saw more sagehen this year than the other years. And that has always been quite a few. But wait, theres a drought, over grazing, too many hunters, atvs and its not wilderness. Hmmmm...

[font color="blue"]I don't make the soup,I just stir it.[/font]

2lumpy · Nov 29, 2014

This lek varies between 60 and 80 males, from year to year. We've got sage grouse in all directions, some populations are larger than others. I've been watching different groups, in different areas, since I arrive here in 1975, from an purely empirical observation, I've not been seen any significant change, in the last 39 years.

I have, on occasion, thought that some areas have lost their populations, only to find them there again the next year. Not all areas have large groups but from what I can tell, in 39 years, those area never have had large groups. I think some environments are able to hold larger populations than others but it's hard to tell what these locations may have held 200 years ago, before we Europeans showed up. From the histories of the early fur trappers I've read, I don't believe there was much to be seen back in the early 1800's, at least in our neighborhood. Their journal's all complain about not being able to find anything to eat, as they travelled through this part of the country.

DC

elkassassin · Nov 29, 2014

Hey tail!

I still think you should shoot yourself a Big Ole Bomber & Eat every Ounce of it!

>We got a pretty fair population
>of them north of town
>near the south side of
>the monument. Most that we
>see are near the tops
>of the big saged drainages.
>See a couple dozen every
>year in 3 of 4
>groups. I have yet to
>taste one of them birds
>but others have stated as
>you about them not being
>very palatable so I think
>I'll take your advise into
>this as well.
>
>"Courage is being scared to death
>but
>saddling up anyway."

[font color="redhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMsueOnu0kY

CAelknuts · Nov 29, 2014

Bess, you must not know how to cook wild game very well. I recall that you don't like ducks either. I've cooked more than a few sage grouse over the years and the only complaint I've gotten is running out of them. Of course, we take very good care of ours. We clean them immediately as soon as we retrieve them, wash them out with cold water and get them in the cooler ASAP. Then, I brine the breasts before grilling them. We love them.

Ducks are even better!

rutnbuck · Nov 30, 2014

Seen more Sage this year then Ruffs and Fool Chickens. Can't taste any worse then the crow ya eat. Cook it like ya cook a kidney! (Boil the Piss out of it) Rutnbuck

elkassassin · Nov 30, 2014

EASY there Rut!

I've never said eating Crow tasted Bad!

[font color="redhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMsueOnu0kY

rutnbuck · Nov 30, 2014

Had one once think I would rather eat musk rat or skunk!

Rutnbuck

elkassassin · Nov 30, 2014

Hey Rut!

CAelknuts is gonna School you on how to Cook them one of these days!

[font color="redhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMsueOnu0kY

tailchasers · Nov 30, 2014

Even with the encouraging words of the palatability of these birds from Rutnbuck I'll have to pass. Perhaps a 5th of whiskey might help?

"Courage is being scared to death but
saddling up anyway."

elkassassin · Nov 30, 2014

Come on tail!

If you don't Hurry Obama will have them on the ESA & You'll never know what they Taste like!

You Need to know!

[font color="redhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMsueOnu0kY

Stonefly · Nov 30, 2014

We saw several groups over our Deer hunt, Mostly 4-5 birds, but in one group there must have been 25 -30. Kind of surprised me to see this many with all the coyotes around. BTW there are 3 less coyotes there after last weekend. hehehehe. When I was a kid on the folks place near Big Piney we had "Chicken Dinner" often. I wish I knew how my Mom cooked them, they were tender and tasted good. Now if I cook them they taste good but they are tougher than boot leather.

elkassassin · Nov 30, 2014

But Stone?

Were they Sage?

Or Pine?

[font color="redhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMsueOnu0kY

wildfin · Nov 30, 2014

I to have eaten many,gut them in the field and best eaten that day and always top eating.I have seen a lot of them this year not really more or less,but to me it will be a great loss to see these birds gone,deer may soon follow that trend,there would be a lot more of them if you could run your car with them.

Stonefly · Nov 30, 2014

they were sage Bess, All way out in the sagebrush and about 2 times as big as a pine hen. There have always been a few between Antimony and Tom best. Its just that there were more than usual this year.

elkassassin · Nov 30, 2014

I have ate Young/same year Hatch Sage Chickens that I could Gut!

Never tasted a BOMBER I could handle!

[font color="redhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMsueOnu0kY

Roy · Nov 30, 2014

Sage Chickens - Did you see the size of them sage chickens?

HOOK 'EM!
_______________________________________

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elkassassin · Nov 30, 2014

BOMBERS Roy!

BOMBERS!

BLACK MEATED BOMBERS I SHOULD SAY!

[font color="redhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMsueOnu0kY

Castnshoot · Nov 30, 2014

The Sage Grouse studys buisness is huge. Thousands of people make a full time living off these birds.

Too bad Mule deer can't get so much love.

Read some first hand observations of some of the ups and downs of these chickens.

http://www.rangemagazine.com/specialreports/range-su12-sage_grouse.pdf

CAelknuts · Nov 30, 2014

LAST EDITED ON Dec-01-14 AT 00:23AM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Dec-01-14 AT 00:22?AM (MST)

>Hey Rut!
>
>CAelknuts is gonna School you on
>how to Cook them one
>of these days!

>
Hey Bessie, I converted FLEH into a lover of ducks! He used to think they were awful, like you do. Then he started coming out here to shoot them with me, had a few duck dinners and now he loves them. For starters, you DON'T cook them like kidneys. Boiled.... Yuck!

eelgrass · Nov 30, 2014

Castnshoot, in a lot of ways the Sage Grouse is the new Spotted Owl.

They finally ran off those environmentally destructive loggers around here and replaced them with weed. This video shows just the tip of the iceberg. Every red dot is an illegal grow.

The salmon streams they cried about the loggers destroying are now dry, mostly because of illegal water diversion for their pot. Nobody seems to care about it.

How safe would someone feel if they came to northern California to deer hunt? Good luck.

It's written in the good Book that we'll never be asked to take more than we can. Sounds like a good plan, so bring it on!

NVBighorn · Dec 1, 2014

Wow eel! That's crazy. Thanks for sharing that. Maybe we should make sage grouse illegal. If you created a market for them they would flourish.

[font color="blue"]I don't make the soup,I just stir it.[/font]

Tikka · Dec 1, 2014

>LAST EDITED ON Dec-01-14
>AT 00:23?AM (MST)
>
>LAST EDITED ON Dec-01-14
>AT 00:22?AM (MST)
>
>>Hey Rut!
>>
>>CAelknuts is gonna School you on
>>how to Cook them one
>>of these days!

>>
>Hey Bessie, I converted FLEH
>into a lover of ducks!
> He used to think
>they were awful, like you
>do. Then he started coming
>out here to shoot them
>with me, had a few
>duck dinners and now he
>loves them. For starters,
>you DON'T cook them like
>kidneys. Boiled.... Yuck!
>

Hey I like ducks as well but I'm always up for a new recipie if ya don't mind?

elkassassin · Dec 1, 2014

Hey CAelk!

I sure remember that!

You heard from FLEH lately?

Them Quackers looked a little on the RARE side?

Don't know that I could eat a Bomber RARE but it surely couldn't be any worse than one that was cooked?

>LAST EDITED ON Dec-01-14
>AT 00:23?AM (MST)
>
>LAST EDITED ON Dec-01-14
>AT 00:22?AM (MST)
>
>>Hey Rut!
>>
>>CAelknuts is gonna School you on
>>how to Cook them one
>>of these days!

>>
>Hey Bessie, I converted FLEH
>into a lover of ducks!
> He used to think
>they were awful, like you
>do. Then he started coming
>out here to shoot them
>with me, had a few
>duck dinners and now he
>loves them. For starters,
>you DON'T cook them like
>kidneys. Boiled.... Yuck!
>

[font color="redhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMsueOnu0kY

elkassassin · Dec 1, 2014

You're Probably Right NVB!

About 12 years ago I seen a Guy Walking Ridges out South & he had a Big Antenna & Tracking Box!

I said;What are you doing?

He said Tracking Sage Chickens!

It'd be interesting to know how much money has been wasted on this Sage Chicken Study?

HELL SAKES!

Plant/Reintroduce & let live what will live!

Them Big Black Ravens that are Protected & you can't shoot are some Egg Eatin SOB's!

No!

I'm no Biologist!

But GEEZUS!

>Wow eel! That's crazy. Thanks for
>sharing that. Maybe we should
>make sage grouse illegal. If
>you created a market for
>them they would flourish.
>
>
>[font color="blue"]I don't make the soup,I
>just stir it.[/font]

[font color="redhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMsueOnu0kY

O_S_O_K · Dec 3, 2014

2lumpy, PM sent!

I will add that I have noticed a small decline on the Lek I visit each spring, but I think some of that has to do with the multiple idiots that show up there every morning and scare them away before they can really get started.

"The problem with quotes on Internet Forums is that it is often difficult to verify their authenticity." - Abraham Lincoln

fly4fish · Dec 4, 2014

Killed one, cleaned it, and then cooked it on tinfoil once. One of the most tender and unique (not bad)tasting birds I have eaten. Hard to believe the negativity on edibility. I would do it again in a heart beat.

NVBighorn · Dec 4, 2014

Birds of the year arent bad. But some of those old bombers that stand about three feet tall and show a big black chest when they jump are not the best thing Ive ever eaten. My cousin always described that kind as "a big ol' bruise" when speaking of the meat.

[font color="blue"]I don't make the soup,I just stir it.[/font]

elkassassin · Dec 4, 2014

Hey fly4fish?

How many days did you say it had been since your last Meal?

>Killed one, cleaned it, and then
>cooked it on tinfoil once.
> One of the most
>tender and unique (not bad)tasting
>birds I have eaten. Hard
>to believe the negativity on
>edibility. I would do it
>again in a heart beat.
>

[font color="redhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMsueOnu0kY