SAGE GROUSE REBOUND!!!

elkassassin · Dec 12, 2016

This Last Saturday Morning was Perfect for Counting/Getting an Idea of How many Sage Grouse there are in a Certain Area on the South Slope!

This Same Area Has been Suffering the last several Years!

But after what I Seen Saturday Morning I Can Say the Birds have made a Perty Good Rebound in this area!

I Counted over 200 Birds in a 2 Mile Stretch!

Wondering if anybody else is seeing an Increase in the Prairie Chickens?

The Thoughts of their Taste from 20-25 Years ago was Still Not Impressing Me!

I'm a Thinking with More Rabbits the last few Years the Coyotes might of decided:

I Ain't Eatin a Prairie Chicken as long as there's a Choice!

What You Think?

[font color="blue"]She put a Big F.U. in My Future,Ya She's got a
way with Words[/font]

Blank · Dec 13, 2016

We have a healthy population all around the alfalfa fields where I take Predator antelope hunting. See them every morning and evening, but the attraction is water I believe. If you go out in the sage desert, there is not nearly as many as in decades past, when flocks of 50 birds were common. Creeks have been diverted for small power plants, water holes have been allowed to dry up, because they don't graze as many cows out there, and large wildfires have burned the critical higher sagebrush, being replaced by cheat grass and other non-cover weeds.

As far as eating them, I still believe it is a good way to waste a can of cream of mushroom soup!

CAelknuts · Dec 13, 2016

You guys are gonna laugh, but even sage grouse can be made to taste good...

When we hunt sage grouse, we carry bottles of cold water in our vests. As soon as we shoot a bird, we gut it and wash the cavity with cold water, then put the grouse in game bag with a couple frozen 'Blue Ice' blocks. As soon as we get back to the truck, they go straight into the ice chest.

Once home, I skin and remove the breasts. Then, they go into a brine, to soak for at least 8 hours. After that, grilled medium rare on the grill and they actually taste good enough that my kids have asked for seconds.

Kinda like some ducks, if you take good care of them and prepare them well, they're better than a lot of people realize.

SnowsNBlues · Dec 13, 2016

Hey Elk, I use to get out there your way just to hunt those sage chickens.But that was almost 20 years ago.I loved hunting them.Glad to hear they may be coming back a little.And we Always gutted them out and got them on Ice.And we loved em.I use to hunt ducks out in the basin a little years ago.I have heard some guys are shooting a lot of geese there this year.But probably on private land.you got any duck connections these days?

happytohunt · Dec 13, 2016

Back in the olden days, my grandmother would fix sage chicken and dumplings...tweren't bad at all...hth

woodruffhunter · Dec 13, 2016

Cat:

There are quite a few up this way. I ate one- once!

After that experience, I retired from hunting them.

Quackers and Sage Hens do not belong on the dinner plate!!

elkassassin · Dec 13, 2016

I Hear Ya woodruff!

The Taste of them Big Ole Bombers have not left my Mouth in 2-1/2 Decades!

I Can't Handle the Thoughts of Eating Them Raw Either like CaElk & FLEH Does!

I Wonder How Much you have to Drink to Eat a Raw Quacker or Prairie Chicken?

[font color="blue"]She put a Big F.U. in My Future,Ya She's got a
way with Words[/font]

woodruffhunter · Dec 14, 2016

> I Hear Ya woodruff!
>
>The Taste of them Big Ole
>Bombers have not left my
>Mouth in 2-1/2 Decades!
>
>I Can't Handle the Thoughts of
>Eating Them Raw Either like
>CaElk & FLEH Does!

>
>I Wonder How Much you have
>to Drink to Eat a
>Raw Quacker or Prairie Chicken?

>

A couple gallons of gas!!!

MulePacker · Dec 14, 2016

You all must come from the rich part of town. I ate so many sage chickens as a kid I acquired a taste for them or maybe my mom was just a better cook than yours. I miss not having a chicken dinner a few Sunday's each fall.

elkassassin · Dec 14, 2016

>You all must come from the
>rich part of town. I
>ate so many sage chickens
>as a kid I acquired
>a taste for them or
>maybe my mom was just
>a better cook than yours.
>I miss not having a
>chicken dinner a few Sunday's
>each fall.

Hey MulePacker!

Your Memory must be Fading?

Pine Chickens are way Better than Sage Chickens!

Actually if You can Shoot the Young ones instead of the Big Ole Bombers there's quite a difference in Taste & Blackness!

[font color="blue"]She put a Big F.U. in My Future,Ya She's got a
way with Words[/font]

DeerHunter53 · Dec 15, 2016

we were up hunting in the Northern region by Idaho a few years ago maybe three and we ran into a huge flock at least once every day. Most Sage hens I have seen in years.
We would always eat them the same day we shot them as it seemed as though once you froze them they were terrible.