Sage-Grouse Results Mixed

The opening weekend of sage-grouse hunting season produced a mix of results around Idaho. Hunting for the native game bird was good in the Upper Snake Region where the bag limit was increased from one to two birds for this fall. Hunter numbers there were up substantially, from 490 last year to 660 and the number of birds checked went from 307 to 589. Hours hunted for birds bagged dropped from 6.3 to 4.8. Results were less encouraging in other regions. Hunter numbers were small in the Southeast Region where most of the region except for the Curlew Grasslands was closed to hunting. Hunter numbers and birds bagged were down in the Magic Valley Region. Hunter numbers actually rose by two, from 135 to 137 in the Southwest Region but the number of birds bagged fell slightly. The total of sage-grouse checked in Idaho on opening weekend was 903.