Upland Game Indicators Mixed

Early indications of upland bird hunting prospects look a lot like last year'sÑfair to good. Helicopter counts of chukar broods in western Idaho are conducted in the last few days of August. Observations of other game bird species are done in various ways, such as counting sage grouse on their breeding leks in the spring. Pheasant, quail and partridge numbers are estimated from late August roadside surveys. Forest grouse population levels are usually not known until hundreds of hunters take to the woods to find them simply because they are nearly impossible for biologists to effectively count before the season. Grouse harvest trends are assessed at game check stations in September and October. Upland hunting begins with the opening of the forest grouse season September 1. Hunting for forest grouse runs through the end of the year. Dove hunting also starts the first day of September. Sage grouse, partridge and quail seasons begin September 15. Overall, mild winter conditions allowed good carryover of game birds for breeding this spring. A week of cold, wet weather in June across much of Idaho may have affected localized populations. Recently hatched chicks succumb quickly if they are wetted and chilled. Later dry conditions could have held insect numbers down at the time juvenile birds need bugs for a high protein diet. Observations of quail broods in western Idaho indicate another good year, potentially providing better hunting for them than last year. The Southwest and Clearwater Regions provide most of the quail hunting in Idaho. Favorable nesting conditions for pheasant should mean good hunting along the west side of Idaho and eastern Idaho biologists also see signs of a strong pheasant hatch. Hay harvesting in the Magic Valley came during the peak of pheasant nesting, not a good sign for ringneck hunting in that part of Idaho. Another good year for pheasant is predicted in the Lewiston area. Upland game bird hunting has been generally fairly good in recent years in the Upper Snake region and biologists there remain "cautiously optimistic" despite the June storm that laid down one to two inches of snow around Idaho Falls and up to eight inches at Island Park. A mild winter and dry spring in the Southeast Region favored upland production. Conservation Reserve Program fields are also in better condition for birds than they were last year but biologists worry that a dry summer with low insect numbers could have affected brood size. Last year's boom in forest grouse makes the region's biologists wonder "since we never seem to have two good years in a row." Sharptail grouse broods in the Shoshone Basin were hard hit by the June storm and may also have suffered in the Curlew/Rockland area. Sharptails are hunted during the month of October. Chukar counts on the Cecil Andrus Wildlife Management Area will be posted on the Fish and Game web site, http://www2.state.id.us/fishgame/, in mid-September.