Eastern Idaho: Columbian Sharptail Safari

Say the words sharp-tailed grouse and most bird hunters think of the windswept prairies of the Dakotas, the Sand hills of Nebraska or perhaps the high lonesome of eastern Montana.

- Rob Morris

Historically though, seven subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse were found in two thirds of the lower 48 states from Michigan to California, Alaska and in the Canadian provinces from Quebec west to the Yukon Territories. The New Mexico sharp tail subspecies was declared extinct in 1952, leaving six, some with huntable populations and others reduced to only remnants of their former populations. Good populations of sharp tails still exist in the northern Plains states, eastern Montana and Alaska, as well the Intermountain West.

Many bird hunters are surprised that the Mountain West states of Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Colorado boast huntable populations of sharp-tailed grouse. The subspecies found there is the Columbian sharp tail, first noticed and categorized as a different subspecies from the Plains sharp tail by none other than Lewis and Clark. Of those four states, Idaho is reported to have some of the most robust populations and the longest season. As of press time, the season runs from Oct. 1–31 with roughly the eastern third of the state open to hunting. And the daily bag limit is two birds per day, four in possession. While there are more commonalties among sharp tail subspecies than differences, there are some unique habits of the Columbian subspecies that can make hunting for them a challenge. At times, the Columbian subspecies can be found near ruffed grouse habitat.

Habits and Habitats