South Dakota Sage Grouse Hunting

Photo by Doug Backlund

South Dakota Greater Sage-Grouse Management Plan

The Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is the largest of all North American grouse, and often referred to as sagehen, sage chicken, or sage cock.  In this text, the term sage grouse refers to the Greater Sage-Grouse.  An adult male can weigh in excess of 5 pounds and measure 27-34 inches in length, while the adult female can weigh between 2-3 pounds and measure 18-24 inches.  Both the male and female sage grouse have a grayish-brown appearance, narrow pointed tail feathers, and feathering to the toes.  An adult male is distinguished by a dark throat surrounded by a V-shaped area of white on the neck.  Under the white feathers, 2 skin sacs of a yellow-green coloration can be found which are inflated and used during courtship displays.  The males also posses yellow eyecombs which are very obvious during courtship display activities.  The females do not have the distinct colored features of males; however still resemble the general coloration of males.

Western South Dakota is considered the most easterly fringe of the sage grouse range in the United States.  Sage grouse are only found in areas where adequate sagebrush is available to meet habitat and biological needs.  Within South Dakota, the vast majority of sage grouse are found in Harding and Butte counties, with smaller numbers found in western Perkins and Meade counties and one isolated lek in Fall River County between Edgemont and the Wyoming border.

As a sagebrush obligate species, sage grouse rely upon this specific plant species to meet most of its habitat needs to complete all aspects of its annual life cycles.  During the reproductive (breeding, nesting, brood-rearing) time of the year, sagebrush plays critical, yet different roles.  Cleared areas surrounded by sagebrush are often used as “leks”, where the sagebrush provides cover and food during times of loafing and feeding.  More often than not, sage grouse nests are located under sagebrush intermixed with grass, providing the appropriate concealment characteristics.  Sagebrush also provides brood-rearing habitat by supplying canopy cover and succulent food sources.  In respect to winter habitat, sagebrush is essential as sage grouse rely almost entirely on the leaves for food and plant structure for cover.

Harvest Management
The sage grouse hunting season in South Dakota is very restrictive:  2 day season in late September (Wednesday and Thursday), 1 bird season limit per hunter, and only on public lands (U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, State School and Public Lands, and private land leased by SD GF&P for public hunting as Walk-In Area) in all of Harding and those located west of US Highway 85 in Butte County.

Because of the low number of sage grouse present in South Dakota, there is a sector of the public which believes an annual hunting season adds unnecessary mortality to an already distressed bird population.  On the other hand, the restrictive 2-day season is looked upon as a trophy hunt to a small but avid group of grouse hunters.  However, setting aside the social issues involved with a season, research suggests that a harvest of less then 10% of the annual fall population will not have a negative impact on the population, and most importantly the following spring breeding population. 

Although a fall population can only be estimated, sage grouse harvest in South Dakota is well below that 10% mark as an average of 18 birds per year are harvested, which is less than 5% of the total males counted on spring leks.  Using an estimate of 1,500 birds comprising the spring population of 2007, less than 1% of that population was harvested.  If future spring lek counts determine significant decreases in bird numbers, the hunting season will need to be evaluated and determined if a restrictive season can continue.

Learn more about Sage Grouse

• Population Dynamics and Current Status
• Issues and Concerns
• South Dakota Sage Grouse Management, Recent Research.