UPLAND GAME BIRD HUNTING OUTLOOK                             

Montana's upland game bird hunters appear to have a favorable season of hunting ahead. A mild winter across most of the state resulted in good over-winter survival of birds and spring offered good nesting and brood rearing conditions in most of the state.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials said pheasant, grouse and hun populations in northeastern Montana are expected to be above average and elsewhere upland game bird hunting opportunities will be similar to last year’s. The season for most upland game bird species begins Sept. 1.

"A generally mild winter over much of Montana and a moist spring has resulted in good winter survival and plenty of cover for rearing broods," said Rick Northrup, FWP upland and migratory bird coordinator. "Game bird populations are looking especially good in the northeastern corner of the state."

Northrup said the past several weeks of extremely dry weather could have reduced some insect populations the birds generally rely on going into fall.

"Opportunities across the state will vary, but generally speaking upland game bird hunting this fall should be a very satisfying experience for hunters," he said.

West of the Continental Divide:

Upland game bird hunting in FWP Region 1 around Kalispell is expected to be about average this year. At Ninepipe Wildlife Management Area, pheasant and hun numbers are about average. Turkey numbers in FWP Region 1 are average but access remains difficult. In FWP Region 2 turkey numbers are improved.

In the Missoula area, grouse and pheasant hunting opportunities may be slightly less favorable than last year.

Central Montana:

In the north central portion of the state, around Great Falls and Havre, adult pheasant and grouse populations were in good shape this spring, though production seemed to lag behind expectations. Hun production was also down. The drier weather at the end of June through July may have contributed to low bird production. In north central Montana, pheasant populations should provide some good hunting.

In southwest Montana, around Bozeman, sage grouse populations are slightly improved and sharptailed grouse, huns, chukars, blue grouse and pheasant populations are all expected to be only a little less plentiful than last year.

Eastern Montana:

In the Billings area, pheasant, hun, sage grouse and sharptailed grouse populations should show improvement over last year, while blue and ruffed grouse and chukar numbers may be slightly lower. Turkey numbers will be down as a result of this summer's fires.

In the Glasgow area in northeastern Montana, grouse and pheasant numbers are expected to be above average again this year, though turkey hunting may be slightly off from last year.

Near Miles City, in the southeast, turkey, grouse and pheasant hunting opportunities are looking good and hunters may find even more birds than last year in some places.

"With birds, every variable is important, including winter weather, spring precipitation, temperature, cover, and the abundance of insects. All play a role in upland game bird survival and production," Northrup said. "That is why there can be so much variability across the state and why it can be difficult to forecast populations for specific areas. Generalizations seem to be the rule."

             The FWP 2006 Upland Game Bird Outlook table below is a "dip stick" approach for hunters curious about what they might find in the field. These general trends are based on observations by FWP field biologists.

While helpful, the best way to be an informed bird hunter is to scout your hunting area in advance in late summer and early fall.

-fwp-

In the table, the numbers in the cells represent the size of the population in 2006, using a scale of 1-10, with 10 being high.  A plus sign represents an increase, a minus sign is a decrease and an equal sign means the numbers are about the same as in 2005.