No Sharp-Tailed Grouse Hunting Season In Wisconsin For Fall 2020

MILWAUKEE, WI — Citing concerns over population viability, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says there will be no sharp-tailed grouse hunting season this fall. With no permits available, no applications will be made available or accepted this year.

State officials said the Sharp-tailed Grouse Advisory Committee uses spring mating survey data to recommend permit levels for the sharp-tailed grouse hunting season to the department's Bureau of Wildlife Management leadership team. According to state officials, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, surveys were unable to be fully completed.

Without a complete 2020 survey of the sharp-tailed grouse population, the committee made its recommendation based on the spring 2019 survey results, the limited 2020 data that was available and a scientific population model, which showed the potential for a marked decrease in sharp-tailed grouse numbers.

Wisconsin has a strong, storied connection to sharp-tailed grouse hunting, Wisconsin DNR officials say. According to the DNR, work is ongoing to restore and manage the young forest and barrens habitats that sharp-tailed grouse depend upon for their survival.

State officials say they're holding out optimism that the population will respond positively to restoration efforts, and that Wisconsin will experience an increase in sharp-tailed grouse population data in future years.

More information on sharp sharp-tailed grouse hunting and management is available here." The Sharp-tailed grouse survey data can be found here.