USDA Forest Service staff on the Fort Pierre National Grassland have now completed their annual survey of prairie grouse.
This year’s tally is above the long-term average, but the overall population is 85% of 2021’s record-high. The decline was all in the number of greater prairie-chickens males. In spring 2021, 655 males were counted on their display grounds, while only 504 males were found in spring 2022. The number of displaying male sharp-tailed grouse increased from 106 in 2021 to 140 this year.
District Ranger Dan Svingen says they know from other monitoring that prairie grouse reproductive success was poor last year due to the persistent drought and very hot weather in late spring 2021. He says weather patterns over the next eight weeks will have a big impact on grouse populations this autumn as well as on those in spring 2023.
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