OCTOBER 17, 2023:
Sharp-tailed grouse and greater prairie-chickens– collectively known as prairie grouse– had high reproductive success on the Fort Pierre National Grassland in central South Dakota this summer (2023).
Based on wings collected from hunters during the initial 3 weeks of the 2023 hunting season, the prairie grouse juvenile to adult ratio was 2.11 to 1, which was much improved from 2022’s ratio of 1.64 to 1. Over the last 3 decades, the juvenile to adult prairie grouse ratio has averaged 1.97 to 1.
The juvenile to adult ratio provides biologists with an important index for judging the success of the recently completed nesting season. This year’s calculation was based on 1,217 wings, a record-high sample. Greater-prairie chickens accounted for 78% of the prairie grouse harvested in 2023, compared to 82% in 2022 and the long-term average of 69%.
Jaci Baker, Wildlife Biologist for the Fort Pierre Ranger District, noted: “The high reproductive success we saw this year in our prairie grouse population was due to the good nesting cover and favorable weather conditions throughout the incubation and early brood periods.”
MAY 12, 2023:
An annual survey of prairie grouse on the Fort Pierre National Grassland shows a 5% increase over spring 2022.
District Ranger Dan Svingen says a total of 678 displaying males were tallied in spring 2023. In a reversal of the pattern seen the previous year, he says 2023’s population gains were due solely to greater prairie-chickens, with the number of males increasing from 504 to 575. USDA Forest Service staff counted the number of male sharp-tailed grouse at 103, down from 140 in 2022.
Svingen says relatively good reproductive success in 2022 has allowed the overall prairie grouse population to bounce back to the levels seen in spring 2021. He says hens have abundant nesting cover to choose from this year, but as always, weather patterns in May and June will have a big influence on chick production and survival.
OCTOBER 13, 2022:
Sharp-tailed grouse and greater prairie-chickens had moderate reproductive success this year (2022) on the Fort Pierre National Grassland in central South Dakota.
US Forest Service Rangeland Management Specialist Kelly Waage says wings collected by hunters during the first three weeks of the 2022 hunting season showed an overall juvenile to adult ratio of 1.64 to 1. That ratio is lower than the long-term average of 1.97 to 1, but above the 0.74 to 1 ratio found in autumn 2021.
Waage says the juvenile to adult ratio provides biologists with an index for judging the success of the recently completed nesting season. He says this year’s data was based on a sample of 854 wings, up significantly from last year’s sample of 455 wings and the long-term average (1992-2022) of 615 wings. Greater-prairie chickens accounted for 82% of the birds harvested in 2022, compared to 78% in 2021 and the long-term average of 69%.
MAY 13, 2022:
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.
OCTOBER 14, 2021:
Sharp-tailed grouse and greater prairie-chickens had low reproductive success this year on the Fort Pierre National Grassland in central South Dakota.
District Ranger Dan Svingen says wings collected from six donation boxes on the FPNG during the first three weeks of the 2021 hunting season showed an overall juvenile to adult ratio of 0.74 to 1. Last year’s (2020) ratio was 2.1 to 1. He says the long-term average juvenile to adult ratio, between 1992 and 2021, was 2 juvenile birds harvested for each adult bird harvested.
Svingen says the juvenile to adult ratio provides biologists with an important index for judging the success of the recently completed nesting season. He says this year’s data was based on a sample of 455 wings collected on the FPNG, down significantly from last year’s sample of 1,008 wings and the long-term average (1992-2021) of 607 wings. Greater-prairie chickens accounted for 78% of the birds harvested in 2021, compared to 79% in 2020 and the long-term average of 68%.
Svingen says nesting birds faced tough conditions in 2021, with a very dry spring and early summer. He says they believe the abnormally hot and dry conditions during the peak hatching periods were especially detrimental.
Comments