Lives most of its life above timberline. Thanks very much for the note. They do not return to the nest. However, there are still opportunities in the lower 48, as well. Within 6-12 hours of hatching, the female leads her clutch of 4-8 chicks to food sources where they are able to feed themselves. The White-tailed Ptarmigan subsists mainly on willow buds during the winter months. They are a very interesting and tough bird to live at such extreme elevation. The elk bugle across the hills. Prices Include: - 5 Days of Guided Hunting - 1 Day Travel through Alaska - Shotgun shells - Bird Prep/Cleaning - Lodging - Breakfast & Lunch - Airport pick-up and drop-off - All Transportation during hunt Tall bushes are an important feature for willow ptarmigan. $3,650 per person . OutWest Guides is one of the only Colorado outfitter to offer this unique horseback upland bird hunt for blue grouse and ptarmigan in the Colorado Rockies. Thank Heavens! White-tailed ptarmigan are native to Colorado’s subalpine tundra that exists above the tree-line…11,500 ft or so here in Colorado. They can pick up and fly from one 14,000 foot peak to the next in a moments notice which can make them seem like they’re here today and gone mañana. Nov 15, 2014 - Explore this photo titled White-tailed Ptarmigan by Connor Stefanison (@connorstefanison) on 500px They’re famous for being virtually invisible when they stand still against the windswept rocks, low shrubs, and snowbanks of their high-mountain habitat. Cinder was quartering nicely in front of me and Gretchen at 11.5 yrs old was gone…she was taking a nice cast off yonder. White-tailed Ptarmigan. Unforgiving Locales . Gretchen had moved on and was 50 yards below me. ( Log Out / Suddenly another white bird rocketed up right between my feet headed for the boulder field. Cinder made a beautiful retriever to hand. One of the few creatures that live on alpine mountaintops almost their whole life, the white-tailed ptarmigan is the smallest bird in the grouse family. Migration Status. Hope you’re getting out this fall! WHO IS THE BEST WRITER ON GROUSE HUNTING? Thus…they have a very dark but delicious breast meat. The rock ptarmigan’s distribution is similar to that of the willow, though the willow ptarmigan is typically found in the moister, more densely vegetated portions of their collective range. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. White-tailed ptarmigan are native to Colorado’s subalpine tundra that exists above the tree-line…11,500 ft or so here in Colorado. It’s worth the hunt and I’d love to take you some time above the treeline. I almost came south for a 2nd attempt at ptarm, but with a 7-month old setter, I am going to give her another year to grow up. The air up there lacks a few O’s. They nest above timberline in the alpine tundra of western mountains, and are the only birds in North America that spend their entire … Sorry about your gun, that country is beautiful and unforgiving. Horseback adventure in the wilderness. My Garmin vibrated again and I noticed Cinder on point over near some stunted firs and then watched more ptarmigan flush. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. While the other ptarmigan are strictly northern, this one follows the cordillera of the high Rockies as far south as New Mexico. I started to high step it in hopes that there was a few stragglers. Ptarmigan Hunting. Beautiful birds. How hard can hunting ptarmigan really be?” Pretty hard, actually. It seems like many bird hunting blogs have gone dormant. Yes sir…I had the foresight to get USAA to insure all my guns against theft and damage…even idiot cross a boulder field at 12,500 feet damage! They live above timberline almost all year in the young mountain ranges of southcentral and southeastern Alaska, and many whitetails stay on the high slopes even in winter. Gretchen was about 150 yards to the north ahead of me…moving at 12,500 feet is like traversing on the moon. I filled my water containers and placed the Garmin collars on the girls. I was climbing and thinking about my patients and their surgical procedures scheduled for the following day when my Garmin Alpha vibrated indicating Gretchen was on point ahead of me. Karen and I returned from State College PA last Saturday and my dogs were so restless that I decided I’d get up early and head to the high country for white-tailed ptarmigan. Bummer! In Montana, the white-tailed ptarmigan is found only in a few mountain ranges in the state’s northwestern region. And it’s the smallest grouse in North America, closer in size to a partridge than it is to its other grouse cousins. Thanks for the message and the vote of confidence. White-tailed ptarmigan is part of WikiProject Birds, an attempt at creating a standardized, informative and easy-to-use ornithological resource.If you would like to participate, visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks. Small Game Species — White-tailed Ptarmigan, Board of Fisheries and Game: Actions & Activities, Threatened, Endangered, and Diversity Program, Alaska Resources Library and Information Services (ARLIS), About the Division of Commercial Fisheries, Western Alaska Salmon Stock Identification Program (WASSIP), Online General Season & Registration Permits, Subsistence and Personal Use Fishing Permits, CSIS – Community Subsistence Information System, The Technical Papers and Special Publications Series. Thanks for sharing. In Utah, they only live in the Uinta Mountain above 10,000 feet. Hunting Opportunities for the White-Tailed Ptarmigan As you read above, about three quarters of the white-tailed ptarmigan population occurs in Canada, and much of the U.S. population lies in Alaska. Due of its limited distribution, this native bird is classified as a species of special concern in Montana. Andy called me on the drive home and I gave him all the details about the hunt and how bummed I was about ruining my .410. The gun might have even saved my fall…a bit. My knee is back to normal and my Ithaca .410 is with a good gunsmith in AZ. Friends and I once bagged all three, the ptarmigan grand slam, in a small alpine valley above Anchorage by hunting from the valley floor all the way up to the craggy ridgeline. Anther bird presented a straight away and I pulled the single Miller trigger twice to get the left barrel to fire and the bird hit the ground. Is that gun going to Mr Nicholson? This game bird is also known as the snow quail in some parts of Northern America and Europe. don’t you have insurance on that gun anyways? It is the smallest of the ptarmigans, and the only one that nests south of Canada. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Since there is usually a lot of snow the only option most of the times is to use snowshoes or skis. The southern and Mt. I love this time of year as the air gets that hint of winter and the leaves start to change yet cling on to their desire of summer to never end. The White-Tailed Ptarmigan is a difficult bird to spot and hunt. However, you can actually spot the birds from a distance and stalk closer. Lagopus leucura . They are also native to Alaska and Canada above the tree-line. Southern White-Tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura altipetens)Description. I described to Bret what had happened and he asked if I was ok to hike back down to the truck. In the Lower 48 we aren't that fortunate. Yes sir! Andy cut me off and proclaimed hey! Great post Birddogdoc! The study showed that populations of ptarmigan are holding steady throughout the mountains of Colorado. They remind me a lot of spruce grouse on the wing…not terribly sporting. Hope you and your gun recovered from your fall! They nest above timberline in the alpine tundra of western mountains, and are the only birds in North America that spend their entire … White-tailed Ptarmigan, Mountain Quail, Rocky Mountain Snow Partridge, Snow Grouse, Snow Quail, White Quail Scientific Name(s): Lagopus leucura, Lagopus leucurus ( Log Out / I noted the right barrel was severely damaged but the left barrel was ok. I have the gun scheduled to go to a renowned gunsmith from AZ and CO who specializes in classic American double guns. I haven’t hunted ptarmigan for about 10 years for various reasons. Who cares? We’ve been several times into the grouse woods this September in search of blues and mountain sharptails…we’re seeing birds and getting good dog work but I have yet to fire a shell. They are also native to Alaska and Canada above the tree-line. Although its diet will become more variable in the warmer months with the addition of insects, knotweed forb flowers and leaves, the willow remains a dietary staple year round. It is a permanent resident of high altitudes on or above the tree line and is native to Alaska and the mountainous parts of Canada and the western United States.It has also been introduced into the Sierra Nevada in California, the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon and … White-tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura): A Technical Conservation Assessment. The three species of ptarmigan are mostly known to inhabit Alaska and Canada, where residents can often walk out the backdoor and come home with a limit. White-tailed Ptarmigan are small, tubby grouse, snow-white in winter and twig-brown in summer. Email Us. My dogs have had some great points and my FB English cocker Ellie flushed 5 blues across a logging road and I never got a good shot opportunity. The same goes for your bird dog. This ptarmigan has been recorded nesting at elevations up to 4,054 m, making it North America's third highest elevation breeding bird after Horned Lark ( Eremophila alpestris ) and Rosy Finch ( Leucosticte spp.) Rainier subspecies (L. l. rainierensis) of the Washington Cascades is one of two subspecies in the coterminous U.S. that is currently under review by U.S. These birds prefer residing in high latitudes either on or above the tree line. White-tailed Ptarmigan are small, tubby grouse, snow-white in winter and twig-brown in summer. by Ryan Lisson. Adults are 11.8 to 12.2 inches (30 to 31 cm) long, with the males being only slightly larger than the females. The White-tailed Ptarmigan is the smallest of the ptarmigans and the smallest bird in the grouse family. White-tailed ptarmigans (Lagopus leucurus) were introduced into the Uinta Mountains of northern Utah in 1976 with the release of birds captured in Colorado.The initial transplant consisted of 22 paired birds released in June 1976. Cinder quartered off into some willows and encountered her first porcupine…it surprised me that they too are found about the tree-line. I retrieved a couple leashes so that I could walk the girls for the first couple hundred yards to avoid incidents on the major road below. They’re famous for being virtually invisible when they stand still against the windswept rocks, low shrubs, and snowbanks of their high-mountain habitat. GA This article has been rated as GA-Class on the project's quality scale. It’s good to be alive and following bird dogs. 2 3 ... recreation (including hunting), mining, and development, and protection from environmental perturbations that contribute to global climate change, pollution, and depletion of the ozone layer. … Duh, I hadn’t thought about that because of the birds. These birds choose wetter places and more luxuriant vegetation for breeding than the other two species of ptarmigan. Hunting rock ptarmigan in the northernmost parts of Finland during early season or wintertime is really something different. I was thankful that nobody was around to watch my antics (or my crying). Far above timberline in mountains of the west lives this elusive little ptarmigan, the smallest member of the grouse family in North America. Terry called me today and I was very ecstatic to hear him say he can help my gun out! The white-tailed ptarmigan is considered as the smallest game bird in the grouse family. Gretchen was putting up birds 30 yards below me so I worked slowly down towards her. Like the other ptarmigan species, the willow ptarmigan nests in sparsely timbered or treeless areas. BLUE GROUSE & WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN HUNTING. This is the ptarmigan that Dall sheep hunters flush off high mountain peaks while … Dogs can be used early season but towards winter it tends to be difficult. Our rates includes pick up and drop off in Anchorage or Fairbanks, all your meals, plus … We arrived at our destination before the sun had crossed the great divide…it’d been in the 90’s in Denver the past few days but was actually < 40 degrees Sunday morning making it perfect for ascending 2000 feet up with the dogs and shotgun. CHECK OUT THE HUNTING DOG PODCAST WITH ANDY WAYMENT, HISTORIAN'S CORNER: WILFORD WOODRUFF, FIRST FLY FISHER IN THE AMERICAN WEST, Woodcock Hunting in The Deep South: One Man’s Trashbird is Another Man’s Treasure...by Matthew Lee, DMD, Love the Simple Things in Life: RST Classic Shotshell Co, White-tailed Ptarmigan Hunting Colorado Style. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Slowly, I got to my feet and looked at the gun…damn! My right knee was throbbing and my pants were blood-soaked, my right 5th finger was swollen and so was my left forearm. I hunted these birds in northern Quebec, Canada and when compared to quail they are slow, low flyers and not very tough to bring down, in fact not very sporting at all, presenting very easy targets, they are dark-meated and very tasty, however. I was out hunting today with my Britt and saw the weirdest thing. However, they have been known to have a supplemental diet of fruit, flowers and insects in the summer. Those birds can be difficult to find because of their ability to migrate from peak to peak. White-tailed Ptarmigan can be differentiated from all other grouse (including other ptarmigan) by their small body size and distinctive white tail feathers. It’s been a glorious fall so far here in colorful Colorado. Adult white-tailed ptarmigans are 30 to 31cm long with an average weight of 330 - 480g. Ha! Although it is also classified as a game bird, no hunting for the species is currently permitted. In winter, willow ptarmigan remain close to shrubby slo… White-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura) are habitat specialists, with their distribution in the western U.S. typically limited to high-elevation montane sky islands of upper subalpine and alpine zones.The Mt. We’ve made it to another bird season. I pulled the quills I could remove by hand and we proceeded onward and up. I missed the next two or three birds and finally connected with a third bird to complete a Colorado limit. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Ptarmigan tend to eat a vegetarian diet of seeds, buds and leaves. Change ). I’ve enjoyed the heck out of it! Love your writing:). It’s hard to find them and Colorado is full of active people hiking above the tree-line that truly frown upon shooting sports and nimrods in general. We have been skunked as many times as not. I made a nice right to left crossing shot with my 1927 Ithaca grade 1 NID .410 and the bird folded in the boulder field. I quickened my already slowed pace hoping to get to where Gretchen was before the birds decided to blow out of there. When a ptarmigan is spotted, don’t jump and shout as you will scare it away. White-tailed Ptarmigan eggs are light cinnamon, showing dark spots toward the time of hatching. Rainier white-tailed ptarmigan are small birds that live in high elevation, alpine environments, where wind and cold temperatures prevent the growth of trees. Graceful it was not! I started to laugh. Fish and Wildlife … A second release of 35 mixed young and adults was accomplished in September of the … Heaven On Earth: Stories of Fly Fishing, Fun & Faith (Kindle Edition), Heaven On Earth: Stories of Fly Fishing, Fun & Faith [NOOK Book]. The white-tailed ptarmigan is the smallest and most narrowly distributed of these birds, occupying the highest, most barren mountain slopes, including alpine meadows and rock slides. I can say that USAA has been incredible about this. Ten feet into the field and I was face down in the rocks…having slipped or tripped and who-knows-what-face-first landing on my beloved Ithaca. First off, Colorado’s white-tailed ptarmigan live in some pretty unforgiving locales and if you are tired after a day hunting pheasants on the plains, you will be exhausted after a few hours hunting these birds. They have been transplanted successfully to other states like CA, OR, and Utah in areas with similar habitat. The white-tailed ptarmigan (pronounced TAR-mﬞi-gan) is one of the few animals that takes on this unique challenge and, in fact, has the distinction of being the only bird species in Colorado that lives on or near the alpine tundra year-round. I texted this photo to a couple of friends and my good friend Bret called me to say congrats. For Ptarmigan hunting from Oct 16-February 15th on snowmachines, the rate is $850.00 per person per day for hunting days and $350.00 for travel days. So if you want to hunt them, ... White-tailed ptarmigan are the only bird that lives permanently in our alpine regions. That gun anyways exists above the tree-line…11,500 ft or so here in Colorado, you commenting. The gun might have even saved my fall…a bit the birds from a distance and stalk closer when a is! At about 12,500 feet in elevation where there are white-tailed ptarmigan hunting fields and subalpine stunted firs and then watched ptarmigan! 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