Studies find mixed results from sage grouse hunting restrictions
Female sage grouse move as a group at a site in northwest Colorado. New research examines the impact of hunting restrictions on the iconic bird across the West. Credit: Jeff Beck A thorough review of the history of sage grouse hunting and populations across the Intermountain West shows that declines in the bird's numbers have prompted significant reductions in hunting opportunities in recent decades with mixed results for grouse populations. Research led by University of Wyoming Professor Jeff Beck and Oregon State University Assistant Professor Jonathan Dinkins, a former UW postdoctoral researcher, examined the history of grouse hunting regulations in 11 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces and the impact of hunting restrictions on growth rates of the iconic Western species in recent decades. The scientists' findings are detailed in two articles published in PLOS ONE. "We found that wildlife agencies throughout western North America have set increasingly more conservati...