Go Back   Alberta Outdoorsmen Forum > Main Category > General Discussion

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 09-05-2009, 08:47 AM
bessiedog's Avatar
bessiedog bessiedog is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,372
Default Sharptails and Prairie Chkckens?

OK... I'm a bit confused here.

I was reading another different, almost as good as AO magazine, and They had a picture of Prairie Chickens.

I remember being taught as a kid that they were extinct.

Are they?

Is this another name for sharpies?

They sure look like greater Prairie Chickens.

Can anyone help?

bd

Speaking of big birds..... I tried to hunt Sage grouse way back when they were legal (it turned out to be the last year of that hunt). Anyone know what the population levels are currently like and if a hunt will ever be allowed again??
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 09-05-2009, 10:04 AM
winged1 winged1 is offline
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Calgary
Posts: 2,008
Default

I'm interested in any comments as well. I thought that there was a lesser and a greater prairie chicken, our sharpy being the lesser. But lately I'm under the impression that our sharpy is a grouse, and only a relative to the chickens.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 09-05-2009, 10:08 AM
blackpheasant's Avatar
blackpheasant blackpheasant is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Red Deer
Posts: 4,257
Default

You are correct no more Prairie Chickens exist in Alberta, Sask still has a few and the Sharptail is a grouse not a Prairie Chicken.... The greater Prairie Chicken from what I remember seeing is a much larger bird than the Sharptail Grouse....
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 09-05-2009, 10:33 AM
IR_mike IR_mike is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Iron River
Posts: 5,158
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by blackpheasant View Post
You are correct no more Prairie Chickens exist in Alberta, Sask still has a few and the Sharptail is a grouse not a Prairie Chicken.... The greater Prairie Chicken from what I remember seeing is a much larger bird than the Sharptail Grouse....
Is the extinct "praire chicken" a pinnated grouse?
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 09-05-2009, 10:56 AM
Vindalbakken Vindalbakken is offline
Banned
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 1,790
Default

The Sharptail is not a lesser Prairie Chicken. The Greater and Lesser Prairie Chicken are two distinct species and the Sharptail Grouse is a third. The Sharptail is the only one of the three which is still found in Alberta. Pinnated grouse is an encompassing term for the Prairie Chickens, of which there are three species. The two already named and the At t w a t ers, which is the rarest form.

Last edited by Vindalbakken; 09-05-2009 at 10:57 AM. Reason: the grouse name At****ers contains an apparently bad word
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 09-05-2009, 11:44 AM
buckmaster's Avatar
buckmaster buckmaster is offline
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: nsr edmonton
Posts: 2,090
Default

I pm,d Rob or TJ a while back to write a article on prairie chickens but still havnt seen a article on them.Thought it would be a interesting topic as most of us on here dont even know what a prairie chicken looks like.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 09-05-2009, 02:21 PM
huntsfurfish huntsfurfish is offline
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Southern Alberta
Posts: 7,350
Default

I believe there is still a small population of prairie chickens in the south east corner of the province.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 09-05-2009, 08:16 PM
Ticdoc Ticdoc is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 271
Default Few Sage Grouse left in Alberta

Bessiedog

See article in latest Alberta Outdoorsmen Sept 09 issue by Neil Waugh (p.26) relating to the demise of this great bird. They are nearly gone from Alberta, with no good news in site. Shameful.

ticdoc
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 09-05-2009, 11:25 PM
grandslamer grandslamer is offline
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 310
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by IR_mike View Post
Is the extinct "praire chicken" a pinnated grouse?
that is right ... the pinnated grouse was what was called the praire chicken ,but they are classified as extincted in alberta ,the term praire chicken is mostly used by people to refer to sharpies but people call any grouse the see a chicken

this comes right out of the hunters education text book under bird identification "sharp tail grouse"
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 09-06-2009, 11:01 AM
Battery's Avatar
Battery Battery is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Calgary
Posts: 920
Default

wasn't the pinnated grouse native to alberta too? i think i heard some where the other grouse were all introduced into alberta.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 09-06-2009, 11:24 AM
IR_mike IR_mike is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Iron River
Posts: 5,158
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Battery View Post
wasn't the pinnated grouse native to alberta too? i think i heard some where the other grouse were all introduced into alberta.
The pinnated is/was native. The Hungarian (grey) partridge and Ring Necked Pheasant are the only introduced game birds in AB.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 09-07-2009, 09:15 AM
Johnny's Avatar
Johnny Johnny is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary
Posts: 147
Default Prairie Chicken

I used to hunt prairie chicken on our farm in Manitoba. Some people called them sharpies although the chickens I hunted did not have the yellow markings on their neck. Not sure if there are different species of sharptail although all of the old timers called them prairie chickens. Lots of fun to hunt....super fast and good to eat too.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 09-07-2009, 12:25 PM
elkhunter11 elkhunter11 is online now
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Camrose
Posts: 44,834
Default

Quote:
Not sure if there are different species of sharptail although all of the old timers called them prairie chickens.
Many people incorrectly refer to sharptails as "prairie chickens",because they don't know the difference.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:21 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.5
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.