Sage-grouse hunting in Oregon

Why sage-grouse hunting

Sage-grouse hunting takes you to some of the most beautiful and remote places in southeast Oregon, places you wouldn’t necessarily visit if you didn’t have an excuse to go.

Add to that, the unique chance to harvest sage-grouse and you might just have the upland bird hunting trip of your lifetime.

Sage-grouse tags are very limited and require an application for choosing between several hunt areas. Before you apply, make sure you have the will and/or ability to travel to wild, remote places.

What you need to know: 2023 sage-grouse permits

The entire wildlife unit is open unless indicated by an asterisk(*). See Oregon Big Game Regulations for descriptions of unit boundaries.
Hunt descriptions:
*J68A the part of Unit 68 south of Whitehorse Ranch Rd.; west of Hwy 95, and east of Fields-Denio Rd.
*J68B Unit 68 excluding that area described for Hunt 68A.
*J73A the part of Unit 73 north of Christmas Valley-Wagontire Co. Rd.
*J73B the part of Unit 73 south of Christmas Valley-Wagontire Co. Rd.

Seasons, bag limits, licenses

• While the application period begins on July 1, permit numbers for each hunt unit are not posted until early August, after population surveys are complete.  The August application deadline is posted annually in the Game Bird Regulations. It costs $4 to apply for a permit, plus another $2 to buy the permit if you’re successful. 
• In 2021, results are available in Aug. 24 and the 9-day season usually spans the first and second weekends of September. The 2022 season is Sept. 10-18.
• Hunters are limited to a daily and seasonal bag limit of two birds, of either sex.
• In addition to the sage-grouse permit, hunters also must have a hunting license and an upland bird validation.
• If you are successful in the permit draw, ODFW will send you a wing-return envelope for one wing from each of your harvested birds.  This information is critical to managers, offering important data about the population. 

Tips for hunting sage-grouse

Sage-grouse hunting, like most upland bird hunting, is about understanding the habits of the bird and the habitats it prefers. Here are a few tips to help with your hunt:

• Before applying for a permit, check out the recent sage-grouse harvest statistics to gauge previous hunter success and to help decide what unit(s) you’d like to apply for.
• Before hunting, use satellite imagery to find likely spots to hunt.
• Key in on water sources. In September, sage-grouse will still be found near water sources such as streams, seeps and stock ponds (you’re in cattle country here).
• Look for islands of green vegetation where sage-grouse will be feeding on broad-leaved plants and insects. Though sage-grouse eat a lot of sage, they prefer forbs and bugs when they can get them.
• As the days warm up, look for birds in shady spots higher up the slopes.
• Walk the top of the rims, too. Even in September, birds might be higher than you think.
• Watch for birds moving from their roosts to water sources early and late in the day. If you take the time to watch, you may able to figure out their pattern and key in on it the next day.

Hunting impact on sage-grouse populations

Oregon’s sage-grouse hunting season is based on a long history of monitoring, surveying and research. Each year the department projects the fall population of sage-grouse based on using information from lek counts and wing-return data. Hunting seasons are set so potential harvest is less than 5 percent* of the fall population, though actual harvest is usually less than 3 percent of the fall population.

*Peer-reviewed management guidelines have found that harvest rates below 11 percent are unlikely to have an important influence on local populations.