Wisconsin sharptailed grouse season closed in 2024

Madison, Wis. — The Wisconsin DNR last week announced that although the spring population survey results indicate a slight increase, the sharptailed grouse hunting season remains closed for 2024. Permits and applications will not be available or accepted this year.

Each year, the sharp-tailed grouse advisory committee, consisting of interested conservation groups and DNR wildlife biologists, uses spring dancing ground surveys to evaluate the population’s size and recommend a hunting season.

Based on the review of spring population data, lek distribution and scientific studies from around the country, concerns remain about the long-term viability of the sharp-tailed grouse population.

MORE UPLAND BIRD COVERAGE FROM OUTDOOR NEWS:

Patrick Durkin: Wisconsin’s drumming grouse numbers take big jump during latest spring survey

What can grouse hunters expect this fall? A 2024 regional forecast from the Outdoor News coverage area

New sharptail plan in Wisconsin stresses habitat connections

The year 2024 marks the sixth year the season has been closed. Although fall permits will not be issued this year, sharp-tailed grouse will retain their status as a game species, per state law.

Thanks to the habitat restoration practices in the core habitat areas of northwest Wisconsin, grouse populations have grown in recent years, recovering from an all-time low in 2021. The DNR and a wide array of partners continue to focus on habitat management efforts that will increase population levels across their primary range.

Wisconsin DNR staff and partners hope the population will continue to respond positively to ongoing, focused habitat management efforts. These efforts help restore the pine barrens and young forest habitats that sharp-tailed grouse depend upon for survival.

More information on sharp-tailed grouse hunting and management in Wisconsin is available on the DNR’s Sharp-tailed Grouse Hunting and Management webpage.