Wisconsin hunters will be out of luck come the sharp-tailed grouse season, as the state won’t offer tags or accept applications for their sharp-tailed grouse permits this year.
The state’s Sharp-Tailed Grouse Advisory Committee, which is made up of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologists and conservation organizations, made the decision. After looking at population numbers from the 2017 spring survey (only 138 dancing males were observed this year), and after seeing an 18 percent drop in population due to heavy rains that in some places unleashed 11 inches of water in the span of an hour, the DNR and the committee really had no choice but to cancel the coming grouse season.
The last time the grouse season closed was during the 2013-14 hunting season. The DNR may or may not open the season again next year, depending on next spring’s survey results.
