Date: 8/26/09
Contact: Doug Nielsen
Phone: 702-486-5127 x 3500

SEPTEMBER OFFERS HUNTS FOR MULTIPLE BIRD SPECIES

When the sun comes up September 1 many of Nevada’s hunters will take part in the annual mourning dove hunt, long the unofficial beginning of the fall hunting season. As such, it attracts the attention of hunters anxious to get back in the field after months away.

But dove hunting isn’t the only opportunity available for Silver State wing shooters in the month of September. Often overlooked are the seasons for blue and ruffed grouse, Himalayan snowcock and the American crow. Each of these seasons shares their opening day with the dove season and run through Dec. 31, Nov. 30 and Nov. 17 respectively.

Blue and ruffed grouse are found in Nevada’s high elevation mountain ranges where conifer trees can be found. In fact, these tasty birds will migrate up and down in elevation during the winter months to areas that support conifer trees. In the western part of the state, hunters will find grouse in the Carson and Sweetwater mountain ranges. In eastern Nevada, they are most plentiful in the Ruby and Jarbidge Mountains near Elko and the Schell Creek Range near Ely.

When grouse hunting Nevada regulation requires that the head and one fully-feathered wing must remain attached to the carcass until it is delivered to the hunter’s residence or to a commercial processing facility.

Hunters looking for a unique challenge may want to try their hand at hunting Himalayan snowcock. As its name implies, this relatively large bird originated in the rocky ledges and steep slopes of the rugged mountain ranges near Pakistan, Afghanistan and China. So, it makes sense that these birds are found among the high peaks and ridges of the Ruby and East Humboldt mountain Ranges in Elko County. Snowcocks were first released in Nevada in the years from 1963 to 1979.

Those hunters who have pursued the snowcock say the bird is very wary and often flees when a hunter approaches within several hundred yards. Persons interested in hunting snowcock must first obtain a free-use permit from the Nevada Department of Wildlife office.

The American crow provides another September hunting opportunity. These social birds are rarely seen alone and are usually found in groups. The daily and possession limit is 10 birds, and all harvested crows must be removed from the field.

The daily and possession limits are three and six for blue and ruffed grouse; two and two for snowcock.