Alaska Ptarmigan
#6469289
02/21/19 09:15 PM
02/21/19 09:15 PM
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,363 MT
snowy
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,363
MT
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Just wondering are these birds plentifully and is there a hunting season on them in Alaska??
Give me a fish, I will eat for a day. Teach me to fish, I will eat for a lifetime
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Re: Alaska Ptarmigan
[Re: snowy]
#6469311
02/21/19 09:33 PM
02/21/19 09:33 PM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,194 Alaska and Washington State
waggler
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,194
Alaska and Washington State
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They are pretty cyclical. On the Alaska Peninsula we had tons of them maybe five years ago, now it seems like there're hardly any.
Also, there three of different species of ptarmigan; the most widespread and well-known "willow", the "rock" and the "whitetail" ptarmigan. The rock and the whitetail seem to prefer higher elevations, particularly the whitetail.
"My life is better than your vacation"
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Re: Alaska Ptarmigan
[Re: snowy]
#6469319
02/21/19 09:43 PM
02/21/19 09:43 PM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,194 Alaska and Washington State
waggler
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,194
Alaska and Washington State
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^^^^^ I doubt it, unless you have some sort of scientific collection permit.
You might want to check and see about whitetail ptarmigan in Wyoming, I believe they live there, but I don't know if they have a season on them. I do know that Wyoming had and maybe still has some pretty lenient laws about retaining animals alive that are taken under a trapping license; such as marten. Maybe it's the same for birds???
Last edited by waggler; 02/21/19 09:46 PM.
"My life is better than your vacation"
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Re: Alaska Ptarmigan
[Re: waggler]
#6469326
02/21/19 09:48 PM
02/21/19 09:48 PM
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,363 MT
snowy
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,363
MT
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They are pretty cyclical. On the Alaska Peninsula we had tons of them maybe five years ago, now it seems like there're hardly any.
Also, there three of different species of ptarmigan; the most widespread and well-known "willow", the "rock" and the "whitetail" ptarmigan. The rock and the whitetail seem to prefer higher elevations, particularly the whitetail. I'll have to do some reading up on them. They are like a grouse right, but a little bigger? William Larkin, (big land trapper) >>>> I'll see if I can find it.
Last edited by snowy; 02/21/19 09:49 PM.
Give me a fish, I will eat for a day. Teach me to fish, I will eat for a lifetime
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Re: Alaska Ptarmigan
[Re: snowy]
#6469354
02/21/19 10:11 PM
02/21/19 10:11 PM
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,363 MT
snowy
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,363
MT
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^Thanks. A beautiful bird in the winter looks like they change colour in summer.
Give me a fish, I will eat for a day. Teach me to fish, I will eat for a lifetime
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Re: Alaska Ptarmigan
[Re: snowy]
#6469355
02/21/19 10:11 PM
02/21/19 10:11 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,830 Wisconsin
The Beav
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,830
Wisconsin
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KeithC You can head up to Kavic and spend some time with Sue. I'm sure she could fix you up. LOL
The forum Know It All according to Muskrat
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Re: Alaska Ptarmigan
[Re: The Beav]
#6469362
02/21/19 10:16 PM
02/21/19 10:16 PM
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 15,628 Champaign County, Ohio.
KeithC
trapper
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trapper
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 15,628
Champaign County, Ohio.
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KeithC You can head up to Kavic and spend some time with Sue. I'm sure she could fix you up. LOL I'll pass. I usually fast forward through her part of the show. She would probably get ticked when I skinned out her foxes too. Keith
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Re: Alaska Ptarmigan
[Re: snowy]
#6469367
02/21/19 10:21 PM
02/21/19 10:21 PM
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Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 11,252 Maine, Aroostook
Posco
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 11,252
Maine, Aroostook
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^Thanks. A beautiful bird in the winter looks like they change colour in summer. I posted a YouTube video of what they sound like. I did a spring bear hunt in the higher elevations and those birds must have been looking for mates. Constant chatter all day long. Days are long in Alaska in May.
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Re: Alaska Ptarmigan
[Re: KeithC]
#6469374
02/21/19 10:32 PM
02/21/19 10:32 PM
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Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,174 IL - Shawnee Ntl Forest
ShawneeMan
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,174
IL - Shawnee Ntl Forest
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KeithC You can head up to Kavic and spend some time with Sue. I'm sure she could fix you up. LOL I'll pass. I usually fast forward through her part of the show. She would probably get ticked when I skinned out her foxes too. Keith No worries - she can't hit squat with a firearm...
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Re: Alaska Ptarmigan
[Re: The Beav]
#6469611
02/22/19 08:24 AM
02/22/19 08:24 AM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 4,381 Perham Minnesota 54
racerboy108
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 4,381
Perham Minnesota 54
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KeithC You can head up to Kavic and spend some time with Sue. I'm sure she could fix you up. LOL You would be known as the bravest man ever lived. Lol
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Re: Alaska Ptarmigan
[Re: racerboy108]
#6469651
02/22/19 08:48 AM
02/22/19 08:48 AM
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 9,311 Northern MN
Osky
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 9,311
Northern MN
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KeithC You can head up to Kavic and spend some time with Sue. I'm sure she could fix you up. LOL You would be known as the bravest man ever lived. Lol I swear if I were 5000 feet overhead with fuel tanks dry and Sues airstrip the only one below I'd knock out the planes Windows and start flapping my arms. Osky
"A womans heart is the hardest rock the Almighty has put on this earth, and I can find no sign on it" Jabless in Minnesota www.SureDockusa.com
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Re: Alaska Ptarmigan
[Re: snowy]
#6469707
02/22/19 09:38 AM
02/22/19 09:38 AM
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,585 NC, Orange Co.
QuietButDeadly
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,585
NC, Orange Co.
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Yep, there is a reason she is up there by her lonesome. Always yaking about her customers but it is very rare to see anyone there. Not surprised at that either.
Life Member: NCTA, VTA, NTA, TTFHA, MFTI Member: FTA NRA NWTF
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Re: Alaska Ptarmigan
[Re: snowy]
#6469807
02/22/19 11:28 AM
02/22/19 11:28 AM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 9,684 ND
MJM
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 9,684
ND
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There are three types of ptarmigan in AK. The Willow, Rock and Whitetail. The willow is most common. I hunted them some when I was there, always late in the year when the snow was deep. They were a pain to hunt at best that time of the year. When you jumped them they often headed to the next point which was a mile plus away. They often just flew out of sight. Sometimes they would jump wild hundred to two hundred yards away and other times you could walk right up to them. Where we hunted there was a lot of four to six foot brush. The tips of the brush would be sticking up in spots and that was what they fed on. There is nothing like falling through the snow and being hung in brush in snow shoes in eight foot of powder snow. It was one of those things I am glad I did, but would never do it at this point in life.
"Not Really, Not Really" Mark J Monti "MJM you're a jerk."
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Re: Alaska Ptarmigan
[Re: snowy]
#6469865
02/22/19 12:37 PM
02/22/19 12:37 PM
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Oh Snap
Unregistered
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Oh Snap
Unregistered
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From my experience overcast flat light days even snowing they tend to run from you. Bright clear days they will take flight and are gone.
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Re: Alaska Ptarmigan
[Re: snowy]
#6469869
02/22/19 12:40 PM
02/22/19 12:40 PM
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 5,109 Northern Michigan
J.Morse
trapper
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trapper
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 5,109
Northern Michigan
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Ptarmigan are neat grouse. I have shot them (Willow) in Quebec while doing the now hunt-of-the-past drive up caribou trip. They were, at least where we were, rather daffy. You could swat them real easy along the roads. They seemed to be long distance movers though (hence the darker breast meat). We'd see flocks lift up along the road as we drove, and sometimes those flocks just kept on flying....like ducks, they'd go several miles before setting back down. They, at least the Willow variety, are migratory in places and will shift their range from summer to winter, sometimes by long distances. They have migrated from the sub-arctic areas of Ontario to, at times, as far south as northern Minnesota. Last winter there was even one Willow Ptarmigan along the north shore of Lake Ontario near Toronto! I have not eaten any Rock or White Tailed Ptarmigan. As far as I know, Colorado has a season on the barn pigeon sized White Tailed Ptarmigan. I know of people going way up above 11,000 feet and shooting them in the past. I believe the air would be too thin for my worthless lungs at that elevation. Edit....the "Red Grouse" of Scotland fame is a sub-specie of Willow Ptarmigan.
Last edited by J.Morse; 02/22/19 12:43 PM.
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Re: Alaska Ptarmigan
[Re: snowy]
#6469877
02/22/19 12:52 PM
02/22/19 12:52 PM
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Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 336 Homer, Alaska, USA
Wolverine Hunter
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 336
Homer, Alaska, USA
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I have a keen interest in this myself - because it's on my bucket list, and because I have a new bird dog that is now 18 months old. Last fall, we went on a big tour of Alaska - me and my pup "Sam Elliott". We hunted HARD all along the Denali Highway. The Taylor Highway. The Richardson. And even down to Valdez. This was September/October - before any snow. I shot a lot of spruce grouse, but never one ptarmigan.
There is a guy who wrote a book on bird hunting in Alaska. I forget his name at the moment, but I think he is on the alaska outdoor forum quite a bit. His book is hard to get a hold of, but I think the general consensus is, cover ground on a vehicle without spending tons of time on your feet, until you lay eyes on them, or on their sign. I think he invests a lot of time in using his binoculars in winter, and looking for tracks. Then goes after them.
I also think winter is key because they group into large flocks. High country and willows are key. Most of the ones I have seen were randomly, in the high country - while hiking or hunting big game.
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