Couple days of photographing grouse on the Grasslands. Mid April is peak breeding season here and bird activity is as good as it gets. Had both chickens and grouse on this lek and there was a lot of fighting over territory’s between the 2 species. I will post some of the fights pics later.

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Super cool, thanks for sharing!

Very nice,wont be long and the Ruffed grouse will be drumming up here and the Sharp tails will be dancing,thanks for sharing.

Great shots Tray!

The best pics of them I've ever seen. They should be in bird ID and info publications.

Love the colours on these. Thank you, Wilson Jr.

Nice.Are they both good eating?

Beautiful photos. I tried to get a few chickens for some dinner a few times while trapping in Kansas. The buggers won't let you get too close and when you think you put a good stalk on them they are gone. When you think you are ready to shoot one they are gone.

Awesome pictures.Thanks for sharing them.

Your pictures are so good I could almost hear them cluckin and boomin!

I’m not a fan of eating them, they have a darker meat then a pheasant but not as much as sharpies. Some people really like them though.

excellent pics!! thanks for posting

Great pictures, sad situation in Kansas. The chickens are basically gone in the flint hills south of I70 around Alma and Alta Vista and morris road. Due to spring burning. There are a few small groups still around Lincoln county but the burns have ruined and or made them extinct where I used to hunt them.. glad to see SD still has them around..

I know nothing of grasslands in Kansas, but here it is important to burn the grasses in the spring to control broom grass, and let the native grasses get going. Broom looks good but is terrible nesting and brooding habitat. You will lose some early nesters but it’s plenty early enough for renesting and nest survival is much higher.

I dont know whats causing the decline here in KS but its real. 30 years ago we had huntable numbers. Now not even picture taking numbers.

When ever a study is proposed, KS republicans in the state government oppose it. They are worried it will cost ranchers and farmers to much.

FWIW quail numbers here where I live are near to non existent. Big bull frogs, grass frogs, insects and muskrats are all about gone too. I can't remember the last time I heard a whippoorwill. Even meadowlark numbers are down. Dont see bats anymore or scissortails.

Rabbits are another. A few here and there but not huge numbers anymore.

Do you have Sharptails? Was the country once more small grain? I’m not familiar at all with your country so I hate to even guess.
I do know that where I live numbers have dropped dramatically in last 30 years. Areas SW of me hold a lot more birds but it’s very large blocks of prairie grasslands. I have a feeling thats why numbers are dropping is due to conversion of grasslands to crop ground had fragmented their habitat.

No sharptails. Still have some big prairie ground. Places that havn't changed that I can see just dont have chickens. I dont think its burning. cattlemen been burning pasture as long as I can remember.