Oregon hunters are once again being asked to turn in the wings and tails of any grouse or quail they kill this fall.
It’s part of a long-term research project by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The agency sasks hunters to turn in a wing and the tailfeathers of any forest grouse or mountain quail they harvest.
Kelly Walton, assistant gamebird biologist for ODFW, said the voluntary collection program has been around since 1980. “We have a pretty long-term data set that’s actually highly valuable," she said. "It’s a very efficient way to collect this type of information.”
The collections help the agency learn abound trends and overall health of the species in Oregon. “We can kind of track the cycle that birds go through…the booms and the busts," she said. "We can see when production’s up and then we can watch it go down. So we can really track the population, which is pretty interesting.”
Walton said field staff collect about 1000 specimen each season.
The agency sets out collection barrels in areas frequented by hunters. Some ODFW field offices also collect the specimen.
The season for forest grouse is Sept. 1 through Jan. 31 statewide.
Mountain quail season is Sept. 1 – Jan. 31 in Western Oregon and Oct. 10 – Jan. 31 in Eastern Oregon.
