[Luv2hunteup]

I learned something new about sharpies this muzzleloading season, they love to fly into birch trees and eat the buds just like ruffed grouse do to aspen trees. I saw 6 last weekend in one birch tree and 16 on Friday.

It sure would be nice if the DNR opened a season on them. We have lots of them in and around the big hay fields on the eastern end. I would not be surprised that they out number ruffed grouse.

The last time I talked to anybody from the DNR office in the Soo, they told me there was no plans for any season due to proposal G. They aren't doing any studies so there will not be a season anytime soon. Oh well you can only hope.

 

[Linda G.]

The Michigan Sharptail Grouse Association does population surveys every year, and give their numbers to the MI DNR...

Two years ago the DNR suggested starting up another sharptail season in the UP, because folks from your part of the UP wanted one...apparently, they hadn't read that year's numbers from the SGA...when the SGA put up a fight, saying the numbers just didn't warrant opening anything other than a very small, very short, limited, 1 bird season for a chosen small group of hunters (like what Minnesota has), the DNR backed off, and hasn't tried since.

Michigan's sharptail numbers aren't strong enough to allow all wingshooters even a one bird annual limit, apparently, and the DNR did not think there was enough interest to warrant a lottery style hunt.

You may be seeing good numbers (depending on what you consider to be a good number) around your part of the UP, but apparently, that's the only good area. There's a few left in the Seney area, and a few in Ontonagon County, but that's it, according to the MSGA, and since they're the only ones doing the counting, I guess they would know.

But I like what the DNR told you...cause it's true, there's NO studies being done on sharptail grouse...except what the feds are doing on Seney, and I'm not even sure that's still going on.

 

[whitedog]

luv2 i sure remember the good ole days hunting the sharptails they are a tuff bird to hunt there not like a pat and let you get close i realy never did understand why they closed season on them for the most part the sharptail live on mostly all privet land and i never seen a dieing number of birds when they closed the season the numbers are high i see them all over on my farm and all my familys farms across chippewa county theres coveys of 30 to 50 birds all around these parts the bag limit was never that high and was only aloud a few birds a year the big problem here is birds of prey and the rest of the fury killers like skunks **** are on the rise here and fox and yotes are still the same i have realy never seen a decline of there numbers and i am afield as much as anyone and yes i would like to see season opened back up say on privet land

 

[Luv2hunteup]

Linda G

FWI I usually average seeing between 100 and 200 sharptails per year. Some years are higher but most years it's somewhere between these numbers. Since they do covey up it does not take long for the numbers to add up. Find one and usually you'll see a lot more.

I don't know too many other outdoorman that even that many ruffed grouse, pheasants or quail combined in a year.

I have to agree that I see nearly 100% on private land where a hunting opportunities would be limited to a select few. I would be satisfied with a one bird a year limit since I'm part of that group.

You can only dream. While I'm dreaming I'd also like to see the sandhill crane and dove season opened. Both of which have have high populations in certain areas of the state.

 

[WAUB-MUKWA]

I haven't seen too many here. I'm off M-64 on Lk Superior right in a nice section clearcut 10 years ago when they closed the mine down. Its the old white pine copper mine property. There is still some land for sale now. The two 80's next to me are dropped down to $29k for each 80. Yes, it isn't a typo. You just have to look but there is still land cheap, but I shouldn't be telling y'all about it! Hush my mouth.

 

[Luv2hunteup]

WAUB-MUKWA

I had alot of friends that used to work at the White Pine Mine. The would take the bus everyday down from Houghton and Hancock.

Are you old enough to remember when they lost the bus for 3 days in February of '72? The bus vanished for 3 days from what I remember.

Land has not been that cheap in the EUP for along time well if you call the mid 80s along time.

 

[Linda G.]

Land for sale real cheap right next to where Michigan's only remaining copper mine for many years was....right next to it...hmmm....has the soil been tested?

 

[WAUB-MUKWA]

I was in Jr. high then and can remember something like that. We had been here for only a couple years. I'm not sure about testing but would think it had to of been before it could be sold being an old mine site. I do know that it has been moved all around from the mine days, but the trees have grown back since the clear cuting. It's all rock and hardly any soil. I hunt right next to those parcels. The bears look normal, and the deer look healthy. People just don't want to live here because it is all wilderness and too much snow. White Pine went bankrupt and everyone moved out. You can by a perfectly good 4 bedroom home for $25k. There just aren't any jobs.
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