No Sage Grouse Hunting in North Dakota For Eighth Straight Year

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota will not have a sage grouse hunting season for the eighth straight year due to low numbers of the birds.

The Game and Fish Department says a spring survey found a record-low 30 males on six strutting grounds. Last year, 31 males were counted on the same leks in the southwestern part of the state.

Sage grouse in the U.S. once numbered in the millions, but current estimates put the population between 200,000 and 500,000. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has set a Sept. 30 deadline to decide whether to propose listing the bird as endangered.

Officials in western states fear that could limit ranching and energy production. Eleven states have launched voluntary effects to conserve sage grouse habitat in hopes of avoiding a federal listing.