Find two animals in the picture and identify them.
Got em, we don't have them here, but I see them. Natural camouflage is amazing hey. I think they are grouse?
Best
Lex
Ptarmigan in summer plumage ?
Ptarmigan "snow Quail" in its summer dress :biglaugh:
Tim you were a few seconds(12 to be exact) quicker then me posting lol :thumbsup:
Keefer and chinook nailed it. :)
A lex you came in darn close. Female blue grouse look very much like these summer ptarmigan.
Pretty easy to see but for some reason real blurry. Woulda been hard to say more than a grouse type bird but I see it's been identified
First one was quick ,#2 took a minute to find.....
Ha, I hunted Ptarmigan in Iceland in 1989, but they were in their snow camo then. My excuse and I'm sticking to it :biglaugh:
That was a top trip, still remember it well.
Best
Lex
Keefer, sorry about that :wavey:
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They looked like whitetail ptarmigan to me. And now I see that's the only ptarmigan species in CO.
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Not to hijack but to add to the thread, here's a similar pic, same species. My fav game bird.
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(https://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh271/chinook907/ptarmrszd.jpg) (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/chinook907/media/ptarmrszd.jpg.html)
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I sized the picture down quite a bit to be sure it would go through. I have just a bit of service here in camp.
If one were to go hunting specifically for them, what are the chances of getting off enough shots that one could have a meal? Note, I like bird hunting with a bow way more than big game hunting with a bow.
I have never set out to hunt ptarmigan and don't typically see them during deer or elk season but maybe I'll try a dedicated hunt for them this year. They hang in the willows above timberline.
Pavan: the whitetail are the smallest. One is ok, 2 is almost too much for one person one meal.
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The most I've gotten at a time with my recurve is 2 or 3. If I wanted to get a bunch I would head to the Interior with a snogo, snowshoes, and lots of arrows. The rock and willow ptarmigan there are commonly in flocks of 20-150.
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Here's a couple whitetail in September, transition plumage.
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(https://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh271/chinook907/rszdptarmknife.jpg) (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/chinook907/media/rszdptarmknife.jpg.html)
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Hunt those would be a blast! How do they rank with other birds as far as taste?
Possum: meat is maroon/purple. Better than spruce grouse but no where near as good as ruffers or sharptails. Mild in the fall, tends to get a bit liver-y in the winter.
Thanks again Monterey for posting the pic and starting this thread.
The most successful ptarmigan hunter I new in Colorado was years ago. He owned a small ski area and would ride the lift up during the season and then back down at the end of his hunt. :)