WDFW & Grouse Hunting...

IOM · Aug 28, 2019

If you are hunting forest grouse this fall, you can help us monitor grouse populations by depositing one wing and tail of each grouse harvested into collection barrels placed around the state.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) collects wings and tails of hunter-harvested forest grouse (spruce, ruffed, dusky and sooty species) during the Sept. 1 - Dec. 31 hunting season. A wing and tail from each grouse can tell us the species, sex and age of the bird. The goal of this collection effort is to evaluate trends in harvest composition that can inform population management.

Place samples in the paper bag provided at wing barrels, or any paper bag. Use one bag for each bird. Avoid using plastic bags (especially Ziplocs), as they speed up decay.

On the outside of the bag, please record:

1. The species of grouse.
2. The game management unit (GMU) where the grouse was harvested.
3. The county where the grouse was harvested.
4. The date of the harvest.

Deposit the bag in a collection barrel or drop it off at any WDFW district or regional office. If neither of these are viable options the day of harvest, please refrigerate or freeze the parts until you can drop them off at a different time.

Region 1 - Eastern Washington

Columbia County – Wooten Wildlife Area HQ – Tucannon River
Ferry County – Intersection of Boulder Highway and Goat Creek
Ferry County – Sherman Creek on Highway 20 just west of Trout Lake Rd
Spokane County – Inland Empire Paper gate at Thompson Creek
Spokane County – Inland Northwest Wildlife Council, 6116 N Market St., Spokane
Spokane County – WDFW regional office (2315 N. Discovery Place, Spokane Valley) - Lab rollup door (for after hour and weekend drop off)
Stevens County – Bear Creek Road where it enters the Little Pend Oreille Refuge
Stevens County – Narcisse Creek Road where it enters the Little Pend Oreille Refuge
Stevens County – Olson/Flodelle/Tacoma Creek Road where it enters the Little Pend Oreille Refuge
Stevens County - Burnt Valley, at the first Forest Service cattle guard

Region 2 - North Central Washington

Chelan County -- Cooper Mountain Rd. (8020 Road) at Intersection of Black Canyon (4010 Road) & Cooper Mtn Rds.
Chelan County – Shady Pass (5900 Road)
Chelan County – French Corral (Eagle Creek and 5800 Road)
Chelan County - Colockum Wildlife Area, at the intersection of Colockum Rd and Ingersoll Rd.
Okanogan County – Bonaparte Lake
Okanogan County – Loomis
Okanogan County – Conconully
Okanogan County – East Chewuch Road
Okanogan County - Sweat Creek Picnic Area, USFS Tonasket Ranger District (33 miles east of Tonasket on State Route 20).

Region 3 - South Central Washington

Kittitas County, Teanaway – 29 Pines Campground
Kittitas County, Coleman – Entrance to Naneum State Forest
Kittitas County, Taneum – Entrance to L.T. Murray Wildlife Area
Yakima County, Oak Creek – Junction 1400 (Oak Creek Road) and Highway 12
Yakima County, Ahtanum – Junction North Fork and Nasty Creek Road

Region 5 - Southwestern Washington

Cowlitz County - Junction of the 1900/1901 on Weyerhaeuser land near Kid Valley
Cowlitz County - Junction of the 4100/4200 on Weyerhaeuser land east of the town of Toutle
Lewis County - Peterman Hill Road, entrance to the Peterman Ridge Unit of the Cowlitz Wildlife Area

Region 6 - Coastal Washington

Clallam County - Slab Camp Road & Lost Mountain Road Junction
Clallam County - DNR Olympic Region Office, 411 Tillicum Lane, Forks (near entrance to compound)
Grays Harbor County - Intersection of Wynoochee Valley Road and Cougar Smith Road, north of Montesano.
Grays Harbor County - intersection of Hwy. 101 and Quinault Ridge Rd.
Mason County - Near Mill 5 off of W. Shelton Matlock Rd.
Pierce County - Entrance to Elbe Hills State Forest, Hwy 7 and Road 5
Thurston County - Northern Access Point to Vail Tree Farm, Sorenson Rd. SE