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The 2011 Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse hunting season has closed, but there is still time to learn some facts about these amazing birds before the start of the 2012 small-game season.

• Also known, as mountain sharptails, Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse are the smallest of the sharptail subspecies.
  
  
• Compared to other grouse in Colorado, sharptails have a frosty appearance due to white spotting on the body and wing feathers. The conspicuous white spots on the wing feathers are an easy way to distinguish sharptails from dusky grouse (formerly known as the blue grouse) and sage grouse.
  
  
• Both sexes have inconspicuous crests, and the head and upper body parts are extensively patterned with barring and spotting of white, buffy, tawny brown, and black.
  
  
• The breast and flanks are intricately marked with V-shaped brown markings on a white or buffy background.
  
  
• When flushed, sharp-tailed grouse often cackle.
  
  
• Sharp-tailed grouse fly rapidly. In flight, the white underparts are obvious, as is their whitish and elongated tail.

Visit Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse for more information and hunting tips.

2011 Pheasant and Quail Season

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The 2011 pheasant and quail season has arrived with a great deal of anticipation from small-game hunters who have witnessed two years of phenomenal hunting in Colorado. Thanks to Colorado Parks and Wildlife and a federal grant program, pheasant and quail hunters will have access to an additional 45,000 acres of private lands. The new acreage means more than 260,000 acres are available to upland bird hunters through the state's Walk-In Access program this year.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife Walk-In Access Program is free for licensed small-game hunters, but hunters must adhere to specific property regulations and guidelines. Enrolled properties and regulations can be found using the annual Walk-In Program Atlas  (4.6MB) and the Late Cropland Atlas. Both publications are available where hunting licenses are sold, at Parks and Wildlife offices, or online. A Walk-In Access stamp is no longer required for hunters to participate in the Walk-In Access Program in Colorado.

Colorado's pheasant and quail seasons runs through Jan. 2, 2012 or Jan. 31, 2012 depending on the area. Hunters must have a Colorado small-game license and must have completed hunter education to participate in the seasons.

Check out the 2011 Small Game Brochure now! The brochure is available as a standard pdf brochure  (6.2 MB) and as an interactive brochure. Inside you will find license requirements, fees information, season dates, bag limits, and much more.

Federal Regulations for Migratory Bird Hunters

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Game bird hunters should be sure to read United States Fish and Wildlife Service's federal regulations for hunting migratory birds , which contains need to know terms, a list of illegal hunting methods and links to additional information on refuge specific regulations. Note: When state law differs from Federal law, the hunter must comply with the most restrictive law.

Attention Sandhill Crane Hunters!
Prevent the Illegal Shooting of Birds

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The USFWS, Division of Migratory Management, has posted important information to help reduce the likelihood of shooting illegally at migratory birds that may look like sandhill cranes but for which there is no open season and are protected by Federal law. Some of these protected migratory bird species are common, while others are rare. One of these protected migratory bird species is very rare, the whooping crane, and has been listed as endangered. Please read through these tips/comparisons before venturing in the field.

Reduce Potential Exposure to Lead in Game Meat

Meat Harvested with Lead Ammunition

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A recent study in North Dakota has raised concerns about the potential risk of exposure to lead associated with eating wild game harvested with lead bullets. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Colorado Division of Wildlife provide recommendations to minimize exposure to lead in wild game. Read more information and recommendations .

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The Harvest Information Program is designed to give wildlife managers a better handle on the number of birds and small game that are taken each year in their states. In short, a HIP number validates your small game hunting license.

If you will hunt small game (including migratory birds) in Colorado during the 2011/2012 season, go to the HIP website or call 1-866-COLOHIP (265-6447) to begin the online registration process to obtain a HIP number.

The new HIP year begins annually on April 1. At that time, all hunters with existing HIP numbers will need to obtain a new one by going directly to the HIP website or calling 1-866-COLOHIP (265-6447). Basic informational questions will be asked about hunting; including how many birds were taken the previous season and what species will be hunted this year.

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If a person recovers a banded bird, it is asked that the individual report the information online at www.reportband.gov. This Web-based system, created by the U.S. Geological Survey, helps provide important wildlife research data.

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Small game species profile information is conveniently linked off of the Small Game Dates and Fees page by clicking on the specific species names. In addition, a few of these species have hunting tips provided by biologists (towards the bottom of their profile pages). Tips are provided for:

• Columbian sharp-tailed grouse,
• dusky Grouse, 
• greater prairie-chicken,
• greater sage-grouse, and
• mourning dove.

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Mourning doves and other migratory birds are a national resource protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The mourning dove is the most hunted migratory game bird in North America, and dove hunting is a popular sport in many parts of this country. Federal and state regulations help ensure that these birds continue to thrive while providing hunting opportunities.

There are regulatory changes adopted by the federal government in 1999 defining key terms for hunters and landowners with respect to baiting, and clarifying conditions under which you may hunt doves and other migratory game birds.  See the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Dove Hunting and Baiting Web page for more information.