MN DNR asking hunters to submit of wing or tail feathers of Prairie Chickens and Sharp-Tailed Grouse 

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources are asking Northwest Minnesota hunters to help researchers in a study looking at whether hybridization between prairie chickens and sharp-tailed grouse is influencing prairie chicken populations.

To help researchers, prairie chicken and sharp-tailed grouse hunters in northwestern Minnesota can voluntarily submit wing or tail feathers from each bird they harvest this season. Researchers from the Minnesota DNR, North Dakota Game and Fish Department and University of North Dakota will use the wing samples as they study the habitat changes and behavior influencing sharp-tailed grouse expansion into prairie chicken range.

Hunters can submit five to 10 large wing or tail feathers from each bird in a separate paper envelope. They also ask hunters to not mix feathers from different birds together. The feathers  can be mailed to Grouse Research, DNR Regional Headquarters, 1201 E Highway 2, Grand Rapids, MN 55744.

More information can be found on the Minnesota DNR website at www.dnr.state.mn.us