Sharp-tailed Grouse 



Twenty dancing grounds have been located in or near the Otter 

 Creek study area (Figure 15). Attendance by male birds at 

 known grounds averaged 15.3 in 1979 and 17.8 in 1980 (Table 16) 

 The average number of birds in 1980 at the seven grounds 

 located in 1979 was 23.0. This represents a 50.3 percent 

 increase from 1979 to 1980. Obviously the overwinter survival 

 was extremely high. 



There are approximately 0.22 dancing grounds per square mile 

 in the study area. This compares with .09 grounds per square 

 mile in the Sarpy Creek drainage (Martin 1980) and 0.12 per 

 square mile in the Colstrip area (Schwarzkoph 1980). 



No broods were observed in the study area. One observation 

 of approximately 150 birds was made along Home Creek north of 

 dancing ground number 7 in early November. 



Table 16. Sharp-tailed grouse dancing grounds in the Otter 

 Creek study area and number of males attending in 

 1979 and 1980. 



Dancing 

 Ground 



Location 



Activity 



1979 



1980 



1 



2 



3 



4 



5 



6 



7 



8 



9 



10 



11 



12 



13 



14 



15 



16 



17 



18 



19 



20 



12 

 9 

 12 

 20 

 1 

 13 

 40 



13 

 20 

 33 

 36 



5 

 24 

 30 

 36 

 33 



9 



7 



5 

 20 



2 

 16 



6 

 20 

 16 

 16 



9 



Average males per ground 



15.3 



17.8 



33 



