End of an Era: Sage Grouse Declared Extirpated in North Dakota 🪹

In the event that the weekend wasn’t quite long enough for you, here’s to hoping that your favorite dispatch from the outdoor world can give you 5-or-so minutes to prep yourself for yet another week.

So, without further adieu, let’s grab that coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and get caught up on the outdoor news and views from the past few days. 

Here's what's worth reading about today:

• Extirpated - North Dakota bids farewell to their sage grouse populations 🪹

• Concussed - Orioles broadcaster suffers terrible concussion and injuries after falling out of deer blind 🤕

• Survey says… - Utah wants more deer and needs your help figuring out how to do it 🦌

• Wolf changes - Following Wyoming’s lead, Montana wants to kill more wolves this year as well 🐺

• The good stuff - This is all you need to start your week off on the right foot 🎣 

WILL THEY EVER BE BACK?
END OF AN ERA: SAGE GROUSE DECLARED EXTIRPATED IN NORTH DAKOTA

The greater sage grouse, an unique and iconic bird of the American West, has been declared extirpated in North Dakota, marking a somber milestone for wildlife conservation in the state. The 2025 annual spring breeding grounds survey conducted by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDGFD) found no active leks  - or communal breeding grounds - and zero male sage grouse, marking the first time in history that no males were observed at known leks. This follows a steep population decline, with only three males recorded last year, compared to 31 in 2014 and approximately 250 in the early 1990s. 

“This is the first time ever we were not able to find any male sage grouse at active leks in North Dakota,” NDGFD upland game management supervisor Jesse Kolar said. “It’s not unusual for leks to blip out and reactivate when populations rebound, [but] with our state population completely drying up, I don’t expect we’ll experience those rebounds, unless [sage grouse disperse] from Montana or South Dakota.”

QUICK HITS // ^{_{FROM AROUND THE WEB}}

Missouri Department of Conservation enforces fines for feeding deer in certain counties: Hunters and landowners in 73% of Missouri’s counties are under a CWD management zone. The Missouri Department of Conservation has set several regulations to combat CWD, including prohibiting landowners and hunters from feeding deer. Read the full story.

DWR wants public input on ways to increase Utah’s deer population: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is concerned about declining deer populations in certain parts of the state, so they are holding public meetings to engage the public to find solutions to the problem. Read the full story.

Orioles broadcaster Ben McDonald suffers concussion after 25 foot fall from deer stand: Former Orioles pitcher and current member of the Birds broadcast booth, Ben McDonald, said he suffered a concussion and two cracked vertebra during a July 17 hunting accident.  Read the full story.

The Dream Hunt: Wyoming Sportsman Group founders take sick kids on outdoor adventures: With millions of acres of land available to hunt, fish and explore, Wyoming is a haven for outdoor recreation. For many, however, impairments and terminal illnesses prevent them from accessing the precious resource. Read the full story.

Montana considers big changes to wolf hunting: On August 21, FWP plans to present a new proposal that would bump the wolf harvest quota to 500. That’s a big jump from last season’s quota of 334. While hunters and trappers harvested 297 wolves last season, FWP believes the higher number won’t threaten the overall population. Read the full story.

VIDEO // ^{_{SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO BE SEEN}}

🐟 It’s Monday and this is probably the most wholesome thing you’ll see all week. There’s a lot you can do to ensure your kids are raised right these days. Hooking into their first honker is one of them.

I’m not crying, YOU’RE crying…

A united front for a new week.

📸 : @markamccaffrey

Oh, and one more thing…