# White-tailed Ptarmigan 2015



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I'm in:



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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

That proves nothing. We know you pack a bag of animal guts around like they are M&Ms.


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

Looks like you plumb blowed the good parts right out of them.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Gizzards make good catfish and crawfish bait.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

mmmmm Gizzards and hearts


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)




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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

Didn't think it could be done...but the fried squirrel from our last Ptarm outting...got beat out by this years wild bison steaks....mmmmm.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

thanks gdog

Bison filet mignon with pre-cooked veggies, a pat of butter, salt n pepper and then wrapped in foil. Cooked over some Krummholtz. 

Wow, it's almost as good as squirrel.

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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

A successful ptarmigan hunt requires burning a lot of shoe leather. This trip exemplified that.

uh oh:


a little bailing wire and good to go:


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Just happened to have the wire with you?:mrgreen:Something else to put in my pack:!:


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Ptarmigan food, like geum, Alpine Avens and cinquefoil, was abundant where we hunted but the bird's crops were full of seeds and what looked like unripe currants; kinda odd.

We found the birds in small flocks, usually 4 birds. Out of each mini flock we'd leave a few birds for "seed"; a smart management tool on our part. 


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Dunkem said:


> Just happened to have the wire with you?:mrgreen:Something else to put in my pack:!:


lol

I have carried a small length of bailing wire in my pack for 45 years or more; before there were Leatherman pliers I think. A small piece of wire has saved the day on many trips - especially the long hauls and on hunting trips that required packing heavy loads of gear or meat.

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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

wyogoob said:


> Ptarmigan food, like geum, Alpine Avens and Cinquefoil, was abundant where we hunted but the bird's crops were full of seeds and what looked like unripe currants.


Here ya go...to give you an idea of what food sources to look for. Picture of crop contents from this trips birds...


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

This is what I would call a "normal" crop of ptarmigan food, some alvens, cinquefoil, willow, maybe draba, and a few seeds:


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

Great report! How many cred points do you guys get for that hunt? 

Any mushrooms?


Its funny you mentioned currants. I was hiking up in the Wasatch yesterday and was on a rockpile at 10275 ft. Here, I found what appeared to be currrants with small appealing fruits. I wasn't 100% sure so I didn't partake, but I'm fairly sure that was what they were. I'd never seen them before on this part of the Wasatch.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Ah, here's what looks like currants and willow leaves taken from a ptarmigan crop on an earlier hunt:



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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Catherder said:


> Great report! How many cred points do you guys get for that hunt?
> 
> Any mushrooms?
> 
> Its funny you mentioned currants. I was hiking up in the Wasatch yesterday and was on a rockpile at 10275 ft. Here, I found what appeared to be currrants with small appealing fruits. I wasn't 100% sure so I didn't partake, but I'm fairly sure that was what they were. I'd never seen them before on this part of the Wasatch.


We had currants up to 11,800 ft elevation.

Only a few mushrooms; nothing I would eat though.

UWN cred points:
Nevada Himalayan Snow**** = 5 cred points
Utah ptarmigan = 2 cred points
archery mule deer over 186" = 1 cred point
archery elk over 370" = 1 cred point
rifle mule deer over 186" = .5 cred point
rifle elk over 370" = .5 cred point
wyoming rifle antelope over 82" = honorable mention


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## hawglips (Aug 23, 2013)

Congrats!


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

wyogoob said:


> We had currants up to 11,800 ft elevation.
> 
> Only a few mushrooms; nothing I would eat though.
> 
> ...


Utah Snapping Turtle over 15 lbs = 1 cred point

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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

wyogoob said:


> This is what I would call a "normal" crop of ptarmigan food, some alvens, cinquefoil, willow, maybe draba, and a few seeds:
> 
> 
> .


Do you have a recipe for that?


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Utah ptarmigan on some geum:



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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

longbow said:


> Do you have a recipe for that?


No, but I'm thinkin' you could save that stuff and sprinkle it on the meat as seasoning. 

Hey, speaking of ptarmigan recipes, where's yours?

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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

I, I....[hang my head]...I've never shot one before. Heck I just barely learned how to spell ptarmigan.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Made another trip up to the High n Lonely for white-tailed ptarmigan. Went 11 miles back in to the top of a drainage I haven't ptarmigan hunted for a number of years. Found a few birds and some nice fish:





It was brother's first Utah white-tailed ptarmigan hunt. A hog farmer from Illinois where they hold their birds upside down for pictures :


We opened all the bird's crops and discovered the ptarmigan were feeding solely on Alpine Sorrel seeds:


Alpine Sorrel:


They were even roosting next to the sorrel:


Ptrout on the other hand were feeding on #16 Renegades:


Firearms on this trip: .410 Snake Charmer single-shot shotguns weighing in at a packable 3lbs. Ammo was 2 1/2" .410 #7 1/2 shot.

It was a great trip. I'm 64 and been thinkin' when I get older I'm riding a horse on the ptarmigan hunts.

.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

You must be in better shape than me! Someone would have to carry me down.Cool gun


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## bamacpl (Jun 1, 2010)

That's awesome!!!


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## hawglips (Aug 23, 2013)

Awesome Goob !


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## coolgunnings (Sep 8, 2007)

Glad to see you gettin it done like a champ.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

Awesome trip and report! +100 cred points. 


It looks like the DWR have put those frankenfish just about everywhere up there. :-? How did they taste?


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

Sheesh Goob. That looks great. but don't you have some pronghorn guts to pickle or something?


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

GaryFish said:


> Sheesh Goob. That looks great. but don't you have some pronghorn guts to pickle or something?


That's funny. When you posted this I was making everyone's favorite; Rabbit Heart Marsala.

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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

And boom. Just like that is another top of the page. Well played oh perfector of ptarmigan parts.


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## Size Matters (Dec 22, 2007)

Awesome job Goob!!! looks like some great times.8)8)8)


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Catherder said:


> Awesome trip and report! +100 cred points.
> 
> It looks like the DWR have put those frankenfish just about everywhere up there. :-? How did they taste?


Yeah, the Tigers are in many of the real high lakes in the Uintas now. I have mixed feelings about them but they do offer some fast action in lakes that were susceptible to frequent winter kills.

We returned all the Tigers and cooked two cutthroats taken from a lake close to camp. We were up in the tundra where there's no firewood so we steamed the fish in aluminum foil over our Jetboil cook stoves. You know the drill.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

It's a tough life for Utah's White-tailed Ptarmigan. They're constantly under attack by hawks, eagles, owls, falcons, foxes, coyotes, wolves, sheep dogs, bird hunters and spelling police.

The diminutive gamebirds love to take refuge in the boulders at the base of mountain rock slides high up in the end of the cirques. So if you want ptarmigan get up in the boulders, big boulders:


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## coolgunnings (Sep 8, 2007)

wyogoob said:


> Yeah, the Tigers are in many of the real high lakes in the Uintas now. I have mixed feelings about them but they do offer some fast action in lakes that were susceptible to frequent winter kills.
> 
> We returned all the Tigers and cooked two cutthroats taken from a lake close to camp. We were up in the tundra where there's no firewood so we steamed the fish in aluminum foil over our Jetboil cook stoves. You know the drill.


where did you find the butterbuds?


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

coolgunnings said:


> where did you find the butterbuds?


Online. I heard they were going to take them off the shelves in the USA so I bought a bunch of them.

I'll give ya some....or trade for some squash. 

.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

The Utah ptarmigan season runs through Oct 31. There's a little snow up there but who cares.



Get up there and get ya some.


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Goob, I think you are part mountain man! You're not Jim Bridger reincarnated, are you?


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