Pierre, SD, USA / DRGNews Apr 22, 2021 6:20 AM USDA Forest Service staff on the Fort Pierre National Grassland have now completed their annual survey of prairie grouse. The 655 male greater prairie-chickens counted this spring was the highest number found since systematic surveys began in the late 1980s. In 2020, 479 male greater prairie-chickens were present. Sharp-tailed grouse also increased, with 106 males in 2021 compared to 88 in 2020. This year’s tally of sharp-tailed grouse was second only to that of 2016, when 131 males were found. Overall, 761 male prairie grouse were counted in spring 2021, topping the previous high count of 622 in 2016. Nesting cover is again widespread on the Fort Pierre National Grassland, but conditions remain dry. Prairie grouse often have lower production during droughts. District Ranger Dan Svingen summarized the situation as: “Unless we get timely rains during the critical chick-rearing periods in late spring and early summer, hunters this autumn are likely to mostly encounter wary, adult birds.”