Upland Game Birds
Well, not sure it has been coined yet, but if it is defined as harvesting one of each bird in the United States, the average upland hunter has a ways to go. Of the 27 huntable species in this country, most have likely seen two. Narrow the area to the contiguous US and 18 species still remain — not counting sub-species.
The Grouse Slam, The Quail Slam, The Ptarmigan Slam……. there is a lot to add to a hunter’s bucket list.
Our forefathers continuing through the ’60s elected to release numerous species in order increase hunting opportunity. Turning a blind eye to the scourge caused by so many other non-native species, upland hunting opportunites have increased exponentially.
How about The Native Bird Slam? Well, now the number’s down to 15 by most tallies. The point simply, upland season is more than just an opening weekend in the open prairie.
Very few of these species inhabit the same area, employ the same evasive tactics or appear similar. The color pallet of plummage alone could keep Crayola busy for a decade. Some hold for a point while others bail before you put two feet in the same field. And they don’t all taste like chicken.
