Forest grouse and mountain quail hunters: Turn in wings and tails

Each year ODFW collects the wings and tails from blue grouse, ruffed grouse and mountain quail taken by hunters in Oregon.

To submit wings and tails from your grouse and quail, look for collection barrels (often bright blue with yellow signs) at major road junctions or highways in popular hunting areas. You’ll also find barrels at some ODFW offices and popular rural markets.

To find specific barrel locations see the map below, or call the ODFW office closest to your hunt.

See a map of blue barrel locations

How to submit your wings and tails

• Clip the right wing close to the bird’s body.  Submit the left wing if the right wing is damaged (i.e. worn or missing feathers).
• Remove all tail and rump feathers by skinning out the lower 2 to 3 inches of the back of the bird and clipping off the tail.
• Place wing and tail together in provided paper bag, and write the date of kill and general location where indicated.  Please do not use plastic bags, they speed decomposition and make the wings and tails hard to use.
• Put the wing bags inside the collection barrel or drop them off at the nearest ODFW office. We can also send you additional bags and postage-paid return envelopes, if you need them. Call 503-947-6301 for additional bags and envelopes.

Why ODFW collects wings and tails

Biologist use the wings and tails to collect information on species, age, hatch date, recruitment and sex ratios of the birds. They’ll use this information to get a clearer picture of grouse and quail populations that will help determine hunting seasons. Since wing collections started in 1980, hunters have submitted more than 30,000 grouse wings!

Wing analysis is only one of several surveys we use to monitor forest grouse and mountain quail populations in Oregon. The wing data complements other information gathered in production and harvest surveys.

See current grouse and quail seasons