Ptarmigan Hunting
Labrador hosts both the Willow and Rock Ptarmigan. The ptarmigan which is referred to by the locals as “The White One” are members of the grouse family.
The ptarmigan’s plumage changes with the seasons: mainly brown for the summer months, grey and brown for the fall and with their white plumage and feathered feet for the winter season they are truly masters of camouflage.
The willow ptarmigan is the largest of the species with the adults being from fifteen to seventeen inches long and weighing in at about a pound.
The mating season which arrives in the spring finds the willow ptarmigan fighting other males and strutting around trying to impress the female.
The female is the one who builds the nest on the ground often near a small bush. Usually these birds nest in mountain areas or on the tundra, the nest is a depression in the ground and is lined with grasses.
The female lays seven to ten eggs with bright red markings on them. Within a few hours after they have been laid, they will have turned brown.
After about an hour after the chicks are hatched they are capable of running to hide, and can fly before they are two weeks old.
With the arrival of the winter months the ptarmigan often come down to valleys and foothills where they will feed on willow buds and leaves of other plants.
Our ptarmigan season usually begins the 1st of October and runs until late March. “ Birdin” as it is commonly referred to by the locals offers a wing shooter more than ample opportunity to test his shooting skills. Combined with plentiful flocks of ptarmigan and generous daily bag limits , a ptarmigan hunt would make a wonderful hunting opportunity by it self or as an add on to one of our big game packages.