I need some help on a sage grouse How do you get the breast to blow up when it is struting. I have looked thru the archieves and can't find anything. I can't find air sacs for this bird so that isn't and option unless someone knows of a place
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On a cock sage the feathers under the tail are black with a white spot at the end , hen are not a solid color but still have white spot. Check that first.
The pictures of strutting sage grouse are taken in he spring when their necks are stretched out from constantly displaying. It is extremely difficult to get a legally killed one that even comes close.
In the fall when they are killed they are no longer in breeding condition, so you will have to fight the skin to get it to stretch. You will have better luck with an older cock bird. The first-year ones are almost a lost cause for strutting mounts. Up until only a few years ago, anybody who mounted a strutting grouse automatically expected to have to fabricate the airsacs. It's just part of doing birds. Carve them out of foam and cover them with split buckskin. Paint as needed, and install. (Remove the real ones.)