I hunt sage grouse country in Montana every fall. Last sage hen I shot was almost forty years ago. In fact, until last fall I hadn't seen one since then. They are around but numbers are very low. And they taste awful. So what's the sense in wasting a lot of time looking for them when the dogs and I can be hunting pheasants instead? Roosters are more plentiful, more exciting to hunt, and they are decent eating. Also, pheasant country is typically not as snakey as sage grouse environs. That's important to me because I hunt with dogs.