| Window | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Window 1 | 12 SEP – 12 OCT 2026 | 31d |
| Window 2 | 15 AUG – 04 SEP 2026 | 21d |
| Window 3 | 15 AUG 2026 – 28 FEB 2027 | 198d |
As publishedSep 12-Oct 12, 2026 (general); Aug 15-Sep 4, 2026 (archery); Aug 15, 2026-Feb 28, 2027 (falconry)
CDFW publishes a single combined 'Sooty (Blue)/Ruffed Grouse' season and bag limit shared between the two species -- daily bag of 2 total, any one species or mixed. Open only in a specified set of northern/eastern CA counties per CDFW's hunt-zone map (closed statewide elsewhere). Archery Aug 15-Sep 4, 2026; Falconry Aug 15, 2026-Feb 28, 2027. Pistols/revolvers are legally permitted for this species in the open counties.
Sooty grouse (formerly lumped with blue grouse, now split by genetics) shares its combined 28-county hunt zone with ruffed grouse, but its real range is much closer to filling that zone than ruffed grouse's is. CDFW's own CWHR life-history account (Ahlborn 2008, updated by CWHR Program staff 2008) describes it as an uncommon to common permanent resident at middle to high elevations, occupying open, medium-to-mature fir/Douglas-fir/conifer stands across most of the state's mountain ranges, not just the northwestern corner where ruffed grouse is confined.
No formal population survey program exists for this species in this state.
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