As publishedSept 1–20, 2026
CPW's own regulation names this species 'Mountain Sharp-Tailed Grouse' (Columbian sharp-tailed grouse). Limited to specific GMUs (4, 5, 12, 13, 14, 23, 131, 211, 214, 441). Requires the $5 white-tailed ptarmigan/greater sage-grouse/mountain sharp-tailed grouse permit in addition to the small-game license.
CPW conducts active spring lek-count monitoring for plains sharp-tailed grouse (largely on CRP grasslands) and a 25-year Columbian sharp-tailed grouse restoration/translocation program in Grand County (26 birds translocated from Moffat County, April 2026; CPW senior conservation biologist Brian Holmes estimated 'more than 10,000' sharp-tails on the Western Slope, per a May 21, 2026 Summit Daily article), but no discrete standalone 2026 lek-count report or forecast document was found this pass (re-checked 2026-08-19) — CPW's own retrospective harvest-report archive runs only through 2023-24. No confirmed fixed publish window exists.