Say “sharp-tailed grouse” to an old sodbuster and he’ll tip back his wear-stained, weathered, wide-brim Stetson, spit out a chew of Copenhagen, look you in the eye and then to the hills and ask if you mean “wild chickens.” The name “wild chickens” was a generational hand-me-down to describe the three species of prairie grouse that were once numerous across the high plains of North America. For old-timers, chickens were not considered a hunter’s sport, but a meal on the table to break the monotony of salt pork and beans.