Oregon’s Department of Fish and Wildlife plans to limit the number of permits it issues this year for sage grouse hunting. Wildlife managers say they’re concerned about how this summer’s wildfires in Southeast Oregon may have affected bird populations.

Male sage-grouse conducting his breeding display on a lek in Baker County, OR. Photo courtesy Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Back in July, the Longdraw fire burned more than half a million acres of public land. Autumn Larkins, the acting sage grouse conservation coordinator at Oregon Department Fish and Wildlife, said nearly all of the land burned in the Longdraw was prime sage grouse habitat.

Now another blaze, the Holloway fire, is further jeopardizing the birds. But Larkins said it could be some time before the agency is able to assess the damage.

“At this point in time, we just don’t know,” she said. “So we’re hoping to get up there once the containment is complete and investigate how thoroughly the fire went through, how hot it burned and if any cover was left.”

Larkins said the agency won’t issue any sage grouse permits in what it calls the Whitehorse Unit this year. That’s one of its designated hunting areas in the southeast corner of the state. Larkins said the agency will accept applications for other areas through Aug. 27.

This story originally appeared on Oregon Public Broadcasting.