I had tried to start my standard lek count routes last Saturday.

And failed.

Only got three of the five strutting grounds on the route counted. Birds were gone by the time I got to leks four and five. These standardized counts are supposed to be started soon after the peak of hens. The idea is to get an estimate of the number of cocks that attend the same leks, from year to year. But since the number of strutting cocks at any ground doesn't peak until two to four weeks after the peak of hens (as the naive yearling roosters finally catch on to what is going on and settle in at a lek), you need to count several times, 7-10 days apart, until you catch that peak.

So, I need to get these standard counts started.

Snowed out (or in, actually) on Sunday.

Snowed in on Monday, too. Felt great to sleep in. Heeler sisters felt so, also.

So, on Tuesday, at 06:01 (thank whoever for Daylight Savings Time!), we headed out.

Thirty-five minutes later, we were looking over the first lek. Eighteen cocks. Two less than Saturday.

The sun came up as we were leaving the first lek.

Forty-six cocks on the second lek, with at least 13 hens swarming around in the sage. Almost all were on the east center, with only two cocks by the creek and two on the west center. Where the new fence was put in, in violation of everything we know about not messing with strutting centers.

High-tailed it up the new gas well road to the third lek. Need to learn which two-track to take off that thoroughfare, since I keep wasting precious minutes learning new routes to the lek. Had 79 cocks and at least 23 hens on the three strutting centers for this, my largest strutting ground.

Would have had almost a dozen more if it wasn't for the g*d*m*f feral horse that went charging right through the center of the center center as I drove up.

Heelers were getting antsy, not having had a break yet this morning, but I made them wait until we were overlooking the fourth lek. Since we're just over a mile from the birds, the sisters got to run while I counted.

Pretty easy to spot these birds strut, when they are there. Sit parked at the crest of the rise, and aim your scope straight at the corral on the knoll to the SSW. Then look for the grouse about halfway in between. Nine males still strutting away. Too far to see if there were any hens.

Reload heelers, and haul a** to the fifth and final lek of the route. Down the paved mine road at speeds that would get you a major ticket on an Interstate. By 07:50 I was counting the fifth strutting ground. 37 cocks, 10 hens. Hens were almost all walking off, done for the day.

So. A total of 189 cocks on the five leks. Had 195 on my first count last year, so not much change yet. We'll see what the tallies look like at the maximums, probably in a couple weeks.

By eight o'clock, I'm done with the route.

Now what?

Leks close by to the west and southwest. Leks that I've already checked this spring. But it never hurts to have another data point.

Or...

Two unchecked leks seven miles north, and thirteen miles northwest.

Off we go. With a short pause to retrieve the spare spare tire, which decided to leave us yet again. Which affords the heelers another much needed break to run.

Twenty-four minutes later we're at the north lek, just off the county road. Nine cocks still strutting. Then race west to the other lek, which still had 34 cocks strutting. Almost a dozen of which are on the roadway itself.

And that's it for the morning. Seven leks checked. Then we headed east to scout the roads for tomorrow's route.