The first day of the upland bird hunt on Audubon NWR is a tradition for many people. Families and friends get together to push through the cover around Lake Audubon. While this lake encompasses 10,000 acres of the 14,500-acre refuge, there is still plenty of land for hunters to pursue upland birds and deer. Hunters typically find good numbers of pheasant as well as fair numbers of sharp-tailed grouse and gray partridge. The Refuge also hosts archery, muzzleloader, and firearms seasons for deer. Hunting is walk-in only, but roads are open for retrieval of downed deer. The firearms hunt offers an excellent chance to fill the freezer, with about 70 percent of hunters taking a deer. All hunts are held after migrating waterfowl have left the Refuge to reduce disturbance to the birds' resting areas.