RGS Reports National Ruffed Grouse and Woodcock Hunt Results

The RGS reports national ruffed grouse and woodcock hunt results.  The Ruffed Grouse Society’s National Ruffed Grouse and Woodcock Hunt is conducted during the second week in October each year in and around Grand Rapids, Minnesota. This world-class event is sponsored and coordinated by the Grand Rapids MN Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society. Chapter volunteers contribute literally thousands of hours of their time to make the Hunt happen.  The hunt is hosted at the Sawmill Inn, owned by the Jacobson family.  ”We are proud to host this annual event each year; it gives us an opportunity to showcase the very best Grand Rapids has to offer,” Wayne Jacobson shares.

The Hunt provides an unparalleled opportunity to study the population ecology of ruffed grouse and woodcock. The manner in which the Hunt is structured is what makes it so unique in the field of wildlife research and so valuable to wildlife conservation.

The late Gordon W. Gullion, universally acknowledged as the world’s expert on ruffed grouse, immediately recognized the scientific potential of the Hunt when the event was first held in 1982. Gullion understood that because the Hunt is conducted in the same locale, at the same time each year and using the same methods, it provides an outstanding opportunity to study the annual variation of the local ruffed grouse population and how that variation relates to the 10-year cycle.

Read the rest of the Visit Grand Rapids article

How to ... Hunt ruffed grouse this late in the season

October has much to offer the Minnesota hunter — ducks, geese, bowhunting for deer. As for ruffed grouse, the season continues through the end of the year, so I usually wait for December to hunt them.

December grouse hunts, though, bear little resemblance to the flush jaunts of October.

Locating grouse during December can be difficult because the birds are usually concentrated in small areas. Once found they are easily spooked, rarely holding for a pointing dog, let alone for a hunter trudging through noisy, crusted snow.

Despite those adversities — in some cases because of them — I love hunting grouse during the late season.

Read the rest of the Star Tribune article

Ruffed Grouse Society Welcomes Michael R. North as New Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Forest Gamebird Coordinator

MN DNR Position Partially Funded Through Partnership With RGS For Forest Habitat Management

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has hired Michael R. North as the forest gamebird coordinator, a position partially funded through a partnership with the Ruffed Grouse Society. In his new position, North will focus on enhancement of forest habitat management and hunting opportunities for ruffed grouse, American woodcock and other wildlife and will work from the DNR office in Brainerd, Minnesota.

          “We are excited to welcome Michael to his new position as forest gamebird coordinator and appreciate the opportunity to work with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to support ruffed grouse and American woodcock habitat in Minnesota,” said RGS President and CEO John Eichinger.

Read the rest of the story

How To Miss A Ruffed Grouse Shot - Video

I went 0 for 8 on quality shot opportunities this day.

I was able to recover over the next two days but am still missing some easy ones.  The previous couple of weekends I was hitting some of the tougher shots.

Grand Rapids / Deer River MN area.

Ruffed Grouse Hunt - Lake Winnie Winnibigoshish MN - Deer River MN - 10/25/2013

10/25/2013

The pendulum swung the other way today.  I saw lots of birds but could not hit one.

We ended up going to our second choice.  The same pickup has been in our number one choice the past 3 weekends.  The nice thing is that he usually leaves by 2 o’clock so we can park there for late afternoon hunt.

Within 50 yards of leaving the car I saw a grouse flush wild about 20 yards in the woods.  After a short walk we got to a wide spot in the trail and I was thinking "this is such a good looking spot but I’ve never seen a grouse here"  just then Tasha bumped one and it came flying at me.  I missed a shot while it was flying at me and then one while it was flying away.  If the GoPro was working right I should have a good video of “how to miss a grouse”.   A little farther up the trail I saw a bird flush, as we approached the area Tasha went on point.  I figured she was pointing the one that flew.  Again the phrase “ always trust your dog” proved true.  As I was walking up and thinking that there was nothing there any longer up came another bird and another miss was tallied.

On our 90 minute hunt we moved 7 grouse, 3 of which were pointed by Tasha, none of which did I connect on.

I swapped dogs hoping that Tina could turn the tide.  We hunted for 2.5 hrs and moved 9 grouse and one woodcock.  I shot at 3 of the grouse and the woodcock and missed all of them.  At one spot Tina went on point and I saw something run in front of her.  I was thinking it was a rabbit as she likes to point them and we’ve seen a number of them here.  I walked towards her and a grouse got up low and straight in front of her.  I held off of shooting as I didn’t want to hit her.

On our way out we bumped into a couple of hunters.  One of them was wearing the same hat as I was.  It was a for the kennel, Northwoods Bird Dogs that both of my active dogs are out of.  We chatted a bit and one of them was a guide that works out of the same lodge that Jerry, the trainer / breeder, guides out of.  The grouse woods can be a small place sometimes.

We moved to a different parking spot in the same area and I gave Tasha another run.  She got 2 more points and just to keep everything on the same track I didn’t hit either one.  I did have one take off from about 10 feet up a tree.  This is the second week in a row that this has happened.  Neither time did it seem like it was close to roosting time.

5 hours hunting.  19 birds moved.  18 grouse 1 woodcock.  8 shots taken.  No hits.

I’m switching guns and hats tomorrow.  I mean it couldn’t be me that is the issue...

A First Grouse - Grand Rapids MN Ruffed Grouse Hunt October 19th 2013

The First Grouse That I've Taken Over One Of Tasha's Points ( Fergie looking on )

Saturday October 19th 2013

The MEA weekend curse hit in full force today.  I had to go to a 5th spot to find a place that didn’t already have a vehicle parked at it.  I was at the first spot a 9 am.  It took me an hour to find a spot that we could hunt.  I started out with Tasha and we hunted for about an hour but didn’t move a bird.  The cover looked good but it is a pretty obvious place.

Area #2 looked even better but Tina and I didn’t fair any better.  One of the nice things about this spot was that there were a number of areas around it that had been clear cut in the past year or two so it should only get better.  One of the saddest things in grouse hunting is to have a good area that never gets any maintenance and the cover just gets too old to be productive.

The third spot that we hit didn’t look quite as nice but also didn’t look like it had seen as much use.  We hit this spot for an hour and moved one bird but I didn’t get off a shot.

We returned to the spot that we had hoped to start out at and there wasn’t anyone parked there.  I started with Tasha and about 5 min into the trail she went on point and the bird came up before I was ready... arrgg...  We checked the woodcock area and didn’t move anything and then it was on to the longer trail.  About half way out she locked up.  I missed a left to right shot and then a second grouse got up and I finally was able to take one off of her point.  We finished working the trail out and back and I missed two more grouse by the time we got back to the truck.  I was still excited to have gotten a bird from one of her points.

Tina got the call to finish up the day.  After a short period we started to get some sleet and was thinking of bagging it but I figured we could always take a shortcut back to the vehicle if need be.  We were on our way to an area that Tasha and I had not hit and to get there we went by woodcock hollow ( I decided to name it ).  Sure enough Tina went on point.  I swung out wide to come at her from the other side of the cover.  Two steps in to the cover and the woodcock came straight at me.  The dang bird almost flew right into me.  After dodging it I took a shot and missed but was able to connect on the second shot.  We worked an area with pine trees and Tina made another nice point and I was able to connect on an easy shot.

On our way out we ran into a guy from West Virginia.  He had been hunting in the area for two weeks and commented on how many hunters there were.  I told him that with the National Ruffed Grouse Hunt and then MEA weekend he picked two of the busiest weeks to hit the area.  He was leaving the next day for two weeks in SD pheasant hunting.

I went 1/1 on Woodcock but only 2 out of 7 or 8 on grouse.  Still, getting the first one over Tasha made it all ok.

Sunday

We woke to a steady wet snow falling.  We hunted for two hours and only moved one bird.  I did hear some shooting but I decided to pack up and head home early.

Tasha and Tina With Their 2 Grouse and 1 Woodcock

Grand Rapids MN Ruffed Grouse Hunt October 18th 2013

3 Dogs 3 Grouse

Friday October 18th 2013

I am guessing that like most people I like to hunt the weekdays when possible.  I like the feeling of being alone in the woods.  We hit our first spot at about 1 pm.  I was surprised that no one was already parked at the spot when we got there.

I decided to start with Tasha.  I thought that by giving her the first shot at the area that maybe I could take her first grouse over a point.  I was able to take a woodcock that she  had pointed but had not yet connected on a grouse.  She has had a few flash points but nothing real solid yet.

She started to work the cover right away and seemed to be more serious about her approach.  We hit an area that usually produces a woodcock or two but didn’t move anything.  The second stretch is a longer piece of trail.  In this area she seemed to be working a bit slower and not quite as sure of herself.  We reached a split in the trail and as we got about 25 yards from the split Tasha stopped.  I wasn’t sure if she was pointing or just stopping.  I took another step and the grouse flushed.  I wasn’t quick enough to get off a shot but it was nice to see her respond to the scent.  We continued working the trail to the end but didn’t move any more birds.  Unfortunately this is an out an back trail so you end up rehunting the same area.  As we worked our way back Tasha moved farther out into the side areas and really worked a nice pattern most of the way back.

After getting back to the truck and having a bit of a snack I put Tina on the ground.  With Tina I sometimes go on autopilot and just wait until I quit hearing her bell and then the beeper goes off to signal her point.  Just a few minutes after getting back on the trail she went on point.  I moved in and a bird broke right to left and I took a shot.  I wasn’t sure that I had hit it so I was focused on marking the spot when another bird got up and went the opposite direction.  I took a quick poke but the bird kept flying.  We went into the cover looking to see if I had downed the bird or not.  After a bit of searching Tina found the bird.

We hunted some of the area that Tasha and I hadn’t covered but didn’t move any birds so we decided to recheck our favorite trail.  A short way down the trail Tina locked up and I had an easy straight away shot and was able to connect.  Toward the far end of the trail Tina again had a nice point and as I moved in a double got up from the opposite side of the trail.  I was able to spin around and get one of them.

We worked our way back to the truck, loaded up, and headed to the motel and Friday Night Fish Fry.

I was happy with how the dogs worked though I was still hoping to take a grouse over a Tasha point.

I was 3/4 on grouse and 0/1 on woodcock.  I expected to see a few more birds but has been better than I expected after my first few hunts where we saw so few birds.

Roughing it at the motel after the hunt

Deer River - Grand Rapids MN Grouse and Woodcock Hunt Oct 13 2013

4 Grouse and 1 Woodcock

Sunday October 13th 2013

The dogs and I were back in the Deer River area to try our luck at finding some more grouse.  It had been a long drive the day before to get there.  We had started Saturday by heading up to Willmar, MN to talk with a farm owner about getting access to his land to try some pheasant hunting.  He agreed and we spent just over an hour making a quick pass to see if we could get a rooster.  All the corn was still up and it was starting to rain so we pulled the plug and made the drive to Deer River.

We went to what has become our favorite spot in the area.  There was already an ATV parked in the spot that we like to start out at.  It is a large area so we drove to a secondary parking area.  Tasha got the call to be the first one to hunt.  At 17 months old I am just wanting to get her into birds.  I’m hoping that she will handle them well when she finds them but I won’t get bent out of shape if we get more bumps than points.

After about 5 min she started to get birdy and a grouse broke from the cover.  I fumbled with the safety but didn’t get the shot off.  While I was cursing myself another bird got up and was away before I could get on it... We approached an area that is a bit lower and wetter than the other cover.  Tasha made a nice flash point on a woodcock and I was able to take it on the second shot.  On the way out Tasha bumped another grouse.  I wasn’t upset as we were working with the wind and as soon as she scented it she spun to point and the bird got up.  It was a little bit farther out than I am comfortable shooting so I passed on it.

Our second spot is an area that Marge ( my setter who we put down this spring at 17 1/2 ) had good luck hunting at 16 years old.  It was a shorter trail and she usually was able to get a good point in the first couple of hundred yard or so.  Tina got to hunt this one.  We worked the trail that we normally do but then were able to check out a new cut.  As we hit one spot I was saying to myself “ how can there not be a bird here “ and sure enough Tina locked up and I was able to take it with a single shot.

The third spot is another small area.  This is my third season hunting this area and we have always seen a bird here but have never taken one.  I was hoping that Tasha would break the streak and we could take a bird.  We worked the trail out and then bushwhacked it back.  She moved well through the woods and was working the cover but we didn’t move a bird.

For the last hunt of the day we returned to the first spot and were able to park in the spot that we wanted to start out.  About 20 minutes into the hunt Tina made a nice point a ways into the cover.  As I started to move up towards her the bird came charging out and I made a quick right to left swing and took a shot.  I didn’t see the bird go down but it did look like it maybe bobbed a bit.  We went in and looked around a fair amount and didn’t see anything and as we started to walk out I happened to look down and it was tucked into some brush.  It had gone an amount farther after my shot than I had thought.  As we neared the turnaround on the trail Tina made another nice point and I was able to take it on a straight away shot.

On the way out she made another point and I walked past her a good distance to try to trap the bird between us.  As I walked in Tina held steady but I didn’t move a bird.  As I got right next to her a bird broke a good 25-30 yards behind me.  I hadn’t gone quite far enough up the trail before cutting in.  About 5 minutes later she went on point again so I went even farther up the trail this time hoping to not have a repeat.  I got to within 5 or 6 feet of her and started to think it might be a woodcock holding tight and then right between us was the grouse.  I could have thumped it with my barrel.  I finally got it to flush but didn’t hit it until the second shot.

We ended up taking another grouse on the way out.  It was a nice flush and a easier shot but I’ll take an easy one as I know most are not that way.

For the day we moved 13 grouse and 8 woodcock.  As far as shooting I went 4/6 for grouse but only 1/5 on woodcock.

Another Hunter Beat Us To Some Prime Cover

Two Woodcock Points - Bigfork MN - Video

I was grouse hunting near Bigfork, MN Sept 23, 2011 and was able to capture video of two separate Woodcock points.

It was the Friday before the Woodcock season opened.  It was fun to get a couple of nice solid points on them.

The spot that we hunted has been my best grouse area for the past 15 years but this time we didn’t move a single grouse.  This was the first time that this had happened at this area.

For More Bird Hunting Videos Visit BirdHunterTV.com

Grand Rapids - Deer River MN 2013 Ruffed Grouse Hunt 2nd Weekend

Tasha and Tina with our first grouse of 2013

Friday Sept 20th

The weather forecast was for clearing in the afternoon but driving in rain all the way from Forest Lake, Mn to Grand Rapids, Mn wasn’t too encouraging.  The clouds started to break as I arrived in Deer River and my mood improved.  I met up with my hunting buddy Tony.  

We hit an area that I’ve had good luck at for a few years.  I put my new setter, Tasha, down to give her a chance to get on some wild birds.  Tony went down a different trail to work his two dogs.  We worked the area for about and hour and didn’t move any birds.   Tasha did get birdy a few times and gave me 2 or 3 unproductive points.  Even though we didn’t see anything I was happy with the way she was working the cover.  When we got back to the trucks I asked Tony if he had gotten anything as I heard a couple of shots.  He said that 3 had flushed wild ahead of him on the trail but that he hadn’t gotten them.  As a bonus though one of his dogs did roll in a dead skunk that was on the trail...  I’ll be skipping that area this year.

We continued to work our way around the Winnie area and found lots of good looking areas but no birds.  It started to drizzle as we hunted the last area and as we were walking out I had two grouse flush from under some pine trees.  I didn’t get off any shots but it nice to actually hear something.

Saturday Sept 21st

It was going to be just me and the dogs today as Tony decided to hunt closer to his cabin. 

If the lower bird counts were going to be keeping hunters out of the woods this year you wouldn’t know it by how many vehicles were on the forest roads this morning.

We started on the trail that we left off at the previous evening.  The cover was wet with the previous evening’s rain.  The area had the right cover and we hunted even farther down the trail than the day before.  Unlike the day before we didn’t move any birds.  We continued hunt some of the areas northwest of Lake Winnie but still were not having any luck.  We stopped in Black Duck for a late lunch and decided to head to a different area.

Our next spot was an area the my first dog, Marge, had good luck hunting in her 15th season.  I put Tasha down hoping that somehow Marge would have passed some of her mojo to us and that I’d be able to get Tasha her first bird.  The area looked even better than before as there had been a new trail cut through some birdy looking cover.  Tasha worked the cover well but still we were not able to get a point.

At the last spot I hunted my 11 year old setter, Tina, by herself.  One of the reasons that we added Tasha to the family is so that I wouldn’t have to hunt Tina all day long.  She would do it if I let her but she does better if I don’t run her into the ground.  I also switched guns to my 16ga in the hopes of changing our luck.  This area was where we had started yesterday but I decided to enter it from a different point.  The path we took was a newer cut path and a bit tougher to follow but it still looked good.  About five minutes into the hunt Tina locked up solid.  As I moved forward the grouse got up from right in the middle of the trail.  It was an easy shot that I actually connected on.  It was a young bird.  It felt good to finally harvest one.  As we moved along the trail she went on point ten minutes later.  I could see the bird on the ground about 10 yards into some thick cover.  I moved past the bird and then angled into the woods to get the flush.  It held longer than I thought it would and when it flushed I lucked out as I was in a spot where I could actually get my gun up and get a shot off.  Tina went and stood by the downed bird.  She doesn’t always like to retrieve but will usually go to the bird if she sees it fall.

We got two more flushes but no more shots.  After returning to the truck I started to feel the effects of getting caught in the cool drizzle from the night before.  I fed the dogs back at the motel while I cleaned up and got all of my gear into the truck.  I decided to pull the plug a day early.  It turned out to be a good move as by the time I got back to the Twin Cities I was coming down with the chills.

Additional notes:

When I first started hunting I didn’t like using bells as I don’t care for the extra noise in the woods but this year I’ve been using them a lot more often.  I am finding that with a young dog and the thick cover that it just makes it easier to keep track of them and I end up using the beeper a lot less often.

MN 2013 Hunting season kicks off despite low ruffed grouse numbers

Posted by: Nate Kruse

License? Check.

Coffee? Check.

Camouflage jacket and duck call? Check.

With the start of the waterfowl hunting season last weekend, turkey season opening this weekend, and the ruffed grouse and deer archery seasons already on the go, UMD hunters are making checklists and waking up early for the hunt.

Already, senior Justin Grossinger has a fridge full of Canada geese, wood ducks and ruffed grouse. He and his dad got three geese the weekend opener of early goose season, Sept. 1, and have been feasting ever since.

“I cooked them up and they were phenomenal,” Grossinger said. “Put a little seasoning on there. Some butter. So good.”

The grouse in his fridge, however, are not freshly harvested, but leftovers from a successful season last fall. This year’s grouse hunt has proved unproductive so far not only for Grossinger, but for junior Jon Dordal as well.

“It was tough because there’s a lot of undergrowth still,” Dordal said about his grouse hunt. “The woods are really thick.”

Once the undergrowth vegetation in the forests dies off for the winter, it will be a lot easier for hunters to spot the well-camouflaged grouse before they take off flying and it’s too late to shoot.

Although the winterkill will work in favor of hunters, the low numbers of grouse will not. The Minnesota DNR’s spring ruffed grouse drum count fell by 10 percent from last year’s, meaning that the bird population is in a decline. The drum count refers to the number of male grouse mating calls observed in the spring.

The decline, however, is part of the natural cycle for grouse, which peaks every 10 years regardless of environmental impacts. Given that the last peak was in 2009, the lowered population is expected.

Grossinger, who is aware of the declining population cycle, isn’t discouraged from hunting the bird.

“Hopefully, I’ll just get out and see a couple here and there,” he said. “I’m happy to walk eight miles and see two birds. I’m fine with that.”

For him, hunting is less about the kill and more about enjoying the outdoors.

“A lot of the trails in this area are beautiful,” he said. “You hike around the woods. See if you see anything. If not, hey, you got some exercise and it was beautiful out. Even in the rain, it’s still fun.”

Grossinger walks the public Wildlife Management Area trails (WMAs) by Island Lake with his Remington 870 12-gauge shotgun in search of coveys of grouse.

The last time he went out for grouse, two weekends ago, he stumbled upon a ten-point buck instead.

“If I’d had a bow, I’d have seen a grouse—it’s just how it goes,” he said and laughed.

Read the rest of the UMD Statesman article

The Aitkin Area Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) will host its 26th annual Conservation and Sportsmen’s Banquet Thursday, Sept. 12,

The Aitkin Area Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) will host its 26th annual Conservation and Sportsmen’s Banquet Thursday, Sept. 12, at The Landing. It begins with a reception hour at 5:30 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m.

And, in the spirit of the outdoors, youngsters under the age of 16 who recently took and passed a hunter education course and/or women who have participated in a recent Outdoors Women program, and can verify same; will receive a complimentary dinner ticket when accompanied by a paying adult.

The evening will feature a live and silent auction, games, drawings and door prizes, highlighted with the finest selection of quality firearms, artwork and collectibles.

For more information on the banquet contact Jim MacDonald at 218-927-9998 (day) or 218-927-2669 evening.

Proceeds from this event will be used to restore and protect grouse and woodcock habitat.

Ruffed Grouse Society Conservation group to host fund-raiser dinner in Hackensack MN

The Deep Portage Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society will host its 24th Annual Conservation and Sportsmen’s Banquet on Aug. 29 at the Deep Portage Conservation Reserve, 2197 Nature Center Drive NW in Hackensack beginning with a reception hour at 5:30 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m.

According to Jerry Lamon, individual membership and dinner tickets are $60. There is also a membership and spouse package which includes two dinners for $95. Junior membership and dinner tickets are $45 each. Banquet, Conservation, Sustaining and Gold sponsorship packages are also available at $275, $500, $1,000 and $2,500 respectively.

And, in the spirit of the outdoors, youngsters under the age of 16 who recently took and passed a hunter education course and/or women who have participated in a recent Outdoors Women program, and can verify same; will receive a complimentary dinner ticket when accompanied by a paying adult.

Seating is limited and attendees are urged to make reservations early.

As is the custom at this event, the evening will feature a live and silent auction, games, drawings and door prizes highlighted with the finest selection of quality firearms, artwork and collectables.

For more information and/or tickets contact Lamon at 218-947-3870 or by email at Jblamon@tds.net.

More info and the complete PineAndLakes article

With birds on the low end of cycle, opportunities for grouse hunters scarce in Minnesota

Written by Glen Schmitt

The Department of Natural Resources has monitored the ruffed grouse population in Minnesota for more than 60 years. Part of that process involves driving established routes in the forested region and counting the number of male grouse heard drumming each spring.

Those drumming counts are used as an indicator of the ruffed grouse breeding population, which tends to rise and fall on a 10-year cycle. Results from this year’s survey showed that drumming counts were down for the second consecutive year and that ruffed grouse numbers are likely at the low end of that natural cycle.

In the northeast, which is considered the state’s premier ruffed grouse range, drumming counts dropped from 1.1 to 0.9 per stop. Counts in the northwest dipped from 0.9 last spring to 0.7 drums per stop this year, while drumming counts showed little change from a year ago in the central hardwoods and southeast with an average of 0.9 and 0.4 drums per stop, respectively.

According to Charlotte Roy, DNR grouse biologist, the decrease in drumming counts this spring was not unexpected since the ruffed grouse population is still in the declining phase of its cyclical pattern.

“We’re near or at the bottom of the cycle and I don’t think there’s anything to worry about,” Roy said. “Historically, you can see that it takes three or four years to rebound so it wasn’t surprising to see the counts down this year.”

Counts vary from about 0.8 drums per stop in years when grouse abundance is low and as high as 1.9 drums per stop when the grouse population is up. Drumming counts spiked last in the spring of 2009.

The peak of spring drumming efforts usually occurs somewhere during the first few days in May. The median date this year was later, around May 10, likely the result of lagging cold and snow in the state’s core ruffed grouse range.

Roy pointed out that she asked DNR officials and volunteers that were counting drums across the 117 surveyed routes to do so when they thought drumming was at its peak. Most of them indicated that drumming peaked later than usual.

Read the rest of the St. Cloud Times article

MN 2013 Ruffed Grouse Hunting Season Dates

09/14/13 - 01/01/14

Ruffed and Spruce Grouse, Hungarian Partridge season MN DNR site.  Please check for updates

MN 2013 Grouse counts decline, later spring nesting may help hatch

Ruffed grouse drumming counts were down across most of the bird’s range, according to the annual survey conducted by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

“This decrease was not unexpected because the ruffed grouse population is still in the declining phase of its 10-year cycle,” said Charlotte Roy, DNR grouse biologist. “Drum counts peaked most recently in 2009.”

Drumming counts dropped from 1.1 to 0.9 per stop in the northeast, which is the forest bird’s core range in Minnesota. Counts in the northwest declined from 0.9 in 2012 to 0.7 drums per stop in 2013. Drumming counts did not change significantly in the central hardwoods or southeast, with an average of 0.9 and 0.4 drums per stop, respectively.

Ruffed grouse populations, which tend to rise and fall on a 10-year cycle, are surveyed by counting the number of male ruffed grouse heard drumming on established routes throughout the state’s forested regions. Drumming counts are an indicator of the ruffed grouse breeding population.

This year, observers recorded 0.9 drums per stop statewide. The averages during 2011 and 2012 were 1.7 and 1.0 drums per stop, respectively. Counts vary from about 0.8 drums per stop during years of low grouse abundance to about 1.9 during years of high abundance.

The number of birds present during the fall hunting season also depends upon nesting success and chick survival during the spring and summer. Drumming did occur later this year because of the late spring, suggesting that nesting likely occurred later than normal.

“Later nesting would have pushed the hatch out a bit, hopefully beyond the spring rains,” Roy said. “Time will tell if that occurred and the impact on production.”

Minnesota frequently is the nation’s top ruffed grouse producer. On average, 115,000 hunters harvest 545,000 ruffed grouse in the state each year, making it the state’s most popular game bird. During the peak years of 1971 and 1989, hunters harvested more than 1 million ruffed grouse. Michigan and Wisconsin – which frequently field more hunters than Minnesota – round out the top three states in ruffed grouse harvest.

One reason for the Minnesota’s status as a top grouse producer is an abundance of aspen and other ruffed grouse habitat, much of it located on county, state and national forests where public hunting is allowed. An estimated 11.5 million of the state’s 16.3 million acres of forest are grouse habitat.

For the past 64 years, DNR biologists have monitored ruffed grouse populations. This year,
DNR staff and cooperators from 14 organizations surveyed 117 routes across the state.

Sharp-tailed grouse counts decrease slightly
Sharp-tailed grouse counts in the northwest, the bird’s primary range in Minnesota, were similar to 2012. Counts in the east-central region declined significantly.

Observers look for male sharptails displaying on traditional mating areas, called leks or dancing grounds.

Despite several years of declining numbers, this year’s statewide average of 9.2 grouse counted per dancing ground was similar to the long-term average since 1980. The 2009 average of 13.6 was as high as during any year since 1980. During the last 25 years, the sharp-tailed grouse index has been as low as seven birds counted per dancing ground.

Overall, sharptail populations appear to have declined over the long term as a result of habitat deterioration. In recent years, the DNR has increased prescribed burning and shearing that keep trees from overtaking the open brush lands that sharp-tailed grouse need to thrive.


The DNR’s 2013 grouse survey report, which contains information on ruffed grouse and sharp-tailed grouse, is available online.

Original MN DNR article

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Ruffed Grouse Hunt - Deer River, MN Day 2

Tina and Her Deer River Mn Grouse

October 2nd, 2011

Saturday night was a long night as the dogs had drank so much water during the day that they kept having to go outside.  They woke me up at 11:30, 12:45, 1:30, and 4:30.  After the 4:30 wake up I put their training collars on them and they stayed quite.  Too quite it turned out as I ended up sleeping until 9 am.  That ruled out the longer drive to try some new areas that I had mapped out as it was already starting to get warm out.  so I decided to retry some of the areas from the day before to see if they still looked good.

The first spot that we went to was the walking trail area.  Tina and I started by walking a different section of the trail system.  After 30 minutes she hadn’t really gotten birdy at all we turned around and headed back to the section that we walked on Saturday.  Within 10 minutes she locked up solid and I was able to connect on a nice crossing shot.  We walked a while longer and didn’t move any other birds.

Next it was Marge’s turn to see if the forest road with the older growth would produce another bird.  We worked the trail a fair amount and while she did get a little birdy in a few spots we didn’t have any success actually moving one.  After getting back to the truck I got out Fergie and took her for a walk.  She can’t see but she still loves getting out in the woods and sniffing the air.

Tina and I then took a chance on the first spot that we had hunted yesterday.  The temperature was over 70 so it was a good last spot to try.  We went down the trail next to the clear cut and it still looked promising but it was just so dry it was hard to know if the scenting was decent at all.  We ended up going through the new growth to get back to the truck and she did make a nice point but it was so thick I couldn’t get into a good shooting position when I did flush the grouse.

Even though we cut the day short we did put one bird in the bag, confirmed that two spots were still a good bet, and ruled out another.

Ruffed Grouse Hunt Deer River, MN Day One

Saturday October 1 2011

Typical Cover For The Deer River MN Area

We left Mpls / St. Paul in the morning and made the three hour drive north.  After stopping at our rented cabin to drop off some gear and supplies we headed to the woods.  I decided to start out by trying some brand new areas to hunt.  I had purchased some maps that were created using Google Earth to show clear cuts and trails.  I loaded the gps info into the Garmin and we were on our way to just north of Deer River, MN.  The first area was two sets of small clear cuts with a small foot trail along one side of them.  As we worked the trail we came to some older growth and moved just a little ways into the new growth and turned back towards the vehicle.  About half way back we got a wild flush and moved towards where it looked like it set down.  Tina was working the scent but we did not make contact again.  It looked like a good enough area and with moving a bird in the 30 minute walk it has made the list to try again.


Spot number two ended up being a forest road that bordered an area that looked to be an older cut over area.  I was skeptical of it’s bird potential but we were there and it looked like easy enough walking for the 15 year old setter Marge.  This turned into and out and back affair but on the way back Marge made a nice point on a young bird and I was able to drop it.  Another 30 minute walk and another bird moved.  This area looked older than I would like but since we got a bird I added it to the try again list. 


Area number three turned out to be a MN Hunter Walking Trail.  There were no other vehicles there and with it hitting 60 degrees we decided to give it a chance.  There ended up being a number of different trails within the system.  We took the trail that looked like it went through the younger looking area.  It was hot and dusty.  The Northern MN area has been pretty dry after a wet and cool spring.  Tina was working a good pattern through the cover and after about 20 minutes and a few non-productive points she had one nailed and I got off a decent shot and connected.  We were able to repeat the pattern on the back side of the loop and collected another one for the game bag.


We made a stab at a fourth new area that also looked good but didn’t move a bird.  It was getting a bit later in the day so we went to our old standby in the Big Fork area.  In the first 40 minutes we moved 10 birds, got off 2 shots and didn’t connect on anything.  In the last 90 minutes we only moved one bird.


All in all it was a good start to the day with three birds in the bag and four new areas to try again.

MN Hunter Walking Trails - Ruffed Grouse

Minnesota's primary grouse range features a number of hunter walking trails that wind their way through Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), sometimes connecting with state forests and other public hunting lands.

These trails, most of them with signs, provide comparatively easy access to areas where small game such as grouse and woodcock may abound.
Many of the trails are gated, helping to prevent OHV access. Some have parking lots, while others simply have places to just pull off the road.
Enhancements on the trails vary. Some feature clover planted along the trail, others have forest openings that tend to attract wildlife and some are mowed annually. Many of the trails follow the courses of old logging roads.

Forests change over time as the succession of forest growth progresses. Because of this natural cycle, the forest along the trails and the wildlife that inhabit the area change with time.

Using the walking trail tool

Use the walking trail tool to locate hunter walking trails. Simply select a county from the list and click on the trail name. The map will automatically zoom and the trail will appear marked in red. Clicking the "PDF" link opens a new browser window that displays a printable, aerial view of the selected trail.

Trail maps are being updated continually and new maps are being added to the walking trail tool. Please check the tool regularly during the fall for new additions.

Google Earth file

Downloading this file and saving it to your computer allows you to view all the hunter walking trails using the free Google Earth application . If you don't have Google Earth installed, simply save the Google Earth installation file to your computer, run the installation progam, download the Hunter Walking Trail file and click "Open". All Minnesota's hunter walking trails will appear in the application, allowing you to zoom in and out at your leisure.

MN DNR Site