WI New habitat area ideal for ruffed grouse, woodcock hunting

On October 21, 2013, the Ruffed Grouse Society dedicated a new management area in honor of David V. Uihlein, Sr. on 2,045 acres of the Forest County Forest in northeast Wisconsin. The David V. Uihlein, Sr. Ruffed Grouse Management Area will use timber management, especially aspen harvests, to promote habitat for ruffed grouse and American woodcock. In addition, the Area is managed for multiple uses including a hunter walking area and a snowmobile trail through the northern portion of the property.

David V. Uihlein, Sr. was an ardent naturalist and outdoorsman who passed away on January 29, 2010 at the age of 89. He was a founder and president of the Ruffed Grouse Society Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter (Milwaukee area), which was later named in his honor. He was an extremely strong supporter of RGS, serving on its national board as a director from October 1981 until October 1996 and its President from December 1986 until December 1988, and through his Foundation, his support continues. He had a strong passion for habitat in northeast Wisconsin where he and his family spent time enjoying the outdoors in Forest County.

This is the second cooperative ruffed grouse management area RGS has developed with the outstanding cooperation of the Forest County Forestry and Parks Department who make these projects possible. The other is the 800-acre Otter Creek Ruffed Grouse Management Area located between Crandon and Laona. Two other cooperative areas in Forest County are managed by the U.S. Forest Service, the McDonald Creek east of Eagle River and Bushaefer Road northeast of Wabeno.

The David V. Uihlein Sr. Ruffed Grouse Management Area is one of over 700 projects in 28 states in which RGS is involved. This new management area is one of over 100 cooperative management areas RGS has developed on public lands in Wisconsin since 1986. The RGS Management Area Program began in 1985 and to-date, the Society has provided close to $1 million dollars to support habitat management efforts on over 145,000 acres of public land projects in Wisconsin and over $3.5 million to enhance over 500,000 public acres nationwide. To accomplish this, RGS has used funds raised primarily by dedicated volunteers of RGS chapters across the country.

Established in 1961, the Ruffed Grouse Society is North America’s foremost conservation organization dedicated to preserving our sporting traditions by creating healthy forest habitat for ruffed grouse, American woodcock and other wildlife. RGS works with landowners and government agencies to develop critical habitat utilizing scientific management practices.

Information on RGS, its mission, management projects and membership can be found on the web at: www.ruffedgrousesociety.org.

Media contact:

For photographs or questions about this release, contact:

Matt Soberg

412-203-4118

E-mail: matts@ruffedgrousesociety.org

Ruffed Grouse Hunter Kills Attacking Black Bear With Birdshot

By Jackson Schmidtke

Barron County (WQOW) - Sometimes when you go hunting you come across animals you're not looking to hunt. A Barron County grouse hunter's encounter on Saturday put him and his dog in the hospital.

"It was a spot where he would have never seen this bear laying on the ground," said DNR Conservation Warden Phillip Dorn.

Phil Anderson was hunting ruffed grouse at the Loon Lake Wildlife Area when he heard branches cracking. He thought it was a deer but it turned out to be a black bear.

"I heard my dog squealing in distress and I kind of figured out what was happening," Anderson said.

Anderson's dog had encountered a mother bear and her cubs in Barron county.

"I yelled for the dog and immediately the adult bear came from that direction and charged at me and knocked me on my back," said Anderson "She batted me a few times and shook me and then she went back to my dog."

After regaining his feet, Anderson yelled at the bear hoping to scare it. The bear left the dog and charged Anderson again. This time Anderson was prepared and was able to shoot the bear point blank in the face with birdshot, a lightweight ammo that typically would not down a bear.

"Birdshot doesn't really penetrate that well from distances," said Dorn "but this was very close range. Probably within three feet."

The 275-pound bear died instantly.

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Pennsylvania Blue Mountain habitat created to help ruffed grouse, other wildlife

By Mark Demko 

Working his way across State Game Lands 127 in Monroe County, Jim Boburka watches his dog, a 3-year-old Brittany named Dash, dig into the thick cover that dots many sections of the expansive public hunting grounds. And while he's hoping to flush, or possibly even get a shot at one of the ruffed grouse in the area, the Bethlehem resident's thoughts aren't far from another public parcel closer to home -- one that will one day hopefully hold more grouse than it presently does, thanks to a partnership between the Ruffed Grouse Society and the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

This past April, Boburka and 27 other individuals, many of them members of the RGS's Lehigh Valley Chapter, planted 1,000 Norway and white spruce seedlings on a 130-acre tract of timbered land on SGL 217 near Slatington. The work on the Blue Mountain is part of a three-year habitat enhancement project bringing together the PGC and Pennsylvania's newest RGS chapter in an effort to create the young forest habitat that's so crucial to grouse and other wildlife.

According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Ruffed Grouse Management Plan for 2011-2020, grouse populations in the state have been decreasing since 1980. As part of its strategy for boosting the bird's numbers, the agency is working to increase the amount of early successional habitat -- the 5- to 15-year-old forests that provide ideal cover for the bird -- by more than 900,000 acres by the end of decade. One of the keys to meeting this goal is developing new partnerships and enhancing existing ones, which is where conservation organizations such as the Ruffed Grouse Society play an important role.

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Video Maine Grouse Hunting 2013 with Bird Dogs Afield

Video of Ruffed Grouse Hunt in Maine.

For More Bird Hunting Videos Visit BirdHunterTV.com

Hunting Ruffed grouse in the winter.

Winter can be a great time to hunt ruffed grouse. Okay, anytime is a good time to hunt grouse (maybe – maybe – no so much in the early season) but winter can be particularly good. If, as always, you find where the birds are. 

Many hunters have trouble finding ruffed grouse during late season, even with the aid of snow. Since ruffs are usually grouped around the available food sources, it might take a bit of walking to find them.

It is usually to a late-season grouse hunter’s advantage to hunt at a fast pace until tracks in the snow indicate a group of grouse has been feeding in the area, and then slow down and hunt that territory thoroughly.

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