Observations from the 2012 Ruffed Grouse Opener

I had the good fortune of celebrating the ruffed grouse hunting opener in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula over the weekend with a large contingent of my immediate family. While we didn’t spend every moment of daylight scouring the woods, four ruffs found their way into our game vests. In the afterglow of barbecued grouse jalapeno poppers, I offer the following observations:

• The Woods were Grousey! Although all Midwest drumming counts will indicate our slide on the downward side of the grouse cycle, there are absolutely enough birds to keep the aspen and alder woods exciting. Our group averaged 2.5 grouse flushes per hour in four hours of hunting on Saturday and one hour of hunting on Sunday. And our group included me, my brother, his 10-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter, my mom, my dad and two shorthairs. In other words, we weren’t exactly a stealth group of grouse hunters.
• A Special Family Opener. Many folks will complain about the grouse opener being too warm or tough hunting with the woods filled with leaves. The grouse opener is particularly special to me and has become a St.Pierre family tradition. A little over 13 years ago, my dad suffered an aneurysm that nearly took his life. Thanks to medicine and miracles, I am always thankful to spend another walk through the September grouse woods with my dad. This year was extra special as my brother joined us for his first bird hunt in two decades. And, to top it off my niece and nephew slapped on their blaze orange Pheasants Forever gear and joined the family tradition. It couldn’t have been more perfect.
• Grouse Broods already Dispersed. It seems the grouse family groups had already broken up in the grouse covers we walked. Every flush was a solo bird. Perhaps the early spring in the Northwoods did indeed result in an earlier hatch. If that were to be the case, it’d make sense for the grouse family groups to already be broken.
• Crazy about Timberdoodles. I was amazed by the number of woodcock we encountered on opening weekend: the most I can ever remember on a grouse opener. Presumably, the migration hasn’t yet begun so these would have been local ‘doodles. We averaged 3.5 woodcock flushes per hour. My older shorthair, Trammell, showed mid-season form pointing numerous woodcock right out of the gates, which presented a number of “honoring” opportunities for my 6-month-old pup, Izzy. NOTE: Michigan’s woodcock hunting season doesn’t up until September 22nd.

More observations and complete OutdoorNews Article

ND Sharptail, Huns Show Slight Increase, Ruffs Down

North Dakota hunters should expect to see a slight increase in sharp-tailed grouse and Hungarian partridge numbers this hunting season, based on spring survey numbers. However, the ruffed grouse population continues on a downward trend.

The season for sharp-tailed grouse, ruffed grouse and Hungarian partridge opens Sept. 8.
 Aaron Robinson, State Game and Fish Department upland game management biologist, Dickinson, said the spring sharptail breeding population was up from last year. However, he said the continued losses of native prairie and acreage enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program are negatively affecting the sharp-tailed grouse population in North Dakota.

Hungarian partridge numbers show a moderate increase from 2011. “Similar to recent years, scouting areas will be critical to success,” Robinson said. “Pockets of decent hunting may be found in areas where multiple pairs reproduced successfully.”

This spring’s statewide ruffed grouse drumming counts took a dip of 37 percent from 2011. The number of drumming males decreased almost 42 percent in the Pembina Hills and 24 percent in the Turtle Mountains.

Biologists are in the process of compiling summer brood date, which provides a more complete assessment of the fall season. Results will be available the first week in September.
The sage grouse and prairie chicken seasons will remain closed in 2012 due to low populations.
Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Sharptails, ruffed grouse and Huns each have a daily limit of three and a possession limit of 12.

Hunters, regardless of age, must have a fishing, hunting and furbearer certificate and general game and habitat license. In addition, hunters age 16 and older need a small game license.

For further season information and regulations, hunters should consult the North Dakota 2012-13 Small Game Hunting Guide.

Complete Article and ND G&F Website

American woodcock Migration Maps

 The Ruffed Grouse Society is pleased to once again provide the American woodcock migration mapping feature. It was active from September 19, 2011 through April 30, 2012.

 

Check here for prior day, week, month and season maps, which when compared will show the general movement of the birds on their migration.

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The Migration Map opened for fall 2011 to April 30, 2012, as of Sept. 19, 2011.

Post New Activity Reports for Current Date

Historical maps for Fall 2011 thru April 2012, most recent at the top.

March 2012 maps may be viewed here.

February 2012 maps may be viewed here.

January 2012 maps may be viewed here.

December 2011 maps may be viewed here.

November 2011 maps may be viewed here.

October 2011 maps may be viewed here.

September 2011 maps may be viewed here.

 

April 2012 maps may be here.

Links to Historical maps for Fall 2009 thru December 2011 may be found here.

New Hampshire - Free Workshop on Ruffed Grouse Hunting August 18

HOLDERNESS, N.H. - Get set for the fall grouse season at a free workshop on Ruffed Grouse Hunting on Saturday, August 18, 2012, from 9 a.m. to noon at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department's Owl Brook Hunter Education Center in Holderness. The session will be led by grouse hunting enthusiasts/hunter education instructors Sean Williamson and Dan Keleher. In addition, Andrew Weik, the Northeast biologist for the Ruffed Grouse Society, will give a presentation on ruffed grouse and their habitat needs. Pre-registration is required. To sign up, call 603-536-3954.

The workshop covers the basic skills needed for the pursuit of these challenging birds. Participants also will learn about grouse behavior, hunting safety issues, hunting with or without dogs, gaining permission to hunt/landowner relations, clothing choices, shotgun and ammunition options, creature comforts for an enjoyable hunt and recipes for grouse.

Grouse hunting season in New Hampshire opens October 1 and runs through December 31, with a daily bag limit of four birds. To learn more about small game hunting in New Hampshire, visit http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_spec ... l_game.htm.

For more information about the Owl Brook Hunter Education Center, and directions to the center, visit http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/hunter_ed_center.htm.

WA and OR Grouse Habitat Maps Available

A joint project between the USFS and RGS publishes newly available maps of potential ruffed grouse and blue grouse habitat on national forests in Oregon and Washington.

Utilizing US Forest Service data, potential ruffed grouse (and blue grouse) habitat has been mapped using GoogleEarth. By clicking the various combinations of data layers, the viewer can see rough maps of National Forests within Oregon and Washington overlaid with colors denoting potential grouse habitat. You can also select various views (Map, Terrain, Satellite, or Hybrid) and also zoom in to see greater detail.

Pages describing NW US habitat, in word and photos, for each species are also provided.

 

RGS anticipates that users will be able to print copies of specific areas to investigate this fall for the presence of these two great gamebirds.

This is the first attempt at providing this type of information on such a large area. We would like your comments on this effort. Comments may be directed to the two contacts on the page or via the new RGS Forums > Public Forums > Grouse Maps subforum.