Grouse requires a smart approach

The ruffed grouse population typically rises and falls on about a 10-year cycle.
By SAM COOK
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
DULUTH, Minn. -- Do we have to go over this again?
If you're a grouse hunter, you already know that this fall could be challenging.
The drumming reports last spring told the story. Minnesota's counts were unchanged from last spring's dismal numbers, and Wisconsin's were down 26 percent in the north.
If you have a young dog to hunt, or a new ATV to ride, grouse season may not be all you hoped for.
But Mike Larson, grouse biologist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, has hope.
"I'm still optimistic that we had a decent year of production [successfully hatched grouse]," Larson said. "If we had good production, we could see an increase over last year's harvest."
Numbers
Last year's grouse harvest was extremely poor, just 194,000. The average Minnesota grouse harvest is 600,000 birds, and the best years are as high as 1.2 million birds.
"From 2001 to 2003, we were harvesting around 300,000 grouse," Larson said. "A good rebound from last year would be back up into those numbers."
But make no mistake, he says. Don't expect any huge swing into an upsurge in the grouse population cycle. The ruffed grouse population typically rises and falls on about a 10-year cycle, though the length of that cycle can vary, Larson said. In both Minnesota and Wisconsin, grouse numbers have been low for about five or six years.
If grouse hunting isn't going to be easy, you'll have to hunt smarter.
Tips
Rick Horton, Ruffed Grouse Society biologist in Grand Rapids, Minn., offers several tips for hunting grouse in tough years:
USpend time in prime habitat. "My basic advice is don't waste time in bad cover," Horton said. "I focus on 15- to 20-year-old aspen [wrist-thick trunks]. Get out in the cover. Work one patch of it, then move to another one. If you don't have any flushes within an hour, try something else. Move, be mobile.
ULeave the trail. "A big mistake a lot of people make is they walk the same trail they always walk and say, 'I didn't see anything,'" Horton said. "A trail goes through many habitats. In good years, you find birds all along the trail. In tough years, you find them only where it intersects with prime habitat."
UWork the edges. "In late September and early October, when broods are breaking up, young birds tend to hang out at the edges," Horton said. "Hunt where prime aspen borders a swamp, or where aspen and conifers meet, or where young aspen meets older aspen."
UHunt low. "Pay attention to moisture," Horton said. "Grouse kind of like a damp forest. If we have a real dry fall, don't waste time in upland habitat, even if it's prime habitat. You won't see as many birds as you will along a swamp. If you're in the middle of some aspen and you see some alder brush, where it's a little lower, work the edges of that."
U"If you've spotted a hen with some young over the last month or so, go check that area," Horton said. "Those birds tend to be right around that same area. They don't move that far until [brood] break-up in mid-October.
U"Don't forget to mix it up with a little woodcock," Horton said. "If grouse aren't as abundant, look in younger aspen and look for a mixed bag of grouse and woodcock. That'll spread the joy a little bit."
UNo dog? No problem. "You can still walk a trail or get in cover. The trick is not to just barge through without stopping. A bird will rely on its camouflage and let you walk by. I do a stutter walk. Walk 20 yards and stop for a minute. And when you stop, you have to be ready for a flush."
UStay with your dog. "If you have a flushing dog, there are two key points. The dog has to hunt within 30 yards of you. Recognize when the dog is being 'birdy.' When his tail is really moving, when he's smelling fresh scent, stay with him and be ready for a flush at any time. You may have to work fairly quickly through the woods."