Continued: Almanac: High hopes for better grouse days

Minnesota's ruffed grouse season opens Saturday amid high hopes that hunting will be better than last year.

The grouse population increased for the third consecutive year in 2008, based on spring drumming counts. The counts are up slightly statewide from last year.

But the state's 91,000 ruffed grouse hunters can be excused for containing their excitement.

Last year, Department of Natural Resources drumming counts showed a dramatic increase in the grouse population, but hunters reported a surprising lack of birds in the woods last fall. Harvest estimates, released this summer, confirm that.

Hunters bagged only 294,000 ruffed grouse last season, down 29 percent from the 417,000 they killed in 2006. They had been expected to shoot more than a half-million birds.

Something -- perhaps the weather or disease -- must have hampered reproduction last year, resulting in fewer birds than expected in the woods last fall, said Mike Larson, DNR wildlife research scientist.

The mysterious disappearance of the state's grouse likely will remain a mystery.

"Unfortunately we will probably never know what happened," Larson said.

But, based on this spring's drumming counts, the grouse population is continuing to rise in its 10-year boom-to-bust cycle. Some of the best hunting in years should occur over the next few years.

"With a statewide index of 1.4, we would expect a harvest above 500,000, and maybe over 600,000 birds," Larson said.

But as hunters found out last year, don't count your birds until they are in the bag.

Archery deer hunters also should find plenty of whitetails in the woods. The season also opens Saturday.

About 62,000 archery hunters bagged 24,000 deer last year -- and had a success rate of 24.3 percent. That compares to a success rate for regular firearms hunters of 37.1 percent.

There's still a chance Minnesota's scaup bag limit will be relaxed this fall.

The 14 states representing the Mississippi Flyway Council sent a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last week asking officials to make an 11th-hour change allowing a two-scaup bag limit for 45 days and a one-scaup daily limit for 15 days.

Currently, the federal agency is offering a one-scaup limit for 40 days and a two-bird limit for 20 days. Last year, there was a two-bird limit for the entire 60-day season.

In the letter, the flyway argues that the scaup -- or bluebill -- harvest would be only slightly higher under the more liberal regulations.

Minnesota officials have argued that the more restrictive bluebill regulations could cause some duck hunters to quit hunting out of frustration, and they fear it could discourage other hunters who might mistake bluebills for ring-necked ducks. There is a six-duck bag limit for ringnecks.

"We're really concerned," said Dave Schad, DNR fish and wildlife section chief. "This would give hunters a little more breathing room. We think it's a pretty reasonable proposal."

Though Minnesota already has published its waterfowl hunting regulation booklet, Schad said the state would notify hunters as best it could if the scaup regulations are changed.

He said the Fish and Wildlife Service could decide by the end of the week whether to approve the request. The duck season opens Oct. 4.

Heavy snow last winter and spring flooding took its toll on Iowa pheasants: The statewide population is estimated to be down about 32 percent this year, but it's down as much as 70 percent in the hardest-hit areas, according to roadside counts. The bright spot is northwest Iowa, which shows a 27 percent increase from last year.

Doug Smith • dsmith@startribune.com