Number of young grouse in hunters' bags encouraging so far

Many, if not most, Minnesota ruffed grouse hunters approached this fall apprehensively, fearing the past two disappointing seasons, in which young grouse were generally missing in action, would repeat themselves, or perhaps worsen.

But field reports indicate reproduction of these fast-flying forest birds was to some degree successful, based on the number of juvenile birds in hunters' bags so far in the early season.

"It's encouraging,'' said Meadow Kouffeld of Grand Rapids, a former Ruffed Grouse Society regional wildlife biologist. "On opening weekend, four of us got nine grouse, eight of which were juveniles. That can be a sampling error, because the young ones are easier to shoot. But it's a good ratio.''

Last weekend Kouffeld's group took a similar number of birds and counted two adults among them. Woodcock numbers, meanwhile, were good and in line with those found during the past two seasons, Kouffeld said.

Northern Minnesota generally wasn't as rainy as the state's southern region in June, when grouse were hatched, and perhaps that relative dryness boosted the chances young grouse survived, said Ted Dick, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) forest gamebird coordinator.

"Hunters are making note of more young birds in their bags this year,'' Dick said. "[Ruffed grouse numbers] are better than they were the last couple of years. We'll know more in a few weeks when the Ruffed Grouse Society hunt takes place near Grand Rapids.''

DNR researchers, with hunters' help, are again collecting heart and feather samples of ruffed grouse this fall to determine whether West Nile disease is afflicting the birds. The agency is hoping to distribute 600 collection kits to hunters, and anticipates a return of at least 400.

Grouse hunters interested in participating in the study can e-mail ted.dick@state.mn.us.

"If anyone has an unused kit from last year, they can use it this year and send in the samples,'' Dick said.