Grouse sightings

[Fowlmouth]

Has anyone seen or heard any grouse lately? September can't come soon enough, can't wait to get back out in the woods and chase some.

[tacklejunkie]

Since the snow has melted more, quite a few grouse have been showing up. I think they had a very good winter with lots of roosting snow. The cycle is still on the low end and we will see what kind of spring we have for chick survival.

No matter what, the old 20 gauge will get to go for a walk this fall

[Fowlmouth]

I hear ya on the snow roosting, I think that helped this winter. Only time will tell!

[tacklejunkie]

They're starting to drum

[laker1]

Been hearing more drumming than the past 10 years. Now we need a good hatch.

[minky]

I have been seeing some each time I have been up by willow river.

Good to see their numbers starting to come back.

[JBMasterAngler]

I was in Amery, WI for the opener on saturday and seen a grouse chillin' on the side of the road on my home. I'll be on the croix this saturday, always hear a few drumming along the river this time a year.

[Early Riser]

I was at our cabin near Grand Marais on the 28th and there was over three feet of settled snow in the woods covering their drumming logs. I did happen upon a grouse. Most years they are drumming by late April, but not this year. I have heard them drum as early as mid April and as late as the first few days in June.

I can gauge the population by counting active drummers out our back door in the spring. I can typically pick out 5 different grouse drumming after a good year for them. Last year I only heard 3. Our hunting reflected this last fall, with fewer birds seen. We averaged walking about one hour to see one bird. Many years the average is 30-40 minutes per bird seen. During the last super cycle peak from 89 to 91 I was working, living and hunting in Grand Portage where it was not unusual to see well over 30 birds on a walk from the Partridge Falls or Cowboy's road to the Cascades cabin on the Pigeon River; along the ridge behind Hollow Rock Resort to the Reservation River; or behind Ryden's Border Store down to the lodge, among many other beautiful and un-hunted places.

I have also had wonderful times hunting around our homestead later in the 90s and though today with our children but the forest is changing pretty dramatically due to the significant decrease in logging activity. Many of the old coverts are mere shadows of their former glory as the dense wrist size poplars are now maturing. Sure there are still some birds in pockets here and there, along whatever edges that still exist, but I am beginning to wonder if I will ever see anywhere close to the number of birds seen in the past. There were moose everywhere as well, but not any more in any great number.

If you can hear a grouse drum, you can bet it is within 500 yards, or just over a quarter mile away. They typically drum every four minutes.

I often hear them drum certain days in the fall, typically around the fall dispersal as they mark their territory to young of the year interlopers.

Last fall the number of young birds was way down, presumably due to the wet cold spring. There was very little drumming in the fall. Lets hope for some warm and mostly dry weather for the hatch this year.

[brittman]

Hearing a few, seeing a few.

[Fowlmouth]

Been hearing a few and seen some road side in the aitkin area.

[brittman]

Years ending in 3 and 4 are often the bottom of the cycle. A good hatch can negate much of the bottom part of the cycle.

[tybo]

I was out on Saturday in Aitkin County looking for WC to band. I moved a handful of woodcock. I didn't find any WC nests or chicks. However, I did move a few grouse and heard many drumming in the few hours I was out. I didn't really cover a lot of ground so i was pretty happy what I saw/heard in the few hours i had.

[laker1]

any broods yet