First drumming of the season!!!

[onthejob2]

I was out fishing yesterday and heard my first grouse of the year!!! Any predictions on the upcoming season? Any info on where we are on the ten year cycle?

[setterguy]

I would guess that this year is going to be better than last, in my opinion I would say we are on about year 6 the peak seems to be in years ending in nine through 1 so 2009-2011 should be our next peak with good hunting from 2007-2013.

Here is an intersting article.

Most upland bird hunters are familiar with the ups and downs of ruffed grouse populations. Such cycles of abundance and scarcity are typical of all grouses, ptarmigans, and even prairie chickens. The fluctuations are usually blamed on the weather-even sun spots-or on parallel cycles in the abundance and scarcity of predators.

But Peter J. Hudson of the University of Stirling in Scotland had a hunch that predator cycles were more reactive than causative. He believed parasitic worms are more central to grouse cycles than are foxes or hawks.

In his long-term study, Hudson and a team of graduate students medicated 3,000 birds in three different populations of Scottish red grouse. The treated birds thrived, even when most others died during the "down cycle."

After the fallen populations recovered, Hudson left two of his test groups untreated while continuing to medicate the third. Most of the untreated birds perished when red grouse numbers plummeted four years later, but Hudson's medicated birds continued to flourish.

Grouse numbers may still be affected by weather and predators, but the triggering mechanism for declines seems to be parasitic infestations. As Hudson summed up, "This is the first time we've proven what causes a population cycle."

[Cooter]

Setterguy hit er on the head - this next fall should be better than last year but still not gonna be a peak year. I'll wait to hunt them hard til I see more birds, hopefully come the fall of '07 with the next couple years being considerably better.

[jbdragon17]

Peak or no peak.. I'll be hunting grouse next fall. I hunted three weekends in a row last Oct. Even with the cycle down I probably flushed around 60 birds in three weekends. We will not talk about my shooting though

[charliepete2]

I'm hoping that we have a much better year this year than last. The over winter survival seems to have been really good. I run my dog until the grouse start nesting and I've been pretty pumped up about what I've seen.

I was up in St. Louis county this weekend and there were grouse drumming in every cover I stopped at. I got the dogs on a few birds without really going at it very seriously. Hopefully we get some nice weather during the nesting season and we'll be on our way.

On my drive up Friday night I saw quite a few woodcock flying in the headlights. I didn't move any in the woods, but I think they are making there way back. The ticks are also out in force. If you use frontline I'd start putting it on.

[brittman]

The biggest factor now is a relatively drier and warmer May and June. Past few springs have not been great for grouse - 2004 was especially bad.

Big broods of young birds can do much to off-set lower overall populations.

[onthejob2]

Thanks for all the good info/predections!! Good luck to all.

[Eye-lander]

I can't wait. I'm more exited this year than ever since I bought my 11 year old daughter her first shotgun in Rogers last weekend. I'll have her toned in to that .410 by October. Not much more relaxing than walking the deep woods for grouse. I plan on having a new Chesapeak by then as well. Even more enjoyable.