Area Habitat Dwindling For Ruffled Grouse

By Bob Frye

You're not going to find many ruffed grouse at the local strip mall.

Some species of wildlife — white-tailed deer, Canada geese, squirrels, raccoons, even black bears — can do well on suburban landscapes.

Grouse don't fit into that category.

They're a "habitat specialist" that requires a particular mosaic of forest types to thrive, said Lisa Williams, grouse biologist for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. They need mature woods for their acorns, stands of pole timber to nest with their back to a tree and conifers for winter cover.

But more than anything, grouse need early successional habitat or brushy forests up to about 12 or 15 years old, she said.

"I always say a good grouse forest lasts about as long as a good grouse dog," Williams said. "You get about 12 years of real good habitat after a timber cut."

The problem is that kind of woods has declined by about 30 percent statewide since the mid-1980s, Williams said. Public and private forests aren't being cut as often or on as big a scale, she added.

That's meant tough times for grouse and grouse hunters. Hunters shot almost 273,000 birds across Pennsylvania in 1993, according to commission statistics, and nearly 109,000 as recently as 2008.

Last year's harvest was closer to 40,000.

The good news is there's a chance better days might be ahead, thanks in part to America's run on guns and ammunition.

The commission does about 6,000 acres of commercial timber cuts on state game lands each year, said Ben Jones, chief of the habitat planning and development division for the agency.

Those are ones where the agency identifies an area where it wants to create habitat and loggers interested in the lumber pay to get at it.

Since 2010, the commission has paid loggers to cut another 10,000 acres that weren't commercially valuable — like older aspen stands — specifically for the sake of grouse and other wildlife, Jones said.

It has gotten some money to do that from groups such as the Ruffed Grouse Society and National Wild Turkey Federation.

But much of it has come from the record amount of Pittman-Robertson funding flowing into the agency, he said.

That's money, collected in the form of a tax on the sale of firearms, ammunition and other sporting goods, that's redistributed to the states.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pennsylvania got nearly $28 million in funding in fiscal year 2014, more than every state but Texas and Alaska.

The money is likely to keep flowing, too.

According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, there were 6.95 million background checks for gun purchases in the first seven months of this year. That was the second highest for such a time period.

The resulting cutting has been terrific for grouse, Jones said.

"As soon as you start getting growth back in there, like blackberry brambles and greenbriar and Hercules club, the grouse start moving in. And those areas are really prime seven to 12 years post cut," he said.

"When they're really hard to get through, when they're literally tearing the shirt off your back, that's when it's really good."

It's not only the commission that has been cutting trees. The state bureau of forestry also timbers to the tune of 6,000 to 8,000 acres annually, said Scott Miller, chief of its silviculture section. Locally, there have been about 5,030 acres cut on the Forbes State Forest in Westmoreland, Fayette and Somerset counties since 2000, said Corey Wentzel, its forest assistant manager.

The emphasis recently has been on linking those cuts with the other kinds of habitat grouse need throughout the year, said Emily Just, a biologist with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

That's key, she said.

"Traditionally, we've seen a lot of habitat in small, isolated patches," Just said. "That's pretty hard for grouse to find and use."

Whether all of that will boost grouse populations remains to be seen.

The impact of habitat work on public lands is blunted, to a degree, if nothing similar is occurring on surrounding private land or if there's just no other forest nearby, Jones said.

There is evidence grouse impacted by West Nile virus in the early 2000s haven't completely recovered, Williams added, though that's something she hopes to study further. Suburban sprawl is also a problem, she said.

If those and other factors preclude a return to the grouse's heyday, the passion hunters feel for the birds remains, William said.

"They are a thoroughly wild and skittish bird, sort of a symbol of what's still wild. If you want them, you have to go and find them," she said.

"But that's sort of the romance of ruffed grouse. It's why there are so many paintings and books and magazine covers about them."

Bob Frye is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at bfrye@tribweb.com or via Twitter @bobfryeoutdoors.

Despite Favorable Conditions, Pennsylvania's Grouse Count Low

By John Hayes / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pennsylvania hunters should see an outstanding grouse season, by all indications except one -- the absence of grouse.

As the first leg of a three-part split season opens this weekend, the Pennsylvania Game Commission's go-to person on ruffed grouse said spring research and summer sightings don't add up, resulting in a recent advisory that grouse hunting was expected to be "slightly below average."

"Conditions were good in winter and spring, with a lot of early reports of plenty of broods by June 1. Then as summer came, our people in the field were filing reports saying [grouse] numbers were down, down, down," said Game Commission grouse and woodcock specialist Lisa Williams. "It didn't make sense. I was scratching my head, because my gut still tells me we should see a lot of grouse out there."

Pennsylvania's official state bird is North America's most widely distributed resident game bird. While the grouse population has declined in the state since 1980, and the number of hunters targeting them is down, more than 100,000 Pennsylvania hunters are expected to harvest 75,000 to 100,000 grouse in the 2012-13 seasons, contributing some $79 million to the state's economy, according to a Game Commission report.

Ruffed grouse can be found in most forested areas. But like the woodcock and song birds with whom they share the thickets, grouse are habitat specialists preferring what Williams called "really thick, gnarly stuff." Serious grouse hunters know they'll have to get physical in grape tangles and dense stands of seedlings and saplings to force an adrenaline-inducing flush.

Pennsylvania Grouse Cooperators -- a group of 314 hard-core grouse hunters who keep track of their hunts and report back to the Game Commission -- documented 1.32 flushes per hour last season, the highest flush rate among neighboring states. But Pennsylvania has been tough on grouse.

"Losses of young forest habitat over the last several decades have been bad news for grouse, woodcock and other species that rely on these habitats," said Ian Gregg, Game Commission Game Bird Section supervisor, in a written statement.

Young forests up to 20 years old dropped from nearly 20 percent of total forest acres in 1980 to a little over 10 percent today.

A 10-year plan for rehabilitating the grouse population adopted in 2011 by the Game Commission fits into the framework of a 2008 North American Ruffed Grouse Conservation Plan developed by the transnational Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. The state plan, cowritten by Williams and Gregg, calls for raising the percentage of young forest acreage to 17.3 percent, which is expected to add 2.75 million acres of young forest growth by 2020. To do that on state game lands, state forests and other public and private lands, the state will have to test new habitat management strategies detailed in the North American plan and tailored to Pennsylvania's unique landscape and mix of forest types.

The decline in grouse populations began to ease in 2004-05, when spotty evidence of reconstituted forest regeneration was reported in some wildlife management units.

"As I look back at deer management since 2000, it really does kind of fit that as deer were brought into better balance [with habitat], species that like new growth would benefit," said Williams. "But I'm not sure we have the data to say that yet."

This year's unusually mild winter and spring created ideal conditions for grouse. Broods were plentiful and chick mortality should have been low.

So where are all the grouse?

"I'm not sure, but I have some ideas," Williams said. "Our summer reporting is observational. As our foresters and other people are working on jobs in the field, they keep track of the number of grouse they see. It's not a great method, but typically those numbers are a good indication of what we'll see in the fall."

Unusually dry summer weather may have screwed up the count.

"A drier summer could have led the grouse to pull back into wetter, more lush areas where there were plenty of green leaves -- we call it 'salad' -- where our people couldn't see them," she said. "I think the [summer] numbers being down has more to do with the survey than with the actual population. My gut -- and that's all it is -- tells me this is going to be a good season. The grouse will tell us what's what."

Average Pennsylvania Grouse Hunting Expected Overall

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Game Commission biologists expect ruffed grouse hunting to be average to slightly-below average for the nearly 100,000 hunters who annually pursue these challenging game birds.

“Conditions for over-wintering, incubating and brooding should have supported good reproduction this year,” said Lisa Williams, Game Commission grouse and woodcock biologist. “However, our Game Commission field staff observed fewer adult grouse and grouse broods this summer compared to prior years. Those sightings are often the best predictor of the season, so I advise hunters to hope for the best but keep their expectations realistic. Find areas of good dense cover and abundant food supply and you’ll put yourself in the best position for success.”

The first segment of the state’s three-part grouse season opens Saturday, Oct. 13, and runs through Nov. 24. The season reopens Dec. 10 to 24, and then again from Dec. 26 to Jan. 26. Participating hunters must have a valid Pennsylvania hunting license and follow the regulations that govern this rugged sport of brush-busting and mountain-scampering. Wherever you hunt grouse, there is ample reason to carve out some time afield this season. Just be sure to take time to locate high-quality coverts that provide a good mix of food and cover.

“Losses of young forest habitat over the last several decades have been bad news for grouse, woodcock and other species that rely on these habitats,” said Ian Gregg, Game Commission Game Bird Section supervisor. “Our forests are getting older, and that’s a negative for grouse. But, the good news is that the Game Commission is taking an active approach to improving the situation for grouse and other species that rely on young forests. We have Grouse and Woodcock management plans that call for aggressive management of young forest habitats, and Game Commission staff in all regions are actively working to create suitable habitat – not only on State Game Lands, but on cooperating State Forests and other public and private lands. This work benefits multiple species and our efforts have received an overwhelmingly positive response from the public and from our conservation partners.”

Pennsylvania’s state bird is holding its own in areas of suitable habitat, and in some areas, thriving. Statewide, the Game Commission’s 314 active Grouse Cooperators hunted 7,787 hours and recorded 10,249 flushes for an average rate of 1.32 flushes per hour during the 2011-2012 grouse season. This 2011-2012 flush rate was equal to that of the previous season but six percent below the long term (46-year) average of 1.41 flushes per hour. Embedded in those statewide averages, however, are memorable hunting experiences, with many hunters recording four to five flushes per hour in areas of good food and cover.

Williams noted that Pennsylvania consistently maintains the highest flush rates among nearby states such as Kentucky, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia.

“Grouse flush trends in most of our neighboring states show a continuing long term decline,” Williams said. “Over the past six to seven years, Pennsylvania flush rates have exceeded those of all neighboring states. During that time, our grouse population index has stabilized in some regions that were previously declining, and even increased in some portions of the Commonwealth. Anecdotal reports from grouse hunters as well as agency land managers and foresters suggest that forest understory conditions have improved for grouse as deer numbers were brought back into balance with their forest habitats. I intend to further investigate this link between deer impacts, forest habitat quality and grouse numbers.”

Grouse hunting remains a popular fall pursuit in Pennsylvania. According to the agency’s Game Take Survey, an estimated 80,000 hunters took 52,000 grouse during the 2011-12 seasons, during 350,000 days afield. Though fewer than in the past, grouse hunters remain passionate about their quarry, and the ruffed grouse remains a popular game bird in the Commonwealth. Yet grouse hunter numbers remain well below those of the mid-1980s when Pennsylvania had more than 400,000 hunters pursuing the thunderbird.

“Several hunters have told me they can hunt all day and not see another grouse hunter,” says Williams. “For hunters seeking a season with a little more elbow room yet plenty of challenge, you might want to consider grouse hunting.”

The Game Commission conducts a Summer Sighting Survey in which Game Commission foresters and surveyors record numbers of broods and individual grouse seen while working in the woods during June, July and August. Trends in hunters’ fall flush rates follow those of the summer survey about 80 percent of the time, so this information is used to develop the season forecast.

“Sightings of adult grouse during the summer of 2012 were down roughly 40 percent and brood sightings were down 25 percent compared to last year,” Williams said. “Looking a bit further back over time, observations of both adults and broods this summer are down 25 percent from the most recent 10- year averages. So in spite of what I believe was a good year for reproduction, I’m forecasting an average to slightly below-average grouse season in 2012-13. This makes it particularly important to understand the characteristics of good grouse habitat, locate high-quality coverts, and focus your efforts there.”

Grouse and woodcock hunters are urged to participate in the Game Commission’s Grouse Cooperator Survey, which enables the agency to monitor long-term changes in grouse populations in good habitats. Hunters of all skill levels are welcome, no matter how many days they are able to devote to grouse or woodcock hunting. For each day hunted, participants are asked to record the county and number of hours hunted, and number of grouse and woodcock flushed and bagged.

Hunters interested in participating in the Cooperator Survey are asked to contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Bureau of Wildlife Management by calling 717-787-5529, or writing to: Pennsylvania Game Commission, ATTN: Grouse Cooperator Survey, 2001 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797. New Cooperators will receive a copy of the annual newsletter provided to all survey participants and all forms needed for the upcoming season.

“Though cooperator information is presented as state or region averages, it is important to remember that statewide trends do not apply equally throughout Pennsylvania,” Williams emphasized. She groups Pennsylvania regions into three categories, as far as grouse hunting prospects:

1) Northwest and Northcentral: good to excellent. These regions are consistently the top two in the state and have maintained grouse flush rates at or above their long-term averages in recent years. The rate of timber harvest over the next few decades in this part of Pennsylvania may put enough land into good grouse cover that the “good old days” are just ahead. The six contiguous counties of Warren, Forest, McKean, Potter, Elk, and Cameron typically have the highest flush rates in the state and offer plenty of acreage in public and open-access private lands for hunters looking for new coverts.

2) Southwest, Southcentral and Northeast: fair. These regions maintain intermediate flush rates and habitat conditions with somewhat less extensive overall forest cover and lower rates of active forest management at a large landscape scale. From 2010-2011 to 2011-2012, flush rates increased slightly or remained stable in each of these regions.

3) Southeast: fair in areas north of the Blue Mountain and poor south of it. Large parcels of forest habitat in southeastern Pennsylvania were already scarce and this region has lost early successional habitat even more rapidly than the rest of the state. Consequently, grouse hunting opportunities in the agricultural and urban-dominated landscapes south of the Blue Mountain are extremely limited. Again, locating high-quality habitat is key and taking the time to scout for grouse food and cover hotspots prior to the season may pay dividends.

Grouse hunters are reminded to wear at least 250 square inches of fluorescent orange clothing on the head, chest and back combined at all times; limit hunting parties to no more than six individuals; and plug shotguns to three-shell capacity (magazine and chamber combined).