Upswing in Ruffed Grouse Counts - 2006 Grouse Survey Report (PDF)

SHARP-TAILED GROUSE AND PRAIRIE CHICKENS DECLINE

Sharp-tailed grouse counts in the northwestern survey region declined each of the last two years, but counts in the east-central region remained unchanged, Larson said. Observers look for male sharptails displaying on traditional mating areas, called leks or dancing grounds. During the last 20 years, the sharp-tailed grouse index has been approximately seven to 11 birds counted per dancing ground. This year’s statewide mean of 9.2 birds counted per dancing ground was well below last year’s average of 11.3.

Sharptail populations appear to have declined over the long term as a result of habitat deterioration. In recent years, the DNR has increased prescribed burning and shearing that keeps trees from overtaking the open brush lands that sharp-tailed grouse need to thrive.

Counts of prairie chickens at their leks, or booming grounds, in western Minnesota were lower in 2006 than 2004 and 2005, but still higher than average over the last 15 years.

In survey blocks representing relatively good prairie chicken habitat, observers counted 11.8 males per booming ground and one booming ground per 3.7 square miles.
© 2006 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

RGS Friends and Cooperators:
Rick Horton, RGS 
It is with mixed emotions that I announce my departure from the Ruffed Grouse Society, effective Friday May 12.  It has been a fun, frustrating, interesting and fulfilling seven years, but it is time to move on.  The Society is searching for a replacement and hopes to have someone aboard by mid-summer.  I hope you all welcome and support that person as you have supported me over the years.
 
I will be joining the Minnesota DNR as a Forest Wildlife Coordinator in Region 2, based out of Grand Rapids, effective May 17.  In this capacity I will continue to work with the Forest Service, counties, timber industry and conservation groups, as well as internally, to ensure Minnesotans continue to have huntable game populations, healthy forests and recreational access to those forests.  I can be reached at rick.horton@dnr.state.mn.us, 218-999-7947, DNR-Wildlife, 1201 East Highway 2, Grand Rapids, MN  55744.
 
Thanks again for your support.
 
Rick Horton
Ruffed Grouse Society

Ol’ Mossback andYoungForests
Rick Horton

(Originally published in Spring 2006 MDHA Whitetales Magazine)

How many times has this happened to you? You are sitting on your deer stand during the “Magic Hour”, that twilight time early in the morning or late in the evening when you MOST expect a deer to be moving. Your senses are on high alert. Your gun is in your hands ready for action, not hanging from the nail by your stand or leaning against a nearby tree. You are craning your neck and slowly pivoting just your head, looking for some movement. Suddenly you hear a twig SNAP! Then some rustling leaves. Your heart skips a beat and you tighten your grip on the rifle. The noise is getting closer, just around that clump of brush! It sounds like a big one! You see something brown moving and……realize it’s too close to the ground to be Ol’ Mossback. It’s a darn partridge. You are tempted to take its head off with your .30-06 just for getting you all worked up. But you won’t – it’s still the “Magic Hour”.

Just about all of us have had that happen, if not by a grouse, by a squirrel, rabbit or snowshoe hare. Have you ever stopped to consider why we see so many other critters from our deer stands? It’s really a simple matter of habitat. Good deer hunters set up stands where deer are spending their time – near feeding or bedding areas or along trails between the two. These areas are usually along edges between timber types, where young stands meet old, or openings and thick cover meet. This mix of forest habitat is not only preferred by deer, it is also ideal for many other animals. 

Ruffed grouse need thick young popple (aspen) stands for protective cover from predators while drumming, raising their young and moving about. They also need older stands for nesting and providing feeding mast and buds. They tend to favor dense alder tangles along the edges of swamps, dogwood patches and hazel brush thickets. In summer and fall they move out to openings and logging roads to feed on clover, strawberry leaves and other greens. The appropriate mix of young and old forest is best produced through active forest management.

Woodcock eat worms. But they like to do it where they are safe from hawks and owls – in thick brush and young forests with moist soils to hold their food near the surface. At night they fly to meadows, wildlife openings and old fields to roost away from the prying eyes of marauding owls.

Hares and rabbits are just furry food for everything with a fang or talon. They must have brush, woodpiles, down tree tops and thickets to hide in, and to provide food resources near the ground. You’ll rarely see a rabbit in an old sugar maple forest.

Bears just need food, and lots of it. They take advantage of all manner of natural foods as they become available, and are willing to travel to get them. They eat greens and buds as soon as they can find them poking out of the dirty snow along the edges of trails and wildlife openings. All summer and fall they eat the different berries and mushrooms that emerge in clearings and cutover lands. In fall they key in on hard mast – nuts – that drop from scattered oaks, hazel and other hardwoods. Acorns are important to bears for laying on fat for winter – so much so that most avid bear hunters have experienced the pain of having an active bait pile “dry up” when the bear finds a good nut crop somewhere.

The take-home message here is that all game animals, and many, many other non-game species, require active forest management in order to meet their daily and annual needs. An old, decadent forest offers little for them.  Sure, it might meet some of their needs, some of the time. But to truly have great hunting opportunities, you need to manage your woods to provide adequate food, cover and space. Good forest management is an art and science. It is best to get professional help from the Minnesota DNR Division of Forestry or from a consulting forester. 

Sometimes change is hard – you get attached to the same deer stand, or the same patch of woods. But eventually you realize you just aren’t seeing as much wildlife as you used to. By clearcutting an old popple stand, patch cutting some hardwoods, creating some brush piles, shearing some old alder, or burning a meadow you can diversify the habitat and increase your chances of success. Maybe then, when you hear that twig snap during the Magic Hour, it will be Ol’ Mossback sneaking to his bed…..right past your new stand!

April 18, 2006
Happy Spring, Grouse Enthusiasts!
 
We hardy folks made it through another Minnesota winter!  The lakes are open; grouse are drumming; smelt, walleyes and suckers are running; woodcock are peenting and aspen buds are popping.  Take the time to enjoy what this season has to offer - trout fishing is open, turkey hunting is in full swing, ducks & warblers are migrating and it's a good time to search for shed antlers.  But remember, dog training is not allowed on state lands between April 16 and July 14 (nesting season), so leave the dogs at home if you are wandering around in the woods.
 
Speaking of dogs, ticks are coming out in force and mosquitoes are more numerous as things warm up.  Besides Lyme Disease, veterinarians are reporting more cases of Erlichiosis than ever before.  Now is the time to begin a regimen of heartworm medication and tick preventatives. 
 
I am often asked what my prognosis is for bird numbers this spring, given the wintering conditions.  I don't have a good track record at this, but here goes....  This was another mild winter, so there weren't many nights when grouse were thermally stressed.  But we had terrible snow conditions - wet, heavy and crusted snows prevailed.  Grouse roost under snow to keep warm and to avoid predators.  But we had few avian predators invade from Canada - unlike last year.  So far the spring has been very mild.  The upshot is, I think grouse survival should have been normal-to-good and I expect drumming counts to show an increase from last year.  Counts will begin very soon, but the data will not be compiled until late May or early June.

Biologist Activities
 
I am often asked what it is I do for the Ruffed Grouse Society.  It's hard for me to explain, because it is so varied from one day to the next.  We recently started compiling monthly accomplishments, which allows me to show you the type of things we are working on.  Keep in mind that RGS has 4 other biologists in the nation doing just as much work.  RGS members get a lot of bang for the buck!!

• Distributed two Forest Action Network postings via e-mail to update members and interested parties on issues related to wildlife conservation. 
• Addressed the annual Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Roundtable – a gathering of 200 conservation leaders from across the state. 
• Helped draft Threatened and Endangered Resources insert for the Landowner Manual distributed through the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
• Provided technical assistance and imput emphasizing the need to enhance young forest habitats on four habitat management projects on the Chippewa and Superior National Forests. Toured proposed sites with USFS officials.
• Met with the Department of Natural Resources to review habitat management on the Border Lakes Subsection Forest Resource Management project. 
• Provided input at public meetings designed to address Off-Highway Vehicle access on the Chippewa National Forest. 
• Participated in the Sustainable Forestry Incentives Act revision process. 
• Attended the Minnesota Forest Resources Council meeting and was named to the Biomass Harvesting Guidelines Team. 
• Provided input into planned use of dedicated funding should a constitutional amendment dedicating a portion of the state’s sales tax to natural resources pass this legislative session. 
• Met with Potlatch Corporation to amend our grouse and woodcock Memorandum of Understanding, discuss methods for allowing grouse hunting on their leased lands and discuss proposed policy for state forestry incentives on leased lands. 
• Chaired the DNR Budgetary Oversight Committee (BOC) meeting and drafted a BOC ad hoc committee report on the distribution of fish and wildlife expenditures relative to revenues. Drafted a proposal to change to biennial review. Drafted a letter to legislators on BOC legislative recommendations. Met with Natural Resource Committee chairs on the legislative agenda. Attended hearings at the Capital.
• Edited a research paper on grouse cycles co-authored by RGS biologists. Analyzed and drafted comments in review of Dr. R. J. Gutierrez’ performance as UMN Gordy Gullion Endowed Chair
• Analyzed the 800 page Thunderhawk Environmental Impact Statement for expansion of the UPM-Kymmene Blandin Paper Company facility in Grand Rapids, MN. Provided oral and written input.
• Inspected timber management activities on the 760 acre Mary Sandstrom Ruffed Grouse Management Area. Inspected two landowner tracts totaling 320 acres. Provided management advice.
• Manned a booth and presented two seminars at the Million Acres Conference in Duluth, MN. Conference was attended by 770 non-industrial private forest landowners.
• Drafted the biannual LCMR report and reconciled RGS, DNR and LCMR ledgers.
• Participated in the Ruffed Grouse Society Strategic Planning Retreat.
• Participated in development of a University of Minnesota-Extension pilot on-line training module for private forest landowners.
• Wrote one newspaper article and two magazine articles. Took an Associated Press reporter in the field, which led to a widely distributed story.
• Co-wrote a PowerPoint presentation titled, “Biomass Harvesting as a Wildlife Management Tool”. Presented it at the Biomass Harvesting Workshop set up by UMN-Extension.
• Drafted a letter to Itasca County Land Department on their FSC Corrective Action Requests. Attended County Board meeting on CARs. Reviewed ICLD response to CARs and presented findings to Grand Rapids Chamber Forestry Affairs Committee.
• Drafted a letter to MDNR Division of Wildlife and Fisheries on a proposal to require non-toxic shot for small game hunting.
• Taught "Wildlife Aspects of Site-level Timber Harvesting Guidelines" at Vermillion Community College in Ely.
• On-going work on reprinting RGS brochures, purchasing and ATV for the University and coordinating West Nile Virus research with USGS.
• Entered and analyzed data from the 2005 National Grouse and Woodcock Hunt

Sky Dance
Rick Horton, Ruffed Grouse Society
(printed in the Grand Rapids Herald-Review)

Spring is a magical time here in the Northwoods. Those that choose to live in milder climes don’t know the joy that comes with hearing the chickadee breeding call and the trickle of melt water, or just seeing the earth again. There is pleasure to be found here, even in “mud season”. The re-awakening of the natural world is a welcoming event re-affirming that, despite the trials of modern man, the world continues to turn on its axis.

People have many “rites of spring” – spring cleaning, car washes, taxes, raking the lawn, etc. Wild things also have rites of spring, but they are largely associated with migration and breeding. Observing these phenomena can greatly enhance your enjoyment of a relatively drab and messy season.

The American woodcock is one of the most interesting denizens of our forests. This unique and popular game bird spends its winters along the Gulf Coast and warmer months in northern forests (much like many Minnesotans!). They follow the receding snowline north, arriving on their breeding grounds in March, often while there are still patches of dirty snow scattered about.

The woodcock courtship ritual is known as the “sky dance”, and was described best by Aldo Leopold in his seminal work, A Sand County Almanac. He describes in detail how the woodcock begins its ritual when daylight reaches exactly 0.05 foot-candles. The male selects a choice opening in the forest, one with a bare spot in the middle to allow him to strut on his stubby little legs. He repeatedly utters a nasal “peent” call in an attempt to attract a mate. Then, without warning he takes to the sky, flying a tight rising spiral above his stage. Using three thin, specially-designed wing feathers, he creates a high twittering sound in flight. At the apex of his spiraling climb, he flutters back to earth while uttering a melodious warbling call and begins the cycle anew. This dramatic scene unfolds mornings and evenings from late March until June.

Woodcock numbers have been steadily declining over the past 30-40 years. Within just the past 15 years we have seen woodcock harvests diminish by over 60%! Most experts agree that hunting levels are not the cause of the decline, but as is the case in most such instances, it a loss of habitat that is reducing bird numbers. Woodcock love brushy areas and dense young hardwood forests. They feed primarily on earthworms, so preferred habitat will have rich, moist soils. Old farm fields reverting to alder brush offer ideal habitat, as do young aspen stands coming in thick after clearcut harvesting. 

The Ruffed Grouse Society works to create and maintain woodcock habitat throughout the eastern United States. We urge public and private land managers to maintain old fields in a brushy state through regular mowing or burning, create and maintain wildlife openings as peenting grounds, and manage forests (particularly in moist areas) to provide the density needed by these fascinating animals.

People often ask why woodcock are declining in the face of all of the young forest we have created in the past 30 years. Remember, these are migratory birds. They need good habitat here, on the Gulf Coast, and at many stopover points in between. Without the habitat we create through active forest management, there would be far fewer “sky dances” to watch as a Rite of Spring!

Leopold said, “The drama of the sky dance is enacted nightly on hundreds of farms, the owners of which sigh for entertainment, but harbor the illusion that it is to be sought in theaters. They live on the land, but not by the land.” Live by the land and go out to see this wonderful natural phenomena.

RGS Provides Transportation for Grouse Research
 
In February 2006, RGS Biologist Rick Horton received a message from Dr. R. J. “Rocky” Gutierrez, Professor and Gordon Gullion Chair in Forest Wildlife Research at the University of Minnesota Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. Rocky had taken on a new graduate student, Lorelle Berkeley, working on grouse research at the Cloquet Forestry Center, and they needed and ATV so she could begin trapping grouse in mid-April. He wanted to know if RGS knew any ATV dealers that would give him a discount on a machine.

Horton called a couple dealerships in the area, but all they could offer was slight rebates. Then it occurred to Horton that he may be able to use funds provided by the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCMR) to purchase a machine for the University.  The LCMR Future Resources Fund provides money from the Minnesota Lottery for natural resources projects. The purchase was approved after a few telephone calls. 

Horton then contacted Arctic Cat’s corporate headquarters in Thief River Falls, MN and spoke with Gary Nelson, Promotions Specialist in the Marketing Department. He readily saw the positive relationship between grouse research, sportsmen and Arctic Cat and approved a significant corporate discount for the purchase. He authorized Horton to work with Pokegama Lawn and Sport in Grand Rapids, the local Arctic Cat dealer. The owner and staff were very helpful, and in a matter of days RGS took possession of a 2006 Arctic Cat 400 4x4 Automatic and delivered it to the Cloquet Forestry Center.

Dr. Gutierrez was the first to try out the new machine. He said, “This is just great! We heard the first drumming grouse this week and are ready to get out and begin trapping them”. PhD candidates Guthrie Zimmerman and Lorelle Berkeley were very appreciative.  Berkeley said, “This is awesome! Thank you very much!” We at the Society are just glad we could help.

National Forest News

There has been recent activity on the Chippewa National Forest.  The Northwoods Project on the Blackduck Ranger District is out for public comment.  The Blackduck District has been the one bright spot in the USFS, so this is a pretty good project.  They have also begun analysis on the Bigfork Project.  I spent a day in the field with District Ranger Tracy Beck and found him very receptive to site-level recommendations to improve game habitat.  The Portage Lake Project on the Walker District is in the EA development phase.  The project area has some aspen, but is largely big pines and maple forests.  We feel this area is more appropriately managed for older forests, but still need young forest inclusions for our species of interest.  Perhaps most troubling is the proposed obliteration and/or closure of over 40 miles of forest road in the 26,000 acre area.  We ask that more access be maintained.

On the Superior, the Inga South EA was finally released after two years of analysis.  We were disturbed to find that our concerns were deemed "not significant" and were largely ignored.  We had specifically asked for information that was not provided.  They are proposing to increase conifer, to the detriment of aspen, in an area already over plan goals for conifers.  We will continue to monitor the situation.  Meanwhile, the Echo Trail EIS is out for public comment right now.  The Forest Service expect a lawsuit from the environmentalists on this one because it proposed clearcut regenerations for 10,000 acres of old, decadent aspen, balsam fir and jackpine in areas near the Boundary Waters.  Note, I said near!  These groups now want land outside the BWCAW treated differently, largely because they would like to eventually move those boundaries out further and lock up more land.  RGS will monitor the situation and determine if we will need to step to the aid of the Forest Service in the courts.

The Timber Industry
 
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Implementation Committee has completed the revision of the "SFI Landowners Manual." The manual now includes information regarding Endangered and Threatened species, and was rearranged into a more logical flow.  RGS provided considerable input into its development.  Contact me if you are a landowner and are interested in receiving a copy of this publication.

Non-Toxic Shot
 
The DNR took public input on a proposal to require non-toxic shot for hunting all small game.  The impetus is the proposed increase in state-managed dove fields and the potential impact of concentrating lead shot on small areas.  Additionally, there are concerns about pheasant hunters distributing lead shot in Waterfowl Production Areas and Wildlife Management Areas where it could impact waterfowl.  Following is RGS's input:
 
March 10, 2006

Hunting and Trapping Season Comments

DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife

500 Lafayette Road

St. Paul, MN 55155-4007.

Re: Non-toxic shot for small game hunting

Sirs,

The Ruffed Grouse Society appreciates the opportunity to provide comment on proposed changes to ammunition specifications for small game hunting. We understand that the Department is considering changes that would not allow the use of lead shot in certain circumstances, with the end result of eventually phasing out lead shot altogether.

The Society supports the requirement of non-toxic shot on organized/managed dove fields and some southern WMAs with significant open water for waterfowling. However, we do not support any non-toxic shot requirements on uplands or in the general forested region of the state. There is currently no indication that lead toxicity is a significant wildlife problem in areas where shot is spatially and temporally widely dispersed.

Before any such requirements are proposed, we ask that the Department demonstrate that there is a wildlife health problem, and that it has fully considered the social and economic implications of the regulation. We are very concerned that the high cost of lead alternatives, coupled with already decreasing participation in small game hunting, will lead to fewer hunters in the field at a time when the sport needs to increase recruitment. With regard to grouse and woodcock hunting, let’s not negatively impact a good thing without completely thinking it through.
Sincerely,
Rick Horton
Forest Wildlife Biologist