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Archives for January 2016

Films from the Grouse Woods SS

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01/28/16

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RGS in the News

The original article Films from the Grouse Woods by Ed Carroll appears on ShootingSportsman.com at http://www.shootingsportsman.com/films-from-the-grouse-woods/ is reproduced below.

  We’ve noted before that great wingshooting films — online video style “shorts” — are unfortunately few and far between. Other outdoor pursuits have drawn young videographers in legions; fly-fishing has spawned hours of inspiring video that makes the audience want to run outside and start double-hauling. But real hunting is hard to film. Filming in ruffed grouse and woodcock cover is more difficult still.

  So we’re happy to see a film series called Project Upland, created through a partnership between the Ruffed Grouse Society and the filmmakers at Dangerous Cow Publishing. The series will roll out eight short films by late February, with two** online now: “The Experience” and “Because They’re Wild.” The films are available through a bewildering number of sites, so you can choose your preferred viewing experience. The link below takes you to the RGS site. Dangerous Cow Publishing posts its work, including Project Upland, on rediscovertheoutdoors.com. Vimeo provides a spectacular full-screen, high-definition playback, which is what we’ve imbedded here.

  The Project Upland series “ . . . captures the passions and traditions of the grouse woods to inspire a new generation of upland hunters,” as RGS puts it. This is good stuff — well worth watching. We can almost smell the North Woods in October . . .

WATCH “BECAUSE THEY’RE WILD”

** Note: as of Feb. 27 there are three videos plus the series trailer online with more being added “weekly.”

RGS – SHOT Show 2016

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wp-1453253640829.jpgRuffed Grouse Society staff are at the 2016 SHOT Show this week finding new product for this year’s RGS banquets and events and making valuable contacts throughout the firearm and outdoor industries. RGS Director of Headquarters Operations Tracy Greene and Editor and Director of Communications Matt Soberg are attending this year.

The SHOT Show is the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show and Conference for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting accessories industry. This year’s Show is being held at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 19 through 22. The largest trade show of its kind in the world and the fifth largest trade show in Las Vegas, the SHOT Show features more than 1,600 exhibitors filling booth space covering 630,000 net square feet. The show, which is a trade-only event, attracts more than 62,000 industry professionals from all 50 states and 100 countries.

wp-1453253664419.jpgThe SHOT Show provides a great opportunity for RGS to reach out to relevant contacts within the industry and keep up with new and attractive upland hunting gear for future banquets and events. Staff will be meeting with longtime corporate sponsors, Purina, Browning, SportDOG and others. The Show also represents a “who’s who” of outdoors product and media industries providing great content for future RGS print and digital media platforms.

For more information, visit:
www.shotshow.org.

Significant Snow Levels Benefit Grouse in the Winter

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Extreme cold and low/no snow are the worst conditions for ruffed grouse in winter.  Many areas in the upper Midwest have had lower than normal snow amounts this year leading to poor snow roosting conditions for ruffed grouse. Grouse are very well adapted to heavy snowfall and will burrow or dive bomb into deep fluffy snow to help avoid detection by predators and conserve a surprising amount of heat.  Research has shown that the temperature under a 6” deep snow pack stays around 32 degrees F and does not get below 20 degrees F regardless of the temperature above the snow.  Approximately 25 degrees also happens to be the tipping point after which a grouse needs to start speeding up its metabolism and using extra energy to stay warm. Coincidence?

The past two winters in northern Michigan provided excellent snow roosting conditions with deep fluffy snow and no rain or crusting of the snowpack from mid- November until nearly April in some places.  This year, snow totals are below normal and much of it has been wet or has crusted over.  The following graphs from NOAA show how far behind some places are this season.  http://www.weather.gov/apx/snowgraph_ytd  .  The winter storm currently hitting the northern lower peninsula and upper peninsula is actually good news for ruffed grouse and will provide shelter from the frigid conditions to follow.

Here are two pictures of a ruffed grouse snow roost taken during a habitat project in Emmett County, Michigan on February 26, 2014 during an exceptional snow roosting winter.  The first is the entry via dive bomb followed by a couple of feet of burrowing.

Grouse-Roost-1

The second is the exit of the roost and a short walk before taking flight, most likely into the aspen branches above to get a meal of buds before finding a new place to roost.snow-roost-2

 

Additional photos provided RGS Biologist Scott Walter, Click to enlarge:

snowroost snowroosttail snowroostflyingout

Project Upland Films – A Unique Bird Hunting Series

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project-upland-headerThis week the Ruffed Grouse Society has released the first two videos in a film series titled Project Upland, a project we partnered with Dangerous Cow Publishing Co. This multi-film series celebrates all the experiences grouse hunters treasure in the grouse woods – stories and cherished memories that are essential to engage the net generation of grouse hunters and conservationists.

As the tactics and tools have changed across a vast array of hunting opportunities available today, grouse hunting has remained relatively timeless as it still requires wild places. This series, in-part, celebrates all elements that encompass their pursuit.


Official Launch: January 18, 2016

Jan 18 | ‘The Experience’ | ‘Because They’re Wild’

Feb 01 | Special Edition: ‘Spell of Africa’

Jan 25 | Special Edition: ‘Why Project Upland’

Feb 15 | ‘Partridge Country’

Feb 01 | ‘Searching’ | ‘Camp Tour- Malone NY’

Feb 22 | Special Announcement

The film series can been seen here:

www.ruffedgrousesociety.org/project_upland_films

Day 6 Redux of the Grouse Camp Tour

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Day 6 and the final day of the Grouse Camp Tour coincided with the final day of the Woodcock Challenge and Celebration in the northern lower peninsula of MI. The GCT crew split up to meet up with Regional Biologist to the Eastern Great Lakes and Grant Writer, Eric Ellis as well as RGS Le Grand Chpater president Fritz Heller. Special guests for the day also included Tim Riley and Al Stewart from MI DNR.

Day 5 Redux of the Grouse Camp Tour

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Day 5 began with a tour at the headquarters of Stormy Kromer, Jacquart Fabric Products, Ironwood, MI. (U.P.) Owner Bob Jacqaurt, who’s one of the most studied Kromer historians today has been a longtime friend of RGS Regional Director, Dave Johnson. Dave paired the Grouse Camp Tour crew up with area chapter committee member Matt Tingstad and friend and fellow RGS member Luke Lamb. It was a short and wet morning hunt but proved to be productive.

Day 4 Redux of the Grouse Camp Tour

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Day 4 took place at a very unique grouse camp in Wisconsin. Father and son, Chuck and Chris Bye have tailored their camp specifically for hunting grouse with their prized crew of English setters, including ideal habitat for grouse and woodcock as well as tons of trails for hunters of all mobility levels. Also in camp was Henry Page, longtime friend of the Bye’s and fellow RGS member. It didn’t take the crew long to realize that the most of elements that made up this camp were also in the minds of many grouse hunters’ who strive for a special camp of their own. No element of the grouse camp and hunt experience were lost on these guys, for them it’s about the entire experience, not the game bag status at day’s end.

Day 3 Redux of the Grouse Camp Tour

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Day 3 of the Grouse Camp Tour had the crew following along behind two 12 year old brothers, Tucker and Wyatt Johnson. With them was their dad Greg Johnson. Greg is on the committee of his local RGS chapter. Also helping mentor these youth in the woods is RGS Director of Member Relations & Outreach, Mark Fouts along with his crew of top-notch English pointers of all ages.

It was a great morning spent with some very accomplished, young upland bird hunters. The crew had a lot of fun running with these two very safe hunters, and took the opportunity to ask them a few questions including what can be done to get more youth their age in the woods.

After the hunt concluded the crew was southbound for another stop at a very unique fall grouse camp experience.

The Grouse Camp Tour crew would like to thank Tucker, Wyatt and Greg Johnson as well as Mark Fouts for a action-packed morning.

A Gathering of Upland Hunters in Traverse City, MI

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An event being held March 19, 2016 at the Inside-Out Theatre in downtown Traverse City, MI is a discussion of birds, dogs, habitat, and all those who appreciate them. All proceeds from this event go to the RGS Drummer Fund and will also feature RGS President & CEO John B. Eichinger. Seating is limited. For tickets and additional information follow this link: http://www.uplandgathering.com/

Day 2 Redux of the Grouse Camp Tour

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Day 2 of the inaugural RGS Grouse Camp Tour took place Tuesday, October 19, 2015 in central Minnesota. RGS Staff, Matt Soberg, Seth Heasley, and Nick Larson met up with Minnesota DNR Forest Gamebird Coordinator, Ted Dick and his young setter pup, Ace.

The day had us touring various grouse and woodcock project sites the MN DNR and the Ruffed Grouse Society have partnered together in. We spent a good deal of time talking to Ted about the habitat work being done across the state as well as how every current member in RGS has an impact in providing grouse and woodcock a bigger voice within their respective state (with their state’s policy makers) as well as nationally, particularly pertaining to the US Forest Service. We spent considerable time in a portion of the Chippewa National Forest on this day.

Ted’s pup Ace had some good work in on woodcock, some of which in area’s so thick the cameras couldn’t get to the birds to in time with the shotguns. Another notable find was a woodcock find from Matt Soberg’s male setter “Blitz”. Not only did he have a bracemate running out-of-sight but remained within bell range while he stood his bird, but he didn’t get any help from the three guns that met him at the bird. But hey, that’s hunting! The outcome always anything but certain which has always been part of the allure.

Watch how the day unfolded here: