Archives for August 2016

RGS Holds Driftless Young Forest Symposium

August 29, 2016 by Matt Soberg

08/29/16

RGS PRESS RELEASE

451 McCormick Rd

Coraopolis PA 15108

412-262-4044

For Immediate Release

August 29, 2016

The Ruffed Grouse Society brought together agency professionals from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa to focus on landscape-scale goals to enhance future young forest habitat in the Driftless Region.

Coraopolis, PA – The Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) held the Driftless Young Forest Symposium in La Crosse, Wisconsin on August 16 and 17, 2016 bringing together agency professionals from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa to focus on landscape-scale goals to enhance future young forest habitat in the Driftless Region. The RGS thanks partners who provided additional support and resources for the Symposium including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, National Wild Turkey Federation, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

“The goals for the Driftless Young Forest Symposium were to provide agency professionals with a clear understanding of how recent forest trends have impacted the wildlife community to recognize the various challenges that forest managers face in this region and to explore opportunities for a landscape-scale approach to forest management in the future,” said RGS Regional Wildlife Biologist Scott Walter. “The issue is extremely significant and symptomatic of what’s occurring across the entire central hardwoods region. We’re seeing an entire shift in forest structure toward older, climax forest types. Along the way, we’re losing young forest-adapted wildlife like ruffed grouse and whip-poor-wills as well as entire communities like oak forests. The symposium was intended to engage professionals in an ongoing dialogue so that we can develop tools to address these issues. I was extremely thrilled to see the passion, interest and ideas brought forth by the attendees, and we’ll use this excitement as we continue to build a new and meaningful approach to forest management across the Driftless in the years to come.”

The Driftless Region encompasses southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois and is unique for its forested landscape, deeply carved valleys and streams resulting from the region escaping historical glaciation. RGS Director of Conservation Policy Dan Dessecker provided wildlife impacts of long-term forest trends in the Driftless Region, and stated, “To sustain the full array of forest wildlife, we must sustain the full array of wildlife habitats.” A major challenge for the Driftless area is that the landscape is 90 percent privately owned, and therefore, it is necessary to help private landowners understand that healthy wildlife populations result from healthy forest management. “Wildlife is the window through which the public views our forests,” Dessecker continued.

Additional presentations and discussions included trends in the composition of the region’s forests, wildlife impacts of long-term forest trends, assessment of current timber markets, a model for landscape-scale forest management and a specific focus on developing a shared vision and ongoing collaborative partnership to guide future Driftless Region forest management. Presenters included WI DNR Deputy Secretary Kurt Thiede, RGS Regional Wildlife Biologist Scott Walter, WI DNR Research Sociologist and Economist Tricia Gorby-Knoot, and WI DNR Forest Ecologists/Silviculturists Brad Hutnik and Greg Edge.

Agency attendees included representatives from the Wisconsin DNR, Minnesota DNR, Iowa DNR, Beyer Forestry, Pheasants Forever, Iowa State University, Upper Iowa University, National Wild Turkey Federation, NRCS, Army Corps of Engineers, The Nature Conservancy, USFWS, Southwest Badger RC&D, Kickapoo Woods Cooperative, Kickapoo Valley Reserve, University of Wisconsin Extension, Nielsen & Nielsen Forestry and the Aldo Leopold Foundation.

Established in 1961, The Ruffed Grouse Society/American Woodcock Society is North America’s foremost conservation organization dedicated to preserving our sporting traditions by creating healthy forest habitat for ruffed grouse, American woodcock and other wildlife. RGS/AWS works with landowners and government agencies to develop critical habitat utilizing scientific management practices.

Information on RGS/AWS, its mission, management projects and membership can be found on the web at: www.ruffedgrousesociety.org.

Media Contact:

Matt Soberg

(218) 232-6227
editor@ruffedgrousesociety.org

Why We Hunt, with Member A.J. DeRosa

August 25, 2016 by RGS & AWS Members

We are living in a golden age of the grouse woods. I no longer see the ruffed grouse of the past, but a culture of today – young and old, dedicated and committed to their calling and never so focused on saving the species.

I grew up in a long line of casual “partridge” hunters that never really considered the use of a dog. Grouse hunting was something you did when you scouted for whitetails. Swap the slug barrel off the old Remington 870 pump for a bird barrel, and those New Hampshire “chickens” were prime dinner. The older I became, the less ruffed grouse existed on the southern border of New Hampshire, and as my years went on as a suburban bowhunter, the ruffed grouse became a distant memory.

It would not be until I started achieving some of my personal goals in white-tailed deer hunting that I would reconsider connecting with this childhood memory. As the frustrations of suburban hunting became more apparent year after year, I decided to seek out a different escape. Now deer hunting the north country of New England tends to be a lot of hard work with little reward. The inability to commit in my daily life to really scout and understand a local deer populace, made the idea unappealing to me.

Ruffed grouse were different, though; I could escape my city life and for a couple days be truly hardcore at what I was doing. A few good grouse covers, a cabin to stay in, and I was living the adventurous dreams of my youth. I found myself escaping to these grouse covers more often, becoming more interested at how to get better at hunting them. I realized how amazing of a pursuit the upland birds of New England were. They were unique, challenging, and it was never short of an adventure finding them.

Throughout all of this though, I could never shake that question of declining species from my mind. I found myself asking questions like why are the grouse gone from my home town? It spiraled from there. A pursuit of knowledge that lead me deeper into the grouse woods and eventually to my camera. Although I was active in the bowhunting community, I decided it was time to make a ruffed grouse hunting film, to capture what I thought was a past gone by and share it with the suburban hunters I have connected with over the years.

It stuck with many of suburban hunters, and as it turned out, we all recalled hunting grouse in our youth and their departure from our landscape. We debated why it happened: was it predator, a disease, or possibly spraying of pesticides? Really none of us understood, never mind considered the complexity of their habitat.

This all lead me to the Ruffed Grouse Society. As I clicked my camera on and began to capture other people’s grouse woods adventures, they only became more mystical, more deserving of the title the king of the birds. I saw every person connect on deeply personal levels, each one differently, yet all with this base line of the grouse woods. This is what made Project Upland special, a complex culture that existed under my nose yet many of us never knew existed.

I began to understand positive aspects of the future of the ruffed grouse as I spent many of long hours with biologists and seasoned woodsmen. It became apparent to me that this was an important fight and above all of that it is a fight we can win right now with positive shifts in logging and forestry practices and commitments to good science.

Project Upland has continued to grow as a result of all these things, and although many may be shocked to hear me say it, “We are living in a golden age of the grouse woods.” We are a culture no short of the hardcore, the interesting, the adventurous or the knowledgeable. I no longer see the ruffed grouse of the past, but a culture of today – young and old, dedicated and committed to their calling and never so focused on saving species.

Now in my mid-thirties, I find myself breaking the big buck hunters golden rule of allowing a dog in my home to cover my clothes in scent, but now I’m excited to take my adventures to the next level. Above all, I have never been so inspired and so eager to capture grouse woods culture, and completely humbled to be welcomed into such an amazing community.

A.J. DeRosa is founder/creative director of Dangerous Cow Publishing. He is considered a pioneer in the modern era of hunting; from his critically acclaimed book The Urban Deer Complex to his viral bird hunting film series Project Upland. He continues to push the boundaries in both cinematic adventure films, and groundbreaking hunting tactics. With strong focus on bringing niche market regions and unique cultures to the mass market to preserve our sporting heritage. www.projectupland.com

RGS Awarded Cabela’s Outdoor Fund Grant

August 23, 2016 by Matt Soberg

08/23/16

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RGS PRESS RELEASE

451 McCormick Rd

Coraopolis PA 15108

412-262-4044

For Immediate Release

August 23, 2016

Coraopolis, PA – The Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society (RGS/AWS) are pleased to announce a grant of $46,431 from the Cabela’s Outdoor Fund to assist a diverse set of projects designed to benefit young forest habitat and wildlife. These projects will be paired with RGS/AWS and partner funds of $31,600 and will take place primarily in the Upper Midwest. Activities will support habitat improvement, regional planning efforts, education, developing the next generation of upland hunters and mentoring activities while supporting a variety of wildlife species dependent on young forest habitat including ruffed grouse, rabbits, American woodcock, white-tailed deer and elk.

“The generous donations made by customers at Cabela’s stores across North America when they ‘round up for conservation’ at the checkout lane are directly responsible for the funds being put into wildlife habitat and outreach during this project,” said John Eichinger, president and CEO of the RGS/AWS. “We greatly appreciate their support, and that of the Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, toward healthy forests, abundant wildlife and sporting traditions for future generations.”

Four projects will be supported by the grant and matched by RGS/AWS and partners: 1) Conservation and Recruitment Outreach Campaign, which will utilize comprehensive media efforts to address the downward trend of upland hunter numbers (specifically promoting the new RGS/AWS New Hunter Mentor Program and Women’s Intro to Wingshooting Program) and to overcome the negative public perception and misinformation about forest management; 2) Habitat Machine Program Restoration and Operation, where funds will provide critical repairs and maintenance for the RGS/AWS habitat machine in Michigan used for a variety of habitat management techniques on both public and private lands in addition to public education and agency collaboration; 3) Northern Michigan Food Plot and Hunter Trail Equipment Project, where funds will purchase a tractor-towed disc operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (Wildlife Division, Grayling) for management of wildlife openings, food plots and hunter trails on public lands; 4) Driftless Area Young Forest Symposium, where over 100 natural resource professionals will address the health of forests in the Driftless Regions of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois.

The Cabela’s Outdoor Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to efforts that promote and protect hunting, shooting sports, trapping, fishing, camping and conservation. This fund is possible through generous Cabela’s customers who choose to “round up” their purchases to the nearest dollar at Cabela’s stores. The Cabela’s Outdoor Fund contributes to other like-minded organizations across North America working to make the great outdoors even better. To learn more about Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, visit www.cabelas.com/outdoorfund.

Information on RGS/AWS, its mission, management projects and membership can be found on the web at: www.ruffedgrousesociety.org.

Media Contact:

Matt Soberg

(218) 232-6227
editor@ruffedgrousesociety.org

Why We Hunt, with Member Tom Keer

August 16, 2016 by RGS & AWS Members

Our hats look like oil pans, our favorite vests have more patches and thread than original cloth, and while we may be late to supper, we are never late for opening day. Anything done in moderation shows a lack of interest, and we are among the obsessed. Go hard or go home.

I don’t think we grouse and woodcock hunters are very smart. At least I know I’m not. For what kind of hunter volunteers to get shredded by cover only to get a glimmer of a snap shot at cagey birds that dart behind aspen swales and pine boughs? And what kind of hunter shrugs off a bark dusting so easily that it’s considered normal? We do it again and again so much so that we are reminded of Albert Einstein’s ‘Definition of Insanity’: “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” Even though I know your answer, it’s not right for me to answer for you. But for me? By Einstein’s definition, I am insane.

Or am I? A long time ago, I shot the bark off of so many trees my friends thought I had a select-cut contract from the Forest Service. By the end of the season, I was so hacked off that I was ready to wrap my gunning iron around an oak. Instead, I followed my misses with a tweak here, a tweak there and after a while everything clicked. Rather than run down Einstein’s rabbit hole, I prefer a different adage: repetition makes the master. Our hats look like oil pans, our favorite vests have more patches and thread than original cloth, and while we may be late to supper, we are never late for opening day. Anything done in moderation shows a lack of interest, and we are among the obsessed. Go hard or go home.

We like the tradition of old things. We trace dog lineage like anthropologists search for the Lost City of Atlantis. We prefer torn and tattered, muddied and bloodied. Ours are the beat-up trucks with rusty frames and scratch marks in the hood. Give us a book with a spine, and we’re in hog-heaven divine. Ford, Spiller, Harnden Foster and the like are ideal. We drool over old, classic shotguns of any make or model. We respect our elders and shepherd children, even if they are not our own. We respect each other and our environment. Clear and select cuts don’t bother us. Big woods ticks do.

We like art. Maybe we don’t visit the Met or frequent the Louvre. We can differentiate between Lynn Bogue Hunt, A. Lassell Ripley and Frank Benson. Their work connects us with the past, and we welcome the newer artists. Jay Dowd, Adam Wampole, Steven Broussard, Gordon Allen, Daniel Porter, and M. Richard Thompson. Their work may be different, but so is the way we handle conservation. Check them out as you would a new covert. You’ll be surprised about how many birds are in there . . .We go to the woods with the long saddles and ridges at the top and the valleys and farmlands in between. Streams and seeps zig-zag their way through the land. In some parts of the country, we’re blessed to find grouse in some areas and woodcock in others. Valhalla is the place where the two birds overlap, for in there we get point after point after point. We have selective memories, but a day like that is committed for the rest of our life.

Then the comments come. “I see you’re slumming it with woodcock.” Out west just substitute sharptail or sage grouse and smile. It ain’t nothin’. Your buddy is just pokin’ fun ’cause you didn’t just shoot the King. It’s no different than a Marine telling a Sailor, “You give us a ride to fight.” We’re on the same upland team, and comments like those are meant in jest. Just don’t poke the bear too hard, ’cause anyone crushing briars, humping ridges and busting brush isn’t gonna take too much slack-talk lying down.

Ours is a fraternity shared by an unspoken understanding. No one needs to say, “stay out of my coverts.” It’s part of our code. The problem comes when a thief pretends to be one of us. That’s usually why he isn’t invited back to camp. But we don’t let that bad apple spoil our bunch, for in time, we welcome newcomers, especially kids. It’s just who we are. We have Faith.

And now, grouse and woodcock hunting season is right around the corner. We’ve waited for it since last year. For some of us, it’s been a good off-season; for others of us, not so much. But here we are on the cusp of our favorite time of the year. It’s not far away. Above anything else, this is us. It is our time to shine.

Tom Keer is the founder/managing partner of the Keer Group, a company based in Massachusetts that focuses on branding, content marketing and public relations for the outdoor industry. Tom is an award-winning writer and publisher having been published by many outdoor titles including the Ruffed Grouse Society magazine.

Driftless Young Forest Symposium

August 16, 2016 by Matt Soberg

Today, the Ruffed Grouse Society brought together agency professionals from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois to focus on landscape-scale goals to enhance future young forest habitat in the Driftless Region.

Today (August 16, 2016) the Ruffed Grouse Society launched the Driftless Young Forest Symposium in La Crosse, Wisconsin to bring together agency professionals from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois to focus on landscape-scale goals to enhance young forest habitat in the Driftless Region. Symposium goals include providing a clear understanding of the area forest use trends and wildlife impacts, to recognize challenges of forest management in this region and to identify and embrace opportunities for potential landscape-scale benefits to young forest habitat in the future.

Partners providing resources for the Driftless Young Forest Symposium include the Ruffed Grouse Society, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, National Wild Turkey Federation, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The Driftless Region encompasses southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois and is noted for its deeply carved valleys and streams that were a result of this area escaping glaciation. Photo from NRCS.

IMG_3142 (1024x909) — WI DNR Deputy Secretary Kurt Thiede

IMG_3151 (1024x806) — RGS Wildlife Biologist for Wisconsin Scott Walter

The welcome address was presented by Kurt Thiede, deputy secretary for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources who discussed the Wisconsin Young Forest Partnership and the importance of agencies working together for the benefit of young forest initiatives. RGS Regional Wildlife Biologist for Wisconsin Scott Walter gave the opening remarks and moderated all presentations while Tricia Gorby-Knoot, research sociologist and economist for the Wisconsin DNR, discussed trends in the composition of the forests of the Driftless Region and urged professionals to take action in the region to make a difference.

IMG_3159 (1024x862) — RGS Director of Conservation Policy Dan Dessecker

The keynote speaker was RGS Director of Conservation Policy Dan Dessecker who provided wildlife impacts of long-term forest trends in the Driftless Region. He stated that wildlife conservation need not be complicated by stating, “To sustain the full array of forest wildlife, we must sustain the full array of wildlife habitats.” He urged that public perception is the only reality when it comes to the view of forest management, and that a major challenge for the Driftless area is that the landscape is 90 percent privately owned. Because of that, he stated, “Wildlife is the window through which the public views our forests,” and stressed that it is necessary to help private landowners understand that if they want wildlife on their property, forest management is the key. Healthy forests = healthy wildlife populations.

The Symposium continues through tomorrow (August 17, 2016) with state reports (Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin), small group discussions, open group discussions for future plans, and a presentation on a model for landscape-scale management of the Driftless Region by Brad Hutnik and Greg Edge, forest ecologists for the WI DNR.

For more information about habitat management in the Driftless Region, contact RGS Regional Wildlife Biologist Scott Walter, ScottW@RuffedGrouseSociety.Org, or RGS Regional Wildlife Biologist Meadow Kouffeld-Hansen, MeadowK@RuffedGrouseSociety.Org.

For more information about the Ruffed Grouse Society, go to www.ruffedgrousesociety.org.

A Few Dog Products to Consider for this Season

August 15, 2016 by Seth Heasley

Anyone who hunts with a dog (or dogs) comes across a few different situations, obstacles or hazards that can be eliminated with the proper knowledge and a couple dollars. Here’s a few products I’ve come across that can always be found in my dog and gear bags.

Musher’s Secret

Anyone that runs their dog in the snow have without a doubt had their dog stop and bite at ice balls between their toes or ice buildup on their feet. Musher’s Secret is a natural and pliable wax mixture that is applied directly to feet. It takes a few short minutes to treat a dog, and any leftover can be rubbed into your own hands which also helps your own “paddies” in the dry, frigid air. Another bonus is it doesn’t stain or mark carpet later on after the hunt. The wax essentially makes the foot snow-proof and ice-proof. (It even can help with keeping bells clean and ringing).

Permethrin-10

A fantastic tick repellent and killer (if they don’t jump ship fast enough) that is as economical as it is effective. The great thing is it works both on your clothes and your dog. This isn’t the first time it’s been referred to on this blog, read an earlier article here.

The Tick Key

Durable aluminum designed for a keychain, lanyard, glovebox or gear bag. If you are unfortunate to find an attached tick, the Tick Key does a nice job removing without ripping the body from the head (still attached) or squeezing the body which can act like a syringe for pathogens the tick may be carrying.

Fortiflora (Canine)

Purina offers a probiotic that is great to have in your gear travel bags. Beyond the typical health benefits that probiotics provide, these space-saving food additive packets can help stress and travel incidents of vomiting, diarrhea or excessive gas. I haven’t yet found a dog that hasn’t found it incredibly palatable and have even used it as an incentive for picky eaters – particularly dogs on the road that all but refuse to eat.

Y-TEX PYthon Cattle Ear Tags

A little unconventional, the purple cattle ear tags contain permethrin that keeps pests at bay on dogs. Just zip tie one around a collar while other real go-getters cut off a portion and rivet them onto the collar. For $29.99 for 20 tags (can be cut in half to make 40), you’re saving yourself a considerable chunk of change not having to pay for the marketing overhead from the house pet pest control brands.

Saline Solution

I get the cheapest solution I can find as I’m not using it to “rejuvenate” contact lens moisture, I’m trying to flush botanical gunk, sometimes using as many as several ounces in one instance. Saline flushes are particularly useful on those “mean seeds” that can inflame inner eyelids and get dogs pawing at their aggravated eyes.

Terramycin

For more advanced eye care, this is a antibiotic intended for direct application to eyes. It’s pricey but eyesight in a sporting dog is priceless. This is great insurance to ensure corneal abrasions heal as fast as possible and near miraculous performance on corneal perforation (meaning it was penetrated). Some sporting dog owners use it after every trip afield.

What uncommon or even unconventional item can be found in your gear bag? Comment below!

Charity Navigator Rates RGS a 4-Star Charity

August 12, 2016 by Matt Soberg

08/12/16

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RGS PRESS RELEASE

Ruffed Grouse Society

451 McCormick Rd

Coraopolis PA 15108

412-262-4044

For Immediate Release

August 11, 2016

Coraopolis, PA – The Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) recently earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. The 4-star rating is a result of RGS maintaining sound fiscal management practices and a commitment to accountability and transparency in its efforts to preserve our sporting traditions by creating healthy forest habitat for ruffed grouse, American woodcock and many other forest wildlife species.

Since 2002, Charity Navigator has awarded only the most fiscally responsible organizations a 4-star rating. In 2011, Charity Navigator added 17 metrics, focused on governance and ethical practices as well as measures of openness, to its ratings methodology. These “Accountability & Transparency” metrics, which account for 50 percent of a charity’s overall rating, reveal which charities have “best practices” that minimize the chance of unethical activities and whether they freely share basic information about their organization with their donors and other stakeholders.

“The Ruffed Grouse Society’s coveted 4-star rating puts it in a very select group of high-performing charities,” said Michael Thatcher, president and CEO of Charity Navigator. “Out of the thousands of nonprofits Charity Navigator evaluates, only one out of four earns 4 stars – a rating that demands rigor, responsibility and commitment to openness. Ruffed Grouse Society’s supporters should feel much more confident that their hard-earned dollars are being used efficiently and responsibly when it acquires such a high rating.”

“We are proud to report that your Ruffed Grouse Society received this 4-star Charity Navigator rating for demonstrating strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency,” said RGS President and CEO John Eichinger. “This achievement is the result of a collective effort by a dedicated board of directors, committed members, passionate volunteers and a talented staff.”

The RGS rating and other information about charitable giving are available free of charge on www.charitynavigator.org.

About Charity Navigator

Charity Navigator, www.charitynavigator.org, is the largest charity evaluator in America, and its website attracts more visitors than all other charity rating groups combined. The organization helps guide intelligent giving by evaluating the financial health and accountability and transparency of more than 8,000 charities. Charity Navigator accepts no advertising or donations from the organizations it evaluates, ensuring unbiased evaluations, nor does it charge the public for this trusted data. As a result, Charity Navigator, a 501 (c) (3) public charity itself, depends on support from individuals, corporations and foundations that believe it provides a much-needed service to America’s charitable givers. Charity Navigator, can be reached directly by telephone at (201) 818-1288, or by mail at 139 Harristown Road, Suite 101, Glen Rock, N.J., 07452.

Information on RGS/AWS, its mission, management projects and membership can be found on the web at: www.ruffedgrousesociety.org.

Media Contact:

Matt Soberg

(218) 232-6227
editor@ruffedgrousesociety.org

Clenzoil Becomes Ruffed Grouse Society Corporate Sponsor

August 12, 2016 by Matt Soberg

03/27/17
Matt Soberg
(218) 232-6227
editor@ruffedgrousesociety.org

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Clenzoil, the original one-step cleaner, lubricant and rust preventative for lock, stock and barrel since 1948, became a corporate sponsor of the Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS), North America’s foremost forest conservation organization, to benefit grouse and woodcock hunters nationwide and to preserve our sporting traditions for future generations. The corporate sponsorship enhances the RGS ability to preserve our sporting traditions by creating healthy forest habitat for the benefit of ruffed grouse and American woodcock and offers Clenzoil premier advertising and marketing opportunities to RGS members and the upland hunting, shotgunner and forest conservation audience.

“With its history of providing high-quality products for the sporting community, we sincerely appreciate our corporate relationship with Clenzoil, a company that certainly understands the importance of enhancing the future of our hunting heritage,” said RGS President and CEO John Eichinger.

For years, Clenzoil products have been used by hunters, shotgunners, military, law enforcement and civilian personnel primarily as a cleaner, lubricant and protectant for high grade firearms. In the Clenzoil “Field and Range” category, Clenzoil has a well-documented and almost legendary following among civilian and military special forces as it is still considered (for almost 70 years now) as the “best of the best” in its field. Clenzoil effectively removes oils, dirt, copper fouling, lead, plastic wad and other contaminants. It provides a thin, non-greasy coating that prevents rust and lubricates all moving parts of firearms. The product will not harm gun bluing, case-coloring, gold inlays or camo coatings on synthetic or wood stocks. Clenzoil was founded by a veteran, is still owned by a veteran and is proud to be an all-American brand.

“Clenzoil is proud to support the Ruffed Grouse Society in their mission to create and maintain healthy environments for ruffed grouse and other wildlife across the country. As a company, we share the same passion for the outdoors that many members of the organization do, and we are honored to be a part of their efforts,” said Clenzoil President Chris Hoffman.

For more information about Clenzoil, go to: www.clenzoil.com.

The RGS Corporate Sponsor Program provides various annual levels and benefits to companies and partners who enhance the RGS mission to preserve our sporting traditions for future generations by creating healthy forest habitat for the benefit of forest wildlife. Sponsor levels offer marketing/advertising opportunities to RGS members and the upland hunting and forest conservation audience included in the Ruffed Grouse Society magazine, www.RuffedGrouseSociety.org, RGS banquets and events, the RGS email list, RGS social media feeds (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), RGS Grouse Camp Tour, RGS videos and more. For more information about becoming an RGS Corporate Sponsor, contact RGS Director of Development Bruce Wojcik, BruceW@RuffedGrouseSociety.org, (412) 874-8702.

***

Information on RGS/AWS, its mission, management projects and membership can be found on the web at: www.ruffedgrousesociety.org.

Media Contact:

Matt Soberg

(218) 232-6227
editor@ruffedgrousesociety.org

The Effect of Drought on Woodcock

August 12, 2016 by Matt Soberg

By Andrew P. Weik – RGS & AWS Regional Wildlife Biologist – New York, New England

After a spring seemingly favorable to ground nesting birds such as grouse and woodcock, summer thus far, into late July, has been drier than usual in my region. In fact, the lack of rainfall across many areas of the Northeast has resulted in drought conditions (see map below). The colors on the map show yellow as “abnormally dry”, beige as “moderate drought” and orange as “severe drought”.

What effect does this have on woodcock? During normal soil moisture conditions, earthworms are more abundant in hardwood (e.g. alder) stands than under conifers (e.g. spruce and fir), and woodcock preferentially use hardwood stands presumably because of the greater prey availability in these stands; conifer stands are one of the least-preferred daytime forest covers.

Research by Greg Sepik and others, reported in the 1983 Transactions of the Northeast Section of the Wildlife Society, on woodcock at Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Maine in the late 1970s showed that during summer drought, woodcock shifted habitat use from predominantly hardwood cover to predominantly coniferous cover. They also greatly reduced use of night roost habitats, apparently because it was energetically unfeasible to make the dawn and dusk flights to and from the night roost areas. The authors go on to say, “By the end of August all age classes and sexes of woodcock normally have begun to increase in weight (Owen and Krohn 1973). During the last two weeks in August 1978 (the drought year) all woodcock captured were from 5-41% (mean =19%) below the average weights reported by Owen and Krohn (1973) for that period. Licinsky (1972) reported that a 40% weight loss resulted in the death of two captive woodcock, thus some woodcock in 1978 may have starved.”

Birds typically molt (drop and regrow) their wing feathers annually. This is an energetically and nutritionally demanding process. During the 1978 drought year, Sepik and colleagues found that three times as many female woodcock delayed or skipped molting some of their flight feathers compared to normal, apparently due to a shortage of food in late summer.

An important thing to remember is the 1978 drought referenced in the above study continued through August; precipitation throughout the rest of this summer could greatly alter the severity and pattern of drought.

Why We Hunt, with Member Britney Starr

August 11, 2016 by RGS & AWS Members

A single moment. One split second, combined with millions of sights, sounds, smells and thoughts that make a lifetime of memories.

A running Ruff, finally pinned by a relentless shorthair. Anticipation. Holding your breath as the world switches to slow motion. The flush. The smell of gunpowder. Feathers and a leaf floating to the ground, backlit by the sun. Proud smiles.

Garage-sale purchased clown masks and the dad/uncles who are eagerly waiting for the perfect time to carry out the sneak attack they’ve been planning for months. Laughing until your sides hurt. Tailgate lunches and cold drinks.

The sound of truck horn blasts, signaling the direction you should have walked. Getting “the business” about how you’re the only two blondes with a GPS who could get lost 500 yards from where you parked. Knowing you weren’t really lost, just . . . “turned around.”

Adventure. When a shallow puddle suddenly morphs into the depths of a lake. The feeling of water filling your boots, as you sink up to your armpits into an abyss you didn’t realize existed. Swamp grouse.

Puppies that turn into veterans. A tug on your heartstrings. The internal pull you feel as soon as the air starts to get crisp. Realizing every second of aspen branches flicking your frozen earlobes, homemade apple pies, spider webs stuck to your face, stunning views, burning calf muscles, blazing campfires, tired bird dogs and burnt powder are the moments that make up who you are – your past, and your future.

A southpaw from Michigan’s “Northwoods”, Britney Starr is a lifelong outdoorswoman and shooting enthusiast with a passion for upland bird hunting, German shorthaired pointers (namely her GSP “Wesson”) and over-and-under shotguns. A graduate of Western Michigan University, she holds a degree in journalism and is currently the Marketing Specialist at SportDOG Brand.

Archives for August 2016

The Ruffed Grouse Society brought together agency professionals from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa to focus on landscape-scale goals to enhance future young forest habitat in the Driftless Region.

Musher’s Secret

Permethrin-10

The Tick Key

Fortiflora (Canine)

Y-TEX PYthon Cattle Ear Tags

Saline Solution

Terramycin

What uncommon or even unconventional item can be found in your gear bag? Comment below!

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