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Ryan Lisson

Tackling Ruffed Grouse Habitat in Southern Appalachia

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Checking in on Southern Appalachia’s Grouse Habitat Projects Steeped in history and rich with grouse hunting culture, the Southern Appalachian Mountains have long been associated with ruffed grouse habitat. Landowners and hunters in this area may fondly recall hunting ruffed grouse in the area many years ago, but have noticed their growing absence and watched prime grouse habitat disappear. This has spurred a real sense of urgency for Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society (RGS & AWS) and its members in this region. In this article, we caught up with Nick Biemiller, Forest Conservation Director for the Southern Appalachian region...

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COVID-19 Impacts on Timber Markets and Forest Wildlife

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How COVID-19 Could Affect Grouse Habitat It’s safe to say that 2020 has been a bit of a whirlwind and things haven’t gone as planned. With all the stay-at-home orders, shutdowns, and disruptions, you’re likely looking forward to the fall hunting season more than ever and getting back into the grouse woods to unwind a bit. Unfortunately, coronavirus and COVID-19 still have some potentially nasty consequences in store for timber markets and subsequently ruffed grouse, in the form of habitat impacts. Here’s how the two are surprisingly connected, and some potential ways that the Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society...

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Forest Management is Not Deforestation

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Debunking the Myths of Deforestation When an average person today sees images of a recent timber harvest, it’s quite possible they may have a negative reaction to it. Fueled by stories of “greedy timber companies” destroying vast swaths of rain-forests, many people start to associate any tree cutting with ruining the environment. But there are some very big differences between deforestation and scientifically-based forest management. Given the decline of young forest stands in North America and the effect that it is having on many wildlife species, we hope to clear up some of those misconceptions below. [Read more…] about Forest Management...

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Comparing Habitat: Ruffed Grouse, Woodcock, Cottontail Rabbits and Snowshoe Hare

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Exploring habitat for ruffed grouse and woodcock as it relates to cottontail rabbits and snowshoe hare. There’s a lot of information online about the different habitat types that wild game species like ruffed grouse and cottontail rabbits use, which is definitely important to know for hunting or wildlife watching opportunities. But we don’t often talk about the similarities between them. Truth be told, there’s a lot of overlap between many wild game species, and that means effects to one habitat type can impact (for the better or worse) other species too.  [Read more…] about Comparing Habitat: Ruffed Grouse, Woodcock, Cottontail Rabbits...

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Minnesota Forests | Success in Conservation and Habitat – RGS

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Take a look at the successful creation of habitat and conservation in Minnesota forests with the Ruffed Grouse Society and American woodcock Society If you’re reading this post in the great state of Minnesota, it’s likely that you may have spent time grouse hunting in Minnesota forests. And if it also feels like Minnesota has it pretty good when it comes to grouse habitat and populations, you wouldn’t be wrong. In part, that’s due to your continued support of Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society (RGS/AWS). Our staff are involved in several important conservation programs to increase and improve habitat...

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The Special Relationship Between Grouse and Aspen – RGS

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Why Well-Managed Aspen is the Best Grouse Habitat If you hunt ruffed grouse on the southern fringe of its range, aspen forest may not be all that relevant to you. But if you’re an upland hunter in the Great Lakes states or Northeast, it’s almost guaranteed that one of your favorite hunting spots includes an aspen stand. Throughout its lifecycle, it provides everything a grouse needs: dense cover and food. Managed properly, aspen stands are excellent habitat for ruffed grouse. If you’re unfamiliar, here’s some more information about aspen and its importance for upland birds and other early successional species alike. ...

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