Have you ever hunted grouse with a flushing dog? If not, this is your chance to get a feel for the action. If you have, you won’t need to watch this film to know how exciting it can be, but we think you’ll enjoy it anyways.
[Read more…] about Flushing Grouse – A Grouse Hunting Film
Whether it’s a purchase for your dog, your family, or yourself, we know you have plenty of choices in today’s marketplace. In the coming weeks you will be inundated with ads from companies near and far vying for your business. When it comes to your purchasing decisions, we hope you take a conscious consumer approach and spend your hard-earned dollars with those Corporate Partners supporting the Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society. Their business philosophies celebrate giving back to conservation, and we ask you to strongly support the following Corporate Partners who contribute to healthy forests, abundant wildlife and promoting the conservation ethic. Thank you!
P.S. If you’re shopping through Amazon online, please don’t forget to shop through Amazon Smile and list the Ruffed Grouse Society as your nonprofit of choice! Amazon Smile will donate 0.5% of all eligible purchases back to our organization.
On Monday, November 18th, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) reported results that confirmed three ruffed grouse submitted for testing were infected with Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE).
The grouse were taken in Itasca county and submitted to the DNR for testing by hunters. The hunters noted the birds seemed unable to escape or fly. They also appeared emaciated, having significant muscle and tissue loss. Like West Nile Virus, ruffed grouse become infected with EEE when bitten by mosquitoes carrying the disease.
[Read more…] about Minnesota DNR Reports Findings of Eastern Equine Encephalitis in Ruffed Grouse
Shell Appalachia has awarded the Susquehanna River Valley chapter a $25,000 grant in support of habitat work in Tioga State Forest designed to benefit wildlife and healthy forest regeneration.
The funding will cover the cost of fencing material to protect a 146-acre prescribed fire treatment area on state forest in the Shin Hollow area of Gaines Township, Tioga County. In addition, the grant will be used to purchase brood cover seed mix and seedlings, as well as hard and soft mast seedlings that will be planted within the project area.
[Read more…] about Shell Appalachia awards Susquehanna River Valley chapter $25,000 grant for Pennsylvania habitat project
Mention the words “Up North” and it conjures up different images for different people. For some it is the sandy beaches of Lake Michigan or any of the other Great Lakes, for others it is the snow of winter and the accompanying snow skiing or riding snowmobiles. For the fisherman it is the lakes and rivers searching for trout, walleye, northern pike, muskies, or Lake Perch. For the football fans it is the Green Bay Packers or the Minnesota Vikings. The waters of Lake Superior produce record size smallmouth bass. And mention the Upper Peninsula (UP) and thoughts turn to wilderness, wolves, and bears.
[Read more…] about A Kentucky Grouse Hunter Travels “Up North”
The coalition has now grown to 50 organizations, representing the interests of America’s millions of hunter-conservationists, professional wildlife and natural resource managers, outdoor recreation users, conservation educators, and wildlife scientists. As a coalition of organizations ranging from the Archery Trade Association to the Wildlife Management Institute, individual AWCP organizations have their own primary areas of interest, but we share a commitment to coordinated engagement with federal agencies and Congress to promote wildlife conservation and provide for sustainable public use and enjoyment of those resources.
[Read more…] about Building a Conservation Network – RGS
The Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society previously notified members of a chance to gain Sunday hunting opportunities in Pennsylvania through Senate Bill 147.
This week, the House Game and Fisheries Committee added an amendment to SB 147, primarily to require written landowner permission for Sunday hunting. This amendment has alleviated some lingering concerns and created the best chance yet to allow hunters that want the opportunity for Sunday hunting to have that choice. The rundown of votes that passed the amended version of SB 147 out of the House Game and Fisheries Committee can be found here.
[Read more…] about Voice Your Support for Sunday Hunting in Pennsylvania – RGS
Growing up in northern Minnesota, I was strictly warned as a child about which wild berries I could and could not eat in the forest. The only “edible” ones were the ones my parents told me I could eat. Without their approval, I was not to sample them. But how is a kid supposed to learn if they don’t at least attempt something stupid? After trying and quickly spitting out several different wild berries, I distinctly remember finding a cluster of bright red berries that looked beautiful but smelled horrible. I figured from the smell alone that it was rotten or poisonous, so I never did sample them. Looking back now, I recognize that was likely a highbush cranberry shrub.
Many people don’t recognize highbush cranberry and even fewer utilize it themselves or for hunting purposes. But it can be an important survival food for ruffed grouse and other wildlife. And it makes a really interesting jelly or syrup to pair with a ruffed grouse dinner. Here’s how you can identify it and maybe even use it to your advantage this fall.
[Read more…] about What is Highbush Cranberry (and Why Should You Care)? – RGS
I read the reports, completed phone interviews with reporters and braced myself. When West Nile Virus appears in the news, it can even eclipse dog breed and shotgun choice “discussions” in level of interest and disagreement. Justifiably so. The appearance of a new disease threatening our beloved ruffed grouse is reason for concern.
[Read more…] about Ben Jones Addresses West Nile Virus Testing in Ruffed Grouse – RGS
October 22, 2019
For Immediate Release
Coraopolis, Pa. – The Departments of Natural Resources in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan recently announced results of West Nile Virus (WNV) testing of hunter submitted samples from the 2018 hunting seasons.
Results are the first in a three-year study conducted through a partnership among the Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) and each state agency. The coordinated effort was planned to better understand ruffed grouse exposure to WNV in the region. Results already demonstrate that some grouse survive exposure to WNV and are not sick when harvested in the fall.
[Read more…] about Earliest Test Results of West Nile Virus Sampling in Upper Great Lakes Ruffed Grouse Now Available – RGS
You have waited all year for grouse season to arrive. Like many, you have your gear, maybe a new shotgun and shells, and the dog is tuned up and ready to go. Hard to tell which of you is more excited.
Your travels lead you to familiar covers that have in the past held a promise of multiple flushes. As you and your dog work the grouse cover, anticipation is building for that first point and the explosion of wings. But it never comes, and your heart is sinking fast.
[Read more…] about Finding Your Next Grouse Cover – RGS
