RGS Blog

by Timothy C. Flanigan with image “To know a grouse is to love it – And to love it is to wish it well”NY State Conservation Department Decades of hunting ruffed grouse and thousands of hours spent observing and photographing these wonderfully wild birds have inspired an intense level of respect for their ability to survive the many challenges of a natural world existence. Grouse chicks hatch into a world of constant danger from all manner of natural predation and weather-related struggles. Few chicks survive their first year, but those who do gain a Ph.D. in tenacity. They are survival experts who...

Read More

by Patrick Hunter When all the leaves have fallen and the December frost starts to bite the edges of the pine straw, most hunters in the Southeast have hung their hats on white-tailed deer season. Like a butterfly re-entering its cocoon, deer hunters evolve into waterfowlers that crowd the swamps and marshes, all hoping for a chance at a greenhead. But up on the hill tucked away in the thickets, hiding in the bunch grass or cloaked in the spartina grass of the salty creeks are a different type of gamebirds. They’re upland birds, and they haven’t been forgotten, just merely...

Read More

by Britney Booth, Covers Editor-in-Chief, with art by Phil Juliano A ruffed grouse tail fan display is one of the most iconic ways to honor your bird and preserve a memory from the hunt. With just a few tools and some patience, you can create a beautiful display piece that will last for years to come. Follow these six simple steps to DIY your own tail fan mount. 1. Remove the Tail Carefully cut the tail off the bird at the base where the feathers meet the body. Be sure to keep the short feathers attached to help make the fan look full. 2....

Read More

by Brandy Elrod Across the uplands, no two hunters step into the same season at the same time. In the great Northwoods, ruffed grouse season often opens in mid-September when leaves are still thick, but the birds aren’t as educated. Woodcock seasons generally follow the federal framework of Sept. 1 through March 10, though each state sets its own dates within that window. In places like Texas, for example, woodcock season doesn’t begin until December, long after Northern hunters have already taken to the aspen and alder thickets. Ruffed grouse, too, have varying openers by state, often beginning in mid-September or...

Read More