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Healthy Forests, Abundant Wildlife, Conservation Ethic

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Giving Tuesday 2019 Results

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You raised $52,855!
Thank you!

Thanks to all of our generous Giving Tuesday donors, we have SURPASSED our goal of $50,000 AND secured the a match of $50,000 for a grand total of $102,855!

Your help in making Giving Tuesday successful for ruffed grouse and American woodcock is very much appreciated; whether you’ve made a donation, shared our campaign, or both, thank you!

In 2018 & 2019, Giving Tuesday has served as a powerful springboard for Year End gifts to propel the RGS | AWS mission forward!

There is still time to make a tax-deductible donation! We are using gifts of all sizes to create healthy forest habitat across North America in 2020, thank you for your passion in creating healthy forests!

Make a Year End tax-deductible donation.

New Hunters Graduate From Mentored Hunt Training Presented by The Ruffed Grouse Society

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new hunters

New hunter mentor program allows new hunters of any age, young or old, to learn about upland bird hunting from mentors.

Kane Pa.:  The Allegheny Chapter (Kane) of the Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) has completed their new hunter training for 2019.  The New Hunter Mentor Program (NHMP) allows new hunters of any age, young or old, to learn about upland bird hunting from mentors. During a day in the spring and a day in the fall, all attendees learn about shooting, habitat and GPS, bird dog care, and then graduate to an actual hunt for birds with dogs. Experienced grouse and woodcock hunters mentored the graduates for the actual hunt.

[Read more…] about New Hunters Graduate From Mentored Hunt Training Presented by The Ruffed Grouse Society

We’re Very Thankful for our Corporate Partners

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We’ve got the best mission sponsors!

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.

Minnesota DNR Reports Findings of Eastern Equine Encephalitis in Ruffed Grouse

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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 awards Susquehanna River Valley chapter $25,000 grant for Pennsylvania habitat project

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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

Voice Your Support for Sunday Hunting in Pennsylvania – RGS

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sunday-hunting-for-ruffed-grouse

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

Ben Jones Addresses West Nile Virus Testing in Ruffed Grouse – RGS

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Grouse enthusiasts are abuzz this week with hunting seasons in full swing and recent press releases from key states. Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan shared 2018 West Nile Virus testing results after an unexpected laboratory delay (details can be found here).

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

Earliest Test Results of West Nile Virus Sampling in Upper Great Lakes Ruffed Grouse Now Available – RGS

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ruffed grouse
Photo Credit | Steve Oehlenschlager
  • Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan Departments of Natural Resources recently announced results of the first year of coordinated West Nile Virus (WNV) sampling efforts for ruffed grouse in their state
  • Rates of WNV antibodies in ruffed grouse varied from around 13 percent in Minnesota and Michigan, and 29 percent in Wisconsin
  • Ruffed Grouse Society continues to emphasize habitat management as the “solution” for WNV, and aid in coordinating surveillance efforts in all 3 states

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

2019 National Grouse and Woodcock Hunt Results – Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society

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grouse-and-woodcock-hunt

October 16, 2019
For Immediate Release

Coraopolis, Pa. – The Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) and American Woodcock Society (AWS) held the 38th Annual National Grouse and Woodcock Hunt (NGWH) on Thursday and Friday October 10 and 11, 2019 in and around Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Throughout the NGWH history, data have been consistently collected from all harvested birds by RGS/AWS wildlife biologists to provide historic perspective on population trends. Results this year showed increased harvest rates compared to 2018, and considerably improved grouse recruitment.

[Read more…] about 2019 National Grouse and Woodcock Hunt Results – Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society

Understanding Woodcock Migration – RGS

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Photo Credit | Eastern Woodcock Migration Research Cooperative

Researchers studying and working to understand the migration habits and tendencies of one remarkable bird.

One late afternoon last October, Alex Fish and I headed to a woodlot owned by the University of Maine, just a short drive from campus. The property is a few hundred acres, and was clearcut before being donated to the University. Now the forest holds a nice mix of aspen and other hardwoods with some scattered conifers and can be quite productive as a ruffed grouse cover. But with alder lowlands and a long stretch of river bottom that provide plenty of moist soils, this property is also a great cover for woodcock. This evening we were after woodcock.

Although it’s a cover I regularly hunt, our goal tonight was to catch birds for research. The property is relatively long and narrow with a single gated access road, which widens in a few places where logs were staged during the last harvest. We knew from experience that woodcock would often fly into these old log landings to roost at night. We set a series of mist nets in one of the old landings, and settled in to wait for dusk when woodcock would make their evening flights.

[Read more…] about Understanding Woodcock Migration – RGS