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Healthy Forests, Abundant Wildlife, Conservation Ethic

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What We Can Learn from Grouse Drumming Surveys

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ruffed grouse drumming - Steve Oehlenschlager
Photo Credit | Steve Oehlenschlager

What exactly does a drumming survey tell us…or not tell us?

There’s something special about that feeling you get in the grouse woods in springtime – that moment when you pause and can’t quite hear anything, but actually feel something thumping in your chest (besides your heart). Finally it becomes clear that it’s actually a grouse drumming from a hundred yards away. Drumming is done by male grouse as they beat their wings from an elevated log, stump, rock, or other platform. Contrary to what many people believe, they’re not hitting their wings against their breast – it’s actually caused by the vacuum of air left behind from their rapid wingbeats. Scientists use this behavior to conduct drumming surveys each spring.

Most hunters keep tabs on drumming surveys when they come out each summer, and get excited (or dismayed) about the results. The surveys have been used reliably for several decades. But in recent history, there seems to be somewhat of a disconnect between spring drumming counts and fall harvest numbers/observations. So what is their purpose and what can we still learn from them?

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Your Voice Improving National Forests through RGS | AWS

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Woodcock | A Gateway to the Uplands

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Photo Credit | Michael Furtman

Highlighting the cooperative and welcoming nature of a truly amazing little bird.

We were wrapping up the afternoon, myself and hunting partner, also Mike, winding our way through likely cover on our rough course back to the truck. We each had a handful of chances at birds, my partner had brought one to hand. I was new to this, well, not new to woodcock, but new to southern, migratory woodcock. 

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Public Comment | Wisconsin Grouse Season

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The Wisconsin Ruffed Grouse Management Planning Committee has finished its first ruffed grouse management plan draft.  This plan will serve as a tool for managing ruffed grouse in Wisconsin and includes information on ruffed grouse ecology, management history, and proposes future management goals for ruffed grouse in Wisconsin.

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New Jersey Grouse Season Closure

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Ruffed Grouse - Photo Credit: Steve Oehlenschlager
Photo Credit: Steve Oehlenschlager

At their regular meeting on July 17, the New Jersey Fish and Game Council unanimously voted to close the ruffed grouse hunting season statewide.

The Ruffed Grouse Society was disheartened to hear of the New Jersey ruffed grouse hunting season closure announced last week. The NJ Department of Fish & Wildlife’s population monitoring clearly justifies the move. Ruffed grouse are a bellwether of forest health. Their decline mirrors that of other forest wildlife in New Jersey including golden-winged warbler, blue-winged warbler, cerulean warbler, wood thrush, and American woodcock.

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Why Fire is So Important for Wildlife and Habitat

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Fire habitat management
Photo Credit | Jon Steigerwaldt

Looking Back on Fire History to See the Future

What’s the first thing most people think about when they hear the word fire? It often has a bad reputation as a purely destructive, terrible force that ruins the environment and drives out all wildlife. You see it represented that way in popular culture (e.g., Bambi) or even on the news. It’s true – wildfires can be very dangerous and often threaten lives and property. But even when it comes to prescribed fire, many people are still cautious. So how can we turn that negative perception around? I chatted once again with Jon Steigerwaldt, Ruffed Grouse Society Regional Biologist for Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa. It turns out Jon’s Master’s thesis was on fire history, ecology, and implementation. So who better to talk to about this topic? 

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Conservation Policy Update | July 2019

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Maine grouse hunting

A look into the current habitat, wildlife and conservation issues that matter to RGS/AWS members right now.

RECENT VICTORIES

John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act

In February, the Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society celebrated Senate and House approval of the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (S. 47). The president later signed S. 47 into law on March 12, 2019. The bill included permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). LWCF has invested over $16 billion in conservation and outdoor recreation since originally passed in 1964. RGS/AWS staff, along with a coalition of our conservation and forest industry partners, worked to secure a $425 million LWCF appropriation in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, a 6.25% increase over the previous year. However, LWCF authorization expired despite a 50-year track record of successfully conserving habitat and expanding recreational access.

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In the Time of Ruffed Grouse…

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ruffed grouse hunting in New Hampshire

Hunting ruffed grouse through the golden age, whenever it may be for you.

“Golden Ages” come and go. Consider for a moment why the term even exists. The idea itself can be relative. My ‘Golden Age’ can be different than it might be when examining a larger timeline. The individual elements that define my Golden Age may vary greatly compared with those of others. This story reflects some of those moments, but the term relative seems to be a much more relevant word . . . 

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The Scientific Impact of West Nile on Ruffed Grouse

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Written by: Lisa Williams, PA Game Commission

Photo Credit: Steve Oehlenschlager

Conclusive Evidence that West Nile and Habitat Loss can Spell Disaster for Ruffed Grouse

Republication with permission, the below article was originally written for the Pennsylvania Game Commission News publication. Written by Lisa Williams, PA Game Commission ruffed grouse biologist, Lisa Williams, and originally titled, “Ruffed Tumble – Changing Times for Grouse.” The article explores the most current research, understanding and impacts of West Nile Virus and Habitat on Ruffed Grouse in Pennsylvania.

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The Road to Moosehorn | A Woodcock Story

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AWS logo

Back in the late 1970s, a young graduate student from the local state college called. It was spring and he was studying woodcock north of campus amongst the alder and popple growing wild on the edge of town. “I was told you’re affiliated with the Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS).” His name was Dan and he asked, “I’m in need of $75 for supplies for my woodcock research project and wondered if your chapter could help me out?”

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