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RGS

Healthy Forests, Abundant Wildlife, Conservation Ethic

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Why We Hunt

Pennsylvania Wilds Upland Bird Hunt: The Ruffed Grouse and American Woodcock Society Celebrate the Upland Lifestyle

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Recapping the fun and fervor of the Upland Bird Hunt hosted annually in the Pennsylvania Wilds.

Upland hunting is a lifestyle. The conscious uplander is part hunter, conservationist, art lover, biologist, chef and storyteller. When people gather at the Ruffed Grouse Society’s Upland Bird Hunt (UBH) in the Pennsylvania Wilds, they celebrate that lifestyle, contribute to scientific research, and have a positive impact on the local community. 

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Becoming a Member of the Ruffed Grouse Society

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Improving the community and investing in the future of the ruffed grouse and American woodcock

ruffed-grouse-society
Photo by Zack Griswold

Like many age-old notions in life in which we can never remember the exact instance of discovery or introduction, I cannot recall the moment or setting in which I first learned of or heard about the Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS). The organization as I knew it was innately synonymous with the ruffed grouse, bird hunting and conservation altogether. Although ruffed grouse and bird hunting were not an integral part of my upbringing, the day would come when the “the birds” and the “organization” would become something extremely near and dear to my heart.

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RGS & AWS Proudly Partner on Pyke Gear Original Film “Get Busy Living”

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RGS & AWS are among a list partners including Backridge Ammunition, Limb Lab, Wilderness Athlete and K9 Athlete in collaboration with Pyke Gear to present their original film, “Get Busy Living”.

About the film: “Randy Herlein never expected his life to change the way it did. He was an active upland hunter and outdoorsman that hit a bump in the road, but it didn’t stop him. In fact, he found a renewed longing to conquer each new challenge in the road ahead . Randy wasn’t about to let the cancer that took his leg keep him from a Get Busy Living state of mind. We hope Randy’s story inspires you.”

Public Land Provides Pandemic Remedy

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Public land hunting is often synonymous with ruffed grouse and woodcock hunting here in North America. We are incredibly fortunate to have free and easy access to a multitude of public lands rooted in the foundation of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. Established on the recognition that wildlife and wildlife-based recreation are an inherent public resource, this system ensures that wildlife and habitat will be managed and used for the benefit of the people.

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Bird-In-Hand | A Ruffed Grouse Hunting Essay by Mark Parman

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A hunter’s reflection on the complexities and associated emotions of the moment we find ourselves bird-in-hand…

In the closing minutes of the last day of Wisconsin’s ruffed grouse season, I shot a beautiful mature gray bird that flushed wild high out of a mature aspen. Holding that improbable bird, part of me wanted to let out a wild barbaric WHOOP, one which would rip through the surrounding woods, but doing so never seems quite right to me in this sober moment when I have just ended the life of such a wildly noble creature. On top of the elation, I felt regret, twinges of guilt, I even foolishly wished we hunters had a shoot-and-release. Part of me wanted to throw that bird in the air and watch it fly away, but hunting requires pulling the trigger or at least the intent to do so, otherwise it isn’t hunting. It’s something else, I don’t know what, but it’s not hunting.

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Last Day of Upland Gunning Season

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An upland hunter reflects on his last day of the season.

Saturday Morning, February 29, began with a crisp, cool, but sunny morning. It was also the last day of the upland gunning season and a day that brings bittersweet thoughts to my mind each year. It is with regret that I know that it hearkens an end my days afield with my canine companions. Yet I also know that my body needs a rest from endless treks across the mountains, my wife would like to see me around a wee bit more, and spring chores await. And gardening season is upon us and fishing in the creeks is just around the corner as the weather warms.

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A Kentucky Grouse Hunter Travels “Up North”

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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.

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A Weekend at Grouse Camp with Ruffed Grouse Society – RGS

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The day a German immigrant became an adult-onset hunter at RGS Grouse Camp in Wisconsin

Most grouse and woodcock hunters know this situation: standing in young Aspen cover with a shotgun in your hand. All you hear is the tone of the e-collar that tells you a dog is on point maybe 50 yards away from you. Slowly, but with determination, you make your way through the thick cover of late September, just to end up about 15 yards in front of the dog still strongly on point. 

Just six month ago I would never have thought I’d find myself in the Wisconsin North Woods, chasing the King of the Woods and the curious looking timberdoodle. As a matter of fact, I didn’t even know of the existence of either of these beautiful birds that are now so common to my vocabulary.

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