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Healthy Forests, Abundant Wildlife, Conservation Ethic

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Wildlife Ecology

MeatEater Podcast Asks: Can Ruffed Grouse and Woodcock Be Saved?

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A recent episode of the MeatEater Podcast takes a thoughtful look at a question many upland hunters and conservationists are asking: What does the future hold for ruffed grouse and American woodcock? In Episode 845, host Steven Rinella explores the challenges facing these iconic upland birds and the landscapes they depend on. The episode also features insights from RGS & AWS VP of Conservation, Karl Malcolm, who discusses the critical role healthy, diverse forests play in sustaining grouse and woodcock populations. The conversation highlights how changes in forest age structure across the eastern U.S. have reduced the amount of early successional habitat...

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Severe East Coast Winter Weather Results in Woodcock Die-offs

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The Cape May Peninsula in New Jersey has long been known as an important migratory stopover site for a myriad of birds in the Atlantic Flyway, including American woodcock. A recent bout of extreme weather on the East Coast led to the death of more than 170 woodcock at Cape May Point. The tragic event serves as a stark reminder of the fragile balance these birds maintain. A Perfect Storm Cape May Average Temperature for the Month of January 2026  The daily range of reported temperatures (gray bars) and 24-hour highs (red ticks) and lows (blue ticks), placed over the daily average high (faint...

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The Importance of the Harvest Information Program

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Woodcock hunters should be aware of this essential certification. By Nathan Ratchford | Ducks Unlimited Conservation Communications Coordinator  Woodcock season is nearly upon us. As you gear up for fall days in your favorite aspen covers, one of the most important and exciting steps is purchasing your hunting license. Whether you’re doing so online or at your local sporting goods store, there’s one crucial task for woodcock hunters: answering the Harvest Information Program (HIP) questions. What’s the purpose of these questions, and how do they contribute to migratory bird management? HIP is cooperatively managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and...

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Two-Season Birds

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by Greg Hoch Springtime “I know the woodcock as a harbinger of spring, more cheering to me than the most mellifluous thrush.” Charles Fergus, “A Hunter’s Book of Days” Spring is the season for vibrantly colored warblers, orioles, buntings, meadowlarks and grosbeaks to pour into woods, fields and backyards, singing their hearts out from branch and fencepost. Mallards, green-winged teal and wood ducks dot wetlands. For someone with a casual interest in the natural world, it’s hard to miss these signs of spring. In contrast, woodcock are dappled brown birds that spend much of their lives well-camouflaged in dappled brown leaf litter. The woodcock…

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Know Your Cover – Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

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by Jake Tomlinson Growing up hunting grouse in the hills of north-central Pennsylvania, I learned early that once we reached the hemlocks, we had to be ready to shoot. To this young hunter it seemed that there wasn’t a hemlock in all of northern Pennsylvania that didn’t offer an opportunity at a bird. The Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is Pennsylvania’s state tree and plays an incredibly important role in forests throughout the Northeast. This large conifer reaches heights of more than 100 feet and generally holds its branches to the ground, providing grouse and other wildlife with thick cover and buds to…

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The Importance of Young Forests: Creating Habitat in Indiana’s Forests

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Ruffed grouse are a state-endangered species and are in need of young forest habitat to survive. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/XFADqj6wF5Y Recently the Indiana Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society in conjunction with the Natural Resource Conservation Service arm of the USDA released a video discussing the importance of young successional forests. This informative film highlights the need for scientific forest management not only in Indiana but across the United States. With less than 5% of the Indiana forest land base under 20 years of age, this project addresses the need for forest disturbances. Whether natural or manmade forest disturbances are needed…

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