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Coalition Supports Conservation on Indiana’s Hoosier National Forest

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Photo By Steve Oehlenschlager

Amicus brief filed in support of Indiana’s Hoosier National Forest habitat project by Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society, coalition of conservation groups

The ruffed grouse was listed as an endangered species in Indiana on December 16, 2020.

January 12, 2021 (New Albany, IN) – The Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society led a coalition of conservation groups that filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, related to the Houston South Vegetation Management and Restoration Project (Houston South Project) within Hoosier National Forest. The U.S. Forest Service faces a lawsuit that aims to shut down the project; RGS & AWS is not a party on the lawsuit, but the brief supports the Houston South Project and its objectives to restore habitat for ruffed grouse and other wildlife. The State of Indiana officially listed the ruffed grouse as a state endangered species on December 16, 2020.

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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

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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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Oswayo Valley Student Artist Featured at Upland Bird Hunt in the PA Wilds

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Zane Malogrino and Jed Hamberger, Superintendent of Oswayo Valley School District show samples of Zane’s custom made wood pieces.

St. Marys, Pa.:  Zane Malogrino of Shinglehouse, Pa., and a student at the Oswayo Valley School District in Potter and eastern McKean Counties, was the featured artist at the 12th Annual Upland Bird Hunt in the PA Wilds on 11/6.  Zane’s fine artwork specializes in laser engraving of wooden “home use” pieces, such as serving trays, hat racks, key racks, coasters, clocks, and bottle openers.

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Modern Carnivore Podcast Features RGS & AWS

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Join Mark Norquist, host of the Modern Carnivore Podcast, for an interview with RGS & AWS President and CEO, Ben Jones.

LISTEN | Modern Carnivore Podcast – Episode #15

About The Episode | Modern Carnivore

“Just days before the pandemic required our country to close down I was able to sit down with Ben Jones who is the President and CEO of two hunting conservation organizations: The Ruffed Grouse Society and the American Woodcock Society. We were at Pheasant Fest which is the annual meeting of the organization Pheasants Forever, and great conservation partner of both Ben’s organizations and Modern Carnivore. We talk about forest health and how proper management can help replicate natural disturbances that have been eliminated as the human population continues to expand across our continent.”

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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RGS & AWS Staff and Member featured on the Project Upland Podcast – RGS

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“RGS & AWS staff Jon Steigerwaldt and Jared Elm along with RGS & AWS member, Simon Tiedge preview the upcoming hunting season, talk bird dogs, grouse habitat and more.“

RGS & AWS staff Jon Steigerwaldt and Jared Elm as well RGS member Simon Tiedge were recently featured on an episode of the Project Upland Podcast.

To Listen | Episode #114 | Tailgate Podcast with the Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society

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COVID-19 Impacts on Timber Markets and Forest Wildlife

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How COVID-19 Could Affect Grouse Habitat

It’s safe to say that 2020 has been a bit of a whirlwind and things haven’t gone as planned. With all the stay-at-home orders, shutdowns, and disruptions, you’re likely looking forward to the fall hunting season more than ever and getting back into the grouse woods to unwind a bit. Unfortunately, coronavirus and COVID-19 still have some potentially nasty consequences in store for timber markets and subsequently ruffed grouse, in the form of habitat impacts. Here’s how the two are surprisingly connected, and some potential ways that the Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society (RGS & AWS) could help.

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