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Grouse

Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society partner with onX Hunt to support our mission for healthy forests and abundant wildlife

April 5, 2021 by Ruffed Grouse Society

CORAOPOLIS, Pa. (April 5, 2021) — The Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society are excited to announce a new corporate partnership with onX Hunt. onX Hunt is a mapping app that enables users to know where they stand, and features multiple disturbance layers where grouse and woodcock thrive. The onX Hunt partnership will directly contribute to the RGS & AWS mission, supporting healthy forests, abundant wildlife, and conservation ethic in 2021. RGS & AWS will also work with onX to increase access and opportunity afield.

onx logo and rgsaws logo
[Read more…] about Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society partner with onX Hunt to support our mission for healthy forests and abundant wildlife

Filed Under: Hunting, News, Read Tagged With: American Woodcock Society, conservation, conservation partners, Grouse, onx hunt, ruffed grouse society, Woodcock

RGS & AWS Northeast Forest Conservation Update: Part 2

February 25, 2021 by admin

How the Northeast’s public and private landownership patterns influence RGS & AWS conservation approach.

By Todd Waldron, Northeast Forest Conservation Director

In the most recent RGS & AWS conservation update from the Northeast Region, we looked at the Northeast Upland Gamebird Technical Committee 2017 findings in terms of how diminishing forest habitat diversity is impacting grouse, woodcock and many other forest wildlife populations. One consideration for how RGS & AWS and our partners will need to approach this challenge is to consider land ownership patterns across the Northeast.

[Read more…] about RGS & AWS Northeast Forest Conservation Update: Part 2

Filed Under: Habitat, Read, Uncategorized Tagged With: forest management, forest wildlife, Grouse, northeast, waldron, Woodcock

RGS & AWS Northeast Forest Conservation Update: Part 1

February 22, 2021 by admin

A primer for those curious about ecological issues impacting the Northeastern Region of the U.S.

By Todd Waldron, Northeast Forest Conservation Director

Photo by Todd Waldron

February 22, 2021 – If you and your dog have been covering countless miles through New England’s autumn woods and have only been flushing a fraction of the birds that you used to see – there is a reason for it.

[Read more…] about RGS & AWS Northeast Forest Conservation Update: Part 1

Filed Under: Grouse Ecology, Habitat, News, Read, Uncategorized, Wildlife Ecology, Woodcock Ecology Tagged With: forest management, forest wildlife, Grouse, northeast, waldron, Woodcock

The Special Relationship Between Grouse and Aspen – RGS

December 27, 2019 by Ryan Lisson

aspen-forest

Why Well-Managed Aspen is the Best Grouse Habitat

If you hunt ruffed grouse on the southern fringe of its range, aspen forest may not be all that relevant to you. But if you’re an upland hunter in the Great Lakes states or Northeast, it’s almost guaranteed that one of your favorite hunting spots includes an aspen stand. Throughout its lifecycle, it provides everything a grouse needs: dense cover and food.

Managed properly, aspen stands are excellent habitat for ruffed grouse. If you’re unfamiliar, here’s some more information about aspen and its importance for upland birds and other early successional species alike.

[Read more…] about The Special Relationship Between Grouse and Aspen – RGS

Filed Under: Grouse Ecology, Habitat, Read Tagged With: aspen, forest management, Grouse, grouse habitat

Reversing Ruffed Grouse Declines in Indiana

December 17, 2019 by Ryan Lisson

ruffed-grouse-endangered
Photo Credit | Steve Oehlenschlager

Up against an endangered listing, how can we help ruffed grouse in Indiana?

Ruffed grouse used to be present across the Indiana landscape, but now they could be joining the ranks of endangered species listed under the Indiana Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Act. In October 2018, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Division of Fish & Wildlife sought input from Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) to add ruffed grouse to the list of endangered species of birds in Indiana. After reviewing the evidence, biologists at RGS agreed with the proposal and submitted a petition to adopt the Administrative Rule Change. Here’s how this issue all started, how we could reverse its course, and how you could play an important part in that process.

[Read more…] about Reversing Ruffed Grouse Declines in Indiana

Filed Under: Grouse Ecology, Habitat, Read Tagged With: conservation, forest management, Grouse, grouse habitat, Indiana

The Importance of Alders for Grouse and Woodcock

December 5, 2019 by Ryan Lisson

Exploring Our Love (and Hatred) of Alder Thickets

Maybe in your grouse hunting career, you’ve explored the edges of a tangled alder swamp while looking for birds. You’ve quite possibly shot at a grouse that flew into one, requiring you to trudge in after it. Perhaps you have even willingly adventured into one to see what secrets it keeps. No matter which of these is true, if you’ve ever had to navigate through an alder swamp or thicket, you know the misery that they can be. 

[Read more…] about The Importance of Alders for Grouse and Woodcock

Filed Under: Grouse Ecology, Habitat, Hunting, Read, Wildlife Ecology, Woodcock Ecology Tagged With: alder, american woodcock, conservation, forest management, Grouse, grouse habitat

What is Highbush Cranberry (and Why Should You Care)? – RGS

October 24, 2019 by Ryan Lisson

Photo Credit | Wiki Commons

How Highbush Cranberry Could Help Your Grouse Hunting

Growing up in northern Minnesota, I was strictly warned as a child about which wild berries I could and could not eat in the forest. The only “edible” ones were the ones my parents told me I could eat. Without their approval, I was not to sample them. But how is a kid supposed to learn if they don’t at least attempt something stupid? After trying and quickly spitting out several different wild berries, I distinctly remember finding a cluster of bright red berries that looked beautiful but smelled horrible. I figured from the smell alone that it was rotten or poisonous, so I never did sample them. Looking back now, I recognize that was likely a highbush cranberry shrub.

Many people don’t recognize highbush cranberry and even fewer utilize it themselves or for hunting purposes. But it can be an important survival food for ruffed grouse and other wildlife. And it makes a really interesting jelly or syrup to pair with a ruffed grouse dinner. Here’s how you can identify it and maybe even use it to your advantage this fall.

[Read more…] about What is Highbush Cranberry (and Why Should You Care)? – RGS

Filed Under: Habitat, Read Tagged With: forest management, Grouse, grouse habitat, highbush cranberry

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE: What are “Healthy Forests”?

April 18, 2018 by Ruffed Grouse Society

Pres Msg

            “I have read many definitions of what is a conservationist, and written not a few myself, but I suspect that the best one is written not with a pen, but with an axe. It is a matter of what a man thinks about while chopping, or while deciding what to chop. A conservationist is one who is humbly aware that with each stroke he is writing his signature on the face of his land.”

[Read more…] about PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE: What are “Healthy Forests”?

Filed Under: Grouse Ecology, Habitat, President's Message, Read, Uncategorized, Wildlife Ecology, Woodcock Ecology Tagged With: american woodcock, American Woodcock Society, ecology, forest habitat, Grouse, grouse hunting, habitat, healthy forests, National forest, ruffed grouse, ruffed grouse society, upland, upland bird, Woodcock, woodcock hunting, young forest

EDITOR NOTE: GIVE ME A WINDOW . . . That’s all I need . . .

February 26, 2018 by Matt Soberg

Nagy Illustration

By Matt Soberg, RGS & AWS Editor & Director of Communications

Now is your window to help RGS & AWS create healthy forests and increase the voice for  the future of grouse and woodcock – New member drive ends April 1!

***

I was flying to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, home of the Ruffed Grouse Society headquarters, watching a movie on my smartphone through the GoGo entertainment app offered by Delta, when I heard a character say, “Give me a window, that’s all I need.”

[Read more…] about EDITOR NOTE: GIVE ME A WINDOW . . . That’s all I need . . .

Filed Under: Dogs, Hunting, Read Tagged With: bird dogs, conservation, dogs, Grouse, grouse hunting, hunting, ruffed grouse, ruffed grouse society, shotguns

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE – Stay Focused on Habitat

January 17, 2018 by Ruffed Grouse Society

RGS Mag Pres Msg Fall 2017

When I hunt grouse and woodcock next fall, I want to better clear my mind of all things occupying my thoughts . . .  I want to stay focused on what I’m doing . . . I want to stay focused on hunting, and when I do, I pick up little cues from the surrounding habitat, I pay closer attention to the dog work, I react to flushes better and shoot straighter, and I’m quite sure you’ve made a similar observation. Staying focused helps us enjoy all the hunt has to offer and gives us a much more fulfilling and satisfying hunting experience regardless of whether we bring back any birds at the end of the day.

[Read more…] about PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE – Stay Focused on Habitat

Filed Under: Grouse Ecology, Habitat, Hunting, Read, Wildlife Ecology Tagged With: american woodcock, American Woodcock Society, clearcut, forest, forest habitat, forest management, forests, Grouse, grouse hunting, habitat, ruffed grouse, ruffed grouse society, upland hunting, west nile virus, Woodcock, woodcock hunting, young forest habitat, young forests

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