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Wisconsin members: Your voice is needed!

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The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program in Wisconsin needs to be renewed and fully funded

Ruffed Grouse by Timothy C. Flanigan

Wisconsin’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program provides valuable funding to conserve wildlife habitat and natural areas, expand opportunities for outdoor recreation, and protect water quality and fisheries.

Over the past three decades, the Knowles-Nelson program has invested more than $825 million in nearly 7,000 projects across the state. Though diverse forms of outdoor recreation are supported by these projects that involve purchasing lands or easements and sustaining infrastructure, a program review  found 94% of lands purchased with Knowles-Nelson grants since 2007 are open to hunting.

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RGS Supports Ruffed Grouse Symposium in Wisconsin Rapids – RGS

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ruffed-grouse-symposium-wisconsin-rapids
Wood Yard – Wisconsin Rapids Paper Mill

Upper Great Lakes Ruffed Grouse Symposium 

On February 25, 2020, Wisconsin hosted an Upper Midwest Ruffed Grouse Symposium. This event was geared towards professional wildlife biologists, foresters, and researchers managing ruffed grouse in the Upper Midwest.

In total, 120 professionals from eight different states attended the symposium. The day was well rounded with talks on current research, management efforts, and planning. Discussions also focused on learning about factors impacting ruffed grouse such as disease, policy, forest product market trends and climate.

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A Winter Grouse Hunt in Wisconsin – RGS

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Winter-grouse-hunt
Photo by | Mark Parman

The sights, sounds and silence of a winter grouse hunt.

On a winter grouse hunt all is quiet, save for the creaking of my snowshoe bindings and the webbing crunching the snow underneath. Not wearing his usual Swiss bell, which would clog with snow, even the dog is quiet. He mostly walks behind me in the packed snow, occasionally stepping on my snowshoes. When Jenkins steps out of my tracks, he swims in snow as he breaks his own trail.

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Heather Shaw featured on The Hunting Dog Podcast – RGS

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Heather-Shaw

Tune in to The Hunting Dog Podcast | Grouse Update featuring Heather Shaw

In December, Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society biologist Heather Shaw was featured on an episode of The Hunting Dog Podcast with host Ron Boehme,

The Hunting Dog Podcast
“RGS Biologist Heather Shaw joins me to talk about the status of grouse around the great Lakes. and a few nuggets of info that you need to hear.”

Listen | The Hunting Dog Podcast – Grouse Update featuring Heather Shaw

Wisconsin Approves Ruffed Grouse Management Plan – RGS

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State of Wisconsin approves first ever Ruffed Grouse Management Plan

Earlier this month, the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board (NRB) voted to approve the states very first ruffed grouse management plan. The impetuous and need for this plan was set forward after the NRB voted on an emergency rule to shorten the 2018 ruffed grouse season. Support for this plan was extensive with 15 members from 13 different government and non-government organizations making up the planning committee. Including two familiar faces:  Current RGS Regional Wildlife Biologist Jon Steigerwaldt and past RGS Wildlife Biologist Gary Zimmer.

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Ruffed Grouse Hunting with a County Forester

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Mike Amman | County Forester

A day in the grouse woods with a forestry professional.

Aldo Leopold wrote in Sand County Almanac that it’s best to just tag along behind a bird dog because it knows “grouseward better than you do.” This tends to be true, but a northern Wisconsin forester, especially one who hunts ruffed grouse with a passion, is a close second. That’s why when Bayfield county forester Mike Amman asked me to join him on a hunt, I immediately asked when and where.   

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RGS Urges Prudence and Use of Sound Science in Considering a 2019 Wisconsin Grouse Hunting Season Emergency Rule

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wisconsin-grouse

Wisconsin NRB Will Vote on Emergency Rule

The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board will vote on a proposed rule to shorten the 2019 ruffed grouse season at their September 24-25th 2019 meeting. The Natural Resources Board (NRB) sets policy and provides direction for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). 

During an informational session at the June 26th NRB meeting, the Board requested DNR to begin working on an emergency rule to shorten the 2019 ruffed grouse season. An emergency rule that shortened the 2018 ruffed grouse hunting season passed last summer. That rule expired at the conclusion of the 2018 hunting season. 

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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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Zimmer Receives Prestigious Wisconsin Award

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gary-zimmer

Former RGS/AWS  Regional Biologist Gary Zimmer has been selected as the recipient of the 2016 Donald H. Rusch Memorial Award, in recognition of his strong advocacy and tireless efforts on behalf of wildlife in the state of Wisconsin. The award was presented to Gary at the Wisconsin Chapter of the Wildlife Society annual meeting in Rothschild, WI on March 2nd. Nominees are judged based on the significance of their contribution to wildlife conservation in Wisconsin, and must be strong supporter of the role of hunting in wildlife conservation. The award is named after the late Don Rusch, former UW-Madison faculty member who conducted some of the pioneering work on ruffed grouse in the upper Midwest. Congratulations, Gary!

gary-zimmer-award

Day 4 Redux of the Grouse Camp Tour

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Day 4 took place at a very unique grouse camp in Wisconsin. Father and son, Chuck and Chris Bye have tailored their camp specifically for hunting grouse with their prized crew of English setters, including ideal habitat for grouse and woodcock as well as tons of trails for hunters of all mobility levels. Also in camp was Henry Page, longtime friend of the Bye’s and fellow RGS member. It didn’t take the crew long to realize that the most of elements that made up this camp were also in the minds of many grouse hunters’ who strive for a special camp of their own. No element of the grouse camp and hunt experience were lost on these guys, for them it’s about the entire experience, not the game bag status at day’s end.