5 Factors For More Ruffed Grouse

5 Factors For More Ruffed Grouse by James L. Bruner
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It happens quickly as a thunderous ruckus invades the eardrums doubling your heartbeat while eyeballs search frantically for the source. The flush of a lone ruffed grouse fades quickly from sight dodging trees at a speed of more than 20 mph. Senses heightened your next step flushes another bird that offers a decent shot and in mere seconds your first grouse of the season is on the ground. With the sound of the shot still ringing in your ears, a few feathers floating to the ground, and the crisp autumn air accented with gunpowder, you claim your bird and create another outdoor memory.

Scenes like this unfold every year as the grouse hunter takes to the woods but more often than not you will probably be coming home empty-handed. And, to be perfectly honest I hunt in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The state of Michigan continually ranks in the top three states for ruffed grouse hunting so maybe my experiences would be a bit generous by average standards. I firmly believe that my advancement into hunting was grown from those first days of grouse hunting many years ago and remains a great introduction to today’s young hunters. But, regardless of the experience or area where you hunt there are some basic steps you can follow to improve your percentages at scoring on more ruffed grouse this year.

Know Where Not To Hunt:

1. Habitat is obviously essential but many people fail to recognize decent habitat that allows the grouse to flourish and sustain population numbers. Keep in mind that grouse are as much a prey item for other winged birds as they are from your typical ground predators. Hawks, owls, eagles, and falcons can have a significant impact or grouse as they swoop from the sky for an easy dinner. That in mind grouse understand that the less time they spend in open areas and areas of minimal canopy cover the better their chances of survival. Grouse will venture into somewhat open areas such as road-sides but their time spent there will be very limited. Don’t waster your time hunting areas so open you can see hundreds of yards at a time.

Habitat To Look For:

2. Habitats that often holds grouse are considered border or transitional areas. What is meant here is look for places that contain two different types of forest and/or terrain. Old growth forest that meets new growth forest is especially appealing to grouse. Take an old growth cedar swamp that borders with an area that was cut years before and has grown back as young aspen (poplar or popple) trees. Areas of transition such as these offer the grouse the opportunity to seek out insects and fresh shoots of legumes in the more open area of the aspen while still providing adequate nearby cover should a threat occur.

Ruffed Grouse Fall Food Sources:

3. Concentrating on food sources for the grouse can be difficult since it utilizes numerous food items but in the fall you can concentrate more on berries. It’s likely you have probably come across berries in the past and probably more than likely you paid them little attention. Now is the time to pay those berries some attention and a visit. In the past some of my own best hunting has been where the berries were most prolific and found well off the beaten path. A berry patch I found while scouting for an upcoming archery deer season proved to be one of the very best places to score on ruffed grouse until the area was clear-cut several years later. Berries that are still hanging on mid to late September or early October are prime food sources if adequate cover is available. Even in instances where cover seems scarce I would still check out patches of berries thoroughly. I’ve seen birds fly through rows of Jack Pine plantations and right into a small area that held lots of berries. The birds often spent the entire day here unless they were pushed from their dinner table.

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