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Traveling Wingshooter 2010 Grouse & Timberdoodle

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Traveling Wingshooter 2010 Grouse & Timberdoodle

Old 08-27-2010, 04:00 PM
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JW
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Default Traveling Wingshooter 2010 Grouse & Timberdoodle

2010 Ruffed Grouse and Timberdoodle Forecast
By Larry Brown


The outlook for this season is very positive for those who pursue ruffed grouse and wood****, in the top states of both the Upper Midwest and New England.

Wisconsin's 2009 harvest of nearly 390,000 grouse was one of its best. (Hunters there also shot 73,000 wood****.) Had it not been for a decrease in brood production last year, that total likely would have been higher. This year's spring drumming counts dropped just slightly, so this season -- depending on reproduction, with brood counts not in as this is being written -- should be very similar to last year. Price and Marinette rank as two of the top three Wisconsin counties for both birds.

Minnesota hunters were not far behind their neighbors in Wisconsin, bagging nearly 360,000 grouse last year. Considering that there were about 10,000 more hunters in Wisconsin, the per-hunter bag is very similar. Although drumming counts were down about 27 percent in Minnesota this year, spring came early enough that chicks should have survived the heavy rains that started in mid-June. With good chick survival, this should be another good year in Minnesota, although the grouse population appears to be in the first year past the peak of the 10-year cycle.

The Michigan DNRE didn't have harvest statistics for 2009, although the total bag was likely quite similar to Minnesota and Wisconsin. Spring drumming counts showed no change from 2008, the last year in which (because of budgetary shortages) all routes were surveyed. Last year, only Upper Peninsula routes were done, and this spring's counts were down 17 percent versus 2009 in the UP. Based on hunter surveys, flush rates for both grouse and wood**** declined last year from 2008. This year looks to be about like last or perhaps down just a little -- which is still pretty good news in a state where hunters regularly bag over 300,000 grouse and 100,000 wood****.

For hunters out East, the forecast for Maine is especially good this year. Although Maine does not compile harvest figures, last season was extremely good, ranking number three (based on hunter surveys) out of the last 20 years. This year, spring weather was close to ideal for both grouse and wood****. Wood**** singing ground surveys showed a slight increase statewide. Bird populations should be good statewide, but especially so in the northern part of the state, north and west of Greenville. The Maine North Woods -- a 3.5 million acre privately owned area, open to hunting but requiring a separate permit -- should be excellent for birds.

Stay tuned for more Traveling Wingshooter Gamebird Forecasts as they become available!

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