The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-08
THE WAYS OF PAhTRIDGE Is.
4 TRUE GAME BIRD THAT rs FoUND
THROUGHOUT THE NORTHERN S1ATR1
variousiy Known ~ RuBed Grouse, Cook Of
the Woods, and Pheasant-How Hunted
In Various ReEiOus-The Mystery of His
Drumming.

NhriOutly Known ~ HnUo0 6fOuhe, COOR OF
the Woods, and Phsasant--How Hunted
In Various ReEiOps-Tho Mystery of His
Drumming.
rom me chicago Record
Tho ruled grouse sometimes called partridge
cock Of tho woods" pheasant have a wide
range Of habitat in the United States, less
than twenty -six Of the States mentioning them
Id their game laws They range from Maine
on the north 10 Dakota on the west south TO
Virginia, and In most Of the central and
northern central States They arc probably tho
hardest birds in many respects Of the grouse
family. have never heard OF one Of them 10
Ing froren however severe the winter, and
have been out hunting when uoces OF their
scratching would be found which Indicated
that they were digging down over foot in the
snow TO get at buried roeebuds or the roots
Of Willows What they live on when the snow
Is deep Is mystery to those who have travel
led in the woods where they found but live
they do and apparently thrive In Illinois
the law has been changed, making the open
season during the month Of September only.
and this Is going 10 make these birds more
plentiful II the law Is half way observed
The reason for this Is that the foliage in Sep.
tember is thick in the woods tand the ruted
grouse Is rarely found In the OPEN that hunt
ing him will be a very diGcult matter In
the places he frequents the trees are usually
close enough together 70 make practically q
sheet Of leaves during the time he may be shot
And no bird In the timber Is harder 10 btnR
down than this same ruled grouse His flight
Ia very swift strong and hard to stop as he
whizzes th nuEh the woods. lie seems to be
able W get past the trees without the slig hteat
difficulty and like the woodcock has ths
happy faculty of putting a tree trunk between
himself and tho sportsman when opportunity
Onera
OF course they have ba"n rclentlessly hunted.
but so have ths pra!rlc chickens Il is not be-
cause they have been frozen out by the severe
winters for the very Indians themselves hays
no more endurance and stoirsm than Tia" futFed
grouse The woods are here yet. and TO great
eItsnt the chance for getting living is as good.
bu, many thousands Of acres Of timber land near
the railroads running To the norhwcs, arc al
most entirely deserted by the biris II may 10
that the graduai destruction OF ia" uudrrbrush
and the cleaning UP Of the woods by the haht
Of making them pasture grounds has made tho
birds leave. At any rate. they have gone, where
!W.H'y years ago th"y were Iolhd IN iaiHy plrn
be tbs means Of aiiorling occasionai shooilrF.
but where the timber has been donudrd Il tho
brush the ruded grouse Will not stay in any num-
bers They are found IN tanarack swamps,
around the lakes IN the hiIiy portions Of Illinois
s t In The woods along We streams and rivers Of
The ruled grouse 10 a true game bird, lying
well to the dog and giving exciting sport where
| fair shooting, In Michigan. which is good
grouse State, he IL often found in the same c9un-
try with the quail and the hunters there &c, then
| when hunting for the latter bird In Illinois on
Tue contrary. the quail have nearly oil disappeared
ont fS or M se T %sIs
ruled groL' is found with the bob Whit" and
guam esnnS support 'd be hS T" bd Is FIX tho
quail. his nesh is white inclined TO be trine drv
| and very delicious eating. Like the other grousH
| they go in 6Ocks, although in illinois they have
| become so scarce that single old cock or pair
Of birds is about all man will find in walking
through the average neck Of woods
| heir colors are dark brown blended with gray
and with black and they have crest on top q no
head. The rutIs are a prominent feature Of tho
| bird appearance, and are two in number, one on
each side Of th. neck They are composed Of from
Us name from them. The tail is long, broad and
banded, and when stretched out ard dried viii
about sixteen to eighteen riches long and Will
weigh from two two and one hnlt or three pounds
plnnatrd grouse or prairie chicken vastly N ms
respect His wings are short and tound,d and
no numbering awkwardness when this bird rises.
as after the manner Of the prairie chic ken. II,
springs from the brush with The speed Of a rocket
doubles" on ruled grouse in thick cover arc
the most difficult things to do in shotgun shoot
| Ing. They are strong birds and require To 10
| hard hit - be brought down, unless when stray
shot breaks wing, or hits them on the head OF
| the quail the rufed grouse when struck in the
| head, if not killed outright will tower" as II 10
height When a 6unter secs a grouse "toNcr1
all he has to do is TO watch where the bird falls
| When ho finds the game II will be case OF dead
bird"
In the alder bushes and in the foothills Of tbs
| New Hampshire mountains have found the birds
| In tocks OF from a dozen 10 twenty grouse. The
| natives hunted them there with cur dog and =
shotgun or rife. The dog ran ahead and scared
Of sly after they were freed. The grouse would
not hy, but would watch the dog, The hunter
ing and @pot" the birds as they sat on The limbs.
| When shotgun was used the flock would gener:
I ny n one pr hTd. ' f"d be- sb %R ons
flock by shooting the under hrds FIRST. th.
scattered ones and keeping perfectly quiet u
better thnn snaring them WITH Stvitchups" and
gave the birds not the slightest chance for their
lives This habit Of the RULED Rr"us" ia wei!
the minated and RULED grouse must be shot during
Septemhcr, and with the shotgun. But Tint law
where N. BIRDS are now TO be had yen cnn ind
round about who, Vim GO, Diem and no, use ",hs
shotgun Sg. only Ei 50 !, is
euliaT habi, Of his. and has BEEN the subiec, OF
more discussion and dtsnntee than nlmost, any
thing @'1G cVcert The merits Of dogs NE boon,
Is acknowledged 10 be produced from The lird.
| throat but how the partridge" docs his drum
| ming" In moot,Si question, But he docs drum
and the resonant woodland rrll of the tattoo -
one Of the striking sounds Of nature as nIc tho
OF the Justly celebrated thunder runrer' and
the never to be forgotten moan Of the kilt loo
| bird"
The hills wers brown, the heavens were blue;
| A woodpecker pounded pine top she'll
| While partridge whiStlcd the whole dav through
For a rabbit to dance in the ChAparral
And gray grouse drummed: ANS WE'LL Aus
| well"
Like the quail the rlGed grouse Is susceptible
to deceit and he is TRAPPED and SHARED In tho
! Eastern and Northern Ntetcs particularly in great
/ numbers nv the farmer uys aud by the WArErt
I huntcrs lie is especially foolish about snares
and puts his head into them with i1tU6us con
nienCe that ia rapidly thinning out his numbers.
evnn where he was once numerous - The most
rigid application Of non selling game law will
effect any adequate Improvement In the 3 u ton
. When the deep nOws come he is sufficiently hard
pushed 10 take almost any chance H. get food,
and box traps and figure fourS" take him in OUT
Of the Indictment wca th,r into the hospltahle fry
Ing pan with dismal frequency. Yet Like all
tho grouse family nearly, he shows goat cunning
whom wing tipped, and he is gnci,rs enough
when hunted But the traps md the sna res are too
much for him AMI are responsible in great meas
ure for his deprecated AMI doprr atuE num.
hnYa IL hA hp Ian int ln To la ls,ra