The sun., 1900-12-30
THE WARY RUFFED GROUSE.
w,S,O\SIy MOONS run ar birds
nyIIItIIT 10 hIiI


Foe.-A Trick Il rid,s On Dogs aud hcn.
r,ypvvtttE. Ni- Doe - The Game
p,o,,c,lye law of Wisconsin has helpad to
Increase the uuuhcr> ol every variety Of
game native to the state In no species
a. tho Increase more marked than in the
rufed grouse. sometimes mistakenly called
nortridge and uniyersally named rh~ -ant
tbrourh the North and middle West The
law I, some year, old When enacted IL
was feared that the Lyou.r had been driven
permanently from the more settled parts
NJ the state Except In the most rugged
and dcnsply wooded country il was DIM
cult 10 find one Now the birds are plentiful
wherever there are trees and stones and an
occasional cornheld Shooting during the
past autumn has been excellent Bags Of u
dozen have been made often in a morning.
and one Ferryvile man holds "A record Of
twenty three rurci grouse killed between
10 A NJ and noon
The bird has many enemies Foxes. rae
ooons. skunks and wildcats all pursue il
and they are markedly successful while the
broods are young when the birds have
attained full growth they do not often fall
victims TO four-footed foes They are cN-
ce,dinaly wary and in the daytime are not
70 be caught mapping, no matter how soft
che approach At night they go to rooSt
IN a circle, with their heads all pointing in
different directions This is TO enable them
70 flush simultaneously I'm the dark without
Interfering covey. If frightened in this
position. will soar away to all points Of tho
compass and 1t will he late on tho next day
before IL Is punched again What means
they have of discovering one another is not
known II IA known that they find one another
unfailingly The ability Of grouse to re-
assemble is displayed also 10y uuails, prairie
chickens and other members or In" GALL
naceous family
The worst foe of tho grouse Is the owl
The owls method Of attack is peculiar When
looking for roosting grouS" 1t dsrenses with
the heavy Tapping of the wing which 'ori-
narily marks its flight II takes short tour
nsys from tree to tree and its mode Of pro-
Gression is by sailing on almost motionl s.
wings. much as the eagle or buzzard sails
So going except for the slight displacement
Of air. IL Is soundless Reaching a tree, il
selects limb which gives il clear view of
the ground and il examines every foot of
this ground with care before departing
When II finds covey, the grouse will be.
Under a heavy bush or overlapping growth
OF brush II rarely happens that down
ward swoop Is possible The owl floats gently
20 earth and approaches in n series Of gentle
hops Arrived within six feet of m" Sleep
ing birds it makes sudden low dart forward
and sinks its claws into a broad brown back
Then its heavy. sharp curved bill Is brought
savagely down once or twice and the beating
wings are stilled The remainder Of jlc
bevy has flushed. but the owl cares nothing
for that Almost always it will eat il, prey
where the capture Is made An owl Of any
variety common 30 This rcGion-cXccpt the
screech owl. which istoo small for such work
will kill, on an average. three ruGed grousn
o week II takes a good deal Of fuel under
the boilers Of these piratical night craft to
keep them going
While the owl is the most successful of tho
animated pursucrs of grouse. suow kills
more of them than feathered and four-footed
foeman combined Il happens In this way.
A heavy storm beginning late in the after
noon. the covey hud les for protection under
a clump of sumach, or possibly Wild hriar
vines BY 8 o'clock in the morning the birds
are covered a foot deep in the soft rarti,lc,
They do not mind this; they like it They
can breathe easily and the snow j. warm
Before daylight the snow fall will change to
light rain and the crystals vii, We saturated
TO depth of two inches. A sudden drop
Of temperature will cause a freeze When
daylight comes the grouse are imprisoned
under a roof of solid ice which extends for
miles without break. The birds cndeavor
60 rise and are checked. The warmth of their
bodies has melted the snow around them
for foot or two and they have room To move
but little else. The strongest of the male
birds will begin to drive his bill against the
ice above him In the effort to break through
He will keep this up until his bil Is ruined
or he becomes so weak that another i able
60 force him aside and tax" his place. Often
three or four of the cocks will be working at
once. II they succeed in making hole.
be IL ever so slight, freedom follows II
happens often. however. that all Efforts are
in vain. One of the saddc~t sights of tho
winter woods is a dead covcy Of these royal
birds. numbering possibly dozen mem
bers Uncovered by thaw, they rest with
bellies on the ground and bills buried in tho
feathers of their breasts They are only
skin and bone II often happens in the late
winter that cock. plump and strong OF wing,
is killed and when examined his bill j. found
worn of almost TO the nasal oritco- This
has been done by the bird when lammerinr
his way through an ice crust. No one ever
bags hen dishgurcd
From human foes the grouse is protected
BY its color. by its strength Of wing, by the
character of the country il affects and by
its inherited warnes~ II j. almost useless
20 hunt IL until frost has como, because Of
the thickness of leaves and all plants in IN"
Wisconsin woods. 1t Is difficult 80 find then
q glimpse Of itself Like the quail, under
certain circumstances the grouse i able to
hy soundlessly. and early in the season il
will rise and vanish without an intima'iou
Of its departing When the leave, have
carpeted the ground and the cold has cut
down most Of the weeds. is coat matche,
exactly with its surroundings Althourh
Q much larger bird. II + then n difficult TO
see as a woodcock Sometimes il will Ii" 90
the dog and sometimes II will not Bccau>e
Of the great tree bocS, it, Gght j. crooked
II darts between the trunks with wonderful
skill and no six consecutive feet Of i's tliCht j.
on a straight line II will fly two yards 10
the prairie chicken's one II is apprcciahlv
ewifter than the quail and is more difficult
60 hit on account not only Of it- speed, but
also of the fact that it il rarely found in the
open when flushed it will try always TO
get a tree between IL and u. pursucr
Eight out of ten shots AZ ru1ed grouse
are snapshots. and the man who has gone into
the woods with close -pattcrning ohOkc-borcd
gun is out Of uck Nhnt he VIII need j.
cylinder bore 81 IL or - gauge which will
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