The Sidney herald., 1960-10-26
SpOF'fSzReeKe' s
Column
BY Lloyd G. Casagranda
Mont. Fish & Game Dept.

In the symphony of spring, one
sound in the wild stands out most
distinctively. 1t begins with a
gentle throbbing and hurriedly
reaches a shirring climax. This
is the mating call of the ruffed
grouse.
The "ruffs'' are native only to
the United States and Canada. In
Montana they are found in most
of the wooded mountain ranges.
Thick forests, rocky tangled noun
tain sides, sheltered swamps, as
pen thickets, and densely vege-
tated stream banks are favorite
haunts of the rUffed grouse.
These wary game birds are
about the size of a small chicken,
usually weighing less than two
pounds. They get their name from
a black ruff of feathers high on
each side of the neck. The general
c~oloration is a spotted reddish
brown on the back and a pattern
| Of dark bars on yelloWish feathers
on the breast. Ruffed grouse can
De easily identified in the field
by a conspicuous dark band near
the end of the tail. 1t is also the
only mountain grouse in the state
that has a crest Of feathers on
the head which stand upright.
The ruffed grouse is perhaps
better known throughout the
country than any other member
of the grouse family, and in
many states ranks as the most
popular game bird. In Montana,
The hunters preference for the
blue grouse and the Seclusive ma
ture of the ruffed grouse has all
but eliminated hunting pressure
on the rufus.
This is true in Central Montana
especially, although the birds exist
in comparatively large numbers.
Using comparable census methods,
numbers of ruffed grouse in this
area of the state were found to
be as high as those in Minnesota,
long known for its ruffed grouse
hunting.
Whether lightly hunted, as they
are here, or more heavily pur-
sued as in the northern tier Oh
midwestern states, ruffed grouse
populations are subject to periods
of high and low abundance. Some
states have no hunting seasons
! during years of low populations
l while adjoining states permit
b1r,onri,on ovyorxy xraor xxrihh coYoe
adjustment in season length OF
bag limit, depending on the album
! dance of rufus. Studies have
: shown that the ups and downs
: of this grouse have been about
: the same in the states that allow
an annual hunt as they have beer
in the states that close the season
2 during lean years. The hunting
!, success may drop during years o
i low bird numbers in states tina
f remain open to hunting, but i
increases and compares favorably
with other states during year.
+; of greater abundance.
The states remaining open pro
S vide annual r~ecreational hunts Il
e their sportsmen with no i'll eff
fectS on the grouse population
p while states which close thei
seasons make no gains in birt
S numbers. Z
1t becomes apparent then, tina
ruffed grouse, like other gam
birds, cannot be stockpiled fror
: one year to the next. Like apples
they must be harvested whe.
/. ready or waste is inevitable.
e During the last two years, Mon
tana's mountain grouse season
st have been designed to encourag
Ie greater harvests of the lgihtl
hunted ruffed grouse by allowin
l. them to be included in the bag
addition to blue grouse. This year
d seasons will remain open unit
n November Z in most of the noun
?: famous areas.
IT