For ruffed grouse, there’s nothing better than early to mid-successional habitat. The author works through an older clear cut full of aspen in search of a flush. Photo by Matt Addington Creative ...

A graph shows ruffed grouse drumming counts from 1994 to 2024 in Wisconsin. The statewide increase was likely due to two factors, said Alaina Roth, DNR ruffed grouse specialist.

But northwestern Minnesota has been seeing fewer ruffed grouse of late, with just 0.66 drums per stop this year, down from 1.5 in 2023 and 2.9 in 2022.

For ring-necked pheasants, get ready for a long drive to the Dakotas; for a reliable place to hunt ruffed grouse, drive to northern New England or even the northern mid-west triangle of Minnesota ...

Grouse hunter Austin Fisher walks up behind Bogie on point during the 2023 Minnesota ruffed grouse hunting season. Hunters, guides and biologists agree it was the best season in years, maybe decades.

Jul. 26—Trying to predict ruffed grouse hunting prospects is an inexact science at best, but based on drumming counts, at least, Minnesota's breeding population was down from last year. In a ...

The Indiana DNR closed its grouse season in 2015. By 2020, ruffed grouse were moved to ‘‘state endangered.’’ Michigan and Wisconsin still have viable populations.

Proper form is key. Make sure to set your feet and swing through rather than rush the shot. For my hunt, I chose a lightweight Stoeger Condor 20-gauge that I could mount and swing quickly, and paired ...

Ruffed grouse drumming increased this spring in two of three priority areas and the species appears to be on the upward phase of its traditional 10-year population cycle in Wisconsin, according to ...