Environment DEC
From the October 2005 issue
DEC Seeks Input from Ruffed Grouse Hunters
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan is asking hunters to cooperate in DEC's Cooperator Ruffed Grouse Hunting Log. The hunting log will assist DEC in its long-term monitoring of ruffed grouse populations in New York State, and help direct future conservation efforts.
"DEC extends a sincere thank you to the 274 hunters that participated in the ruffed grouse hunting-log program during the 2004-05 season," Commissioner Sheehan said. "It provided valuable information on the health of our ruffed grouse populations as well as important information on hunter effort and success. I urge all grouse hunters to take part in the program this year. It's a great way to partner with DEC to find out more about this beautiful game bird."
First Year's Success
The natural forest habitat of
the ruffed grouse is declining
During the 2004-05 hunting season, the first year of the Cooperator Ruffed Grouse Hunting Log, participants reported data from more than 2,700 hunts. Hunters spent more than 8,000 hours afield and flushed more than 6,600 grouse (about 0.8 flushes/hour). Data from the 2004-05 season is being analyzed and a report summarizing the results will be available on the DEC website by no later than mid-October 2005.
Ruffed grouse is one of New York's most popular native game birds. Annually, approximately 75,000 grouse hunters harvest 225,000 grouse. The ruffed grouse is a forest species widely distributed across New York State. While some grouse are found in more mature forests, the greatest population densities are in younger forests. These preferred habitats are declining as most of New York State's forests grow older, resulting in a decline in grouse numbers since the 1960s. Information recorded by grouse hunters in this survey will provide insight into statewide population distributions and trends for this popular game species as habitats change both locally and on a landscape-wide scale.
How It Works
The program asks hunters to record their daily grouse hunting activities. The hunting log requests information such as the number of grouse flushed, the number of hours hunted, the number of grouse killed, and whether a dog was used to hunt grouse. The primary purpose of the log is to monitor the number of birds flushed per hour. Changes in the flushing rate illustrate trends in the grouse population when viewed over a long period. New York will cooperate with other states by evaluating flushing rates and determining whether there are regional differences in the relative abundance of ruffed grouse.
To Participate
If hunters are interested in participating, they can contact DEC by mail at: Reynolds Game Farm, 81 Game Farm Road, Ithaca, New York 14850-2803; by phone at: 607-273-3763; by e-mail at: mailto:fwwildlf@gw.dec.state.ny.us?subject=Ruffed Grouse Hunting Log, or they can download a form from the DEC website at the Cooperator Ruffed Grouse Hunting Log web link below. Each grouse hunter is asked to complete a log and return it to DEC at the end of the grouse hunting season. The original log, along with an annual report, will be returned to each participant.
Conservationist Pullout
October's pull-out centerspread
features the ruffed grouse
There's much more to learn about the ruffed grouse and New York's abundant wildlife and natural resources in the October issue of the Conservationist magazine. The ruffed grouse is the subject of October's pull-out centerspread. Keep your family in touch with the latest information about New York State's outdoors by subscribing to the Conservationist.
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