Six years after Wisconsin policymakers panicked over declines in the ruffed-grouse population, the state’s “thunder chickens” climbed atop their drumming logs in big numbers this spring.
The Department of Natural Resources reports that statewide drumming activity rose 57% from a year ago, increasing 60% in northern areas and 41% in central areas. Drumming fell 56% in the Driftless region.
This spring’s statewide drumming data fell just short of four previous highs since the surveys began in 1993. Those highs occurred in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2011.
A dip in drumming activity in spring 2018, coupled with a record-low grouse harvest in fall 2017, caused Wisconsin’s Natural Resources Board to blame West Nile virus, even though they lacked evidence of a connection. Drumming counts were worse or similar to the 2018 totals in 1994, 2004 and 2005.
Later in 2018, the Board used an emergency order to shorten the North’s Zone A grouse season, ending it Dec. 31. And in 2019, the NRB voted to permanently end Zone A’s season on the first Sunday in January.
The Board made those moves even though few people hunted grouse in January. A DNR study from 1979 to 1982 found 7% of grouse hunts and 11% of grouse kills occurred after Nov. 30. Hunting activity typically wanes as snows mount and temperatures plunge, so how would closing the hunt early save grouse?
Tests since 2018 found that West Nile virus wasn’t as lethal to grouse as lay-folks on the NRB and elsewhere feared. Unlike crows and ravens, which are susceptible to WNV, grouse develop effective antibodies to the virus.
Biologists with the DNR and Ruffed Grouse Society often preach that the best way to ensure healthy grouse populations is to create and maintain high-quality habitat. In fact, even though Wisconsin’s forests are maturing overall, habitat work to benefit grouse has been increasing. That includes aspen harvests that spur regrowth from aspen suckers. Such harvests on DNR-managed lands increased from 2,000 acres annually in 1996-2006 to 4,000 acres annually in 2007-2016. Similar cuts are expected to increase to 5,000 acres annually the next decade.
County forests, meanwhile, expect to increase aspen cutting from 11,761 acres to 17,515 acres annually the next 10 years. Further, the Young Forest Partnership is promoting active forest management on 62,000 acres of public land and 52,000 acres on private land.
In other words, the NRB’s decision to eliminate a month of late-season grouse-hunting opportunities was emotional, not practical or purposeful. The NRB shortened the Northwoods grouse season even after 2019 drumming data showed a 41% jump statewide from 2018, fueled mainly by a 48% increase across northern areas and a 35% increase in central areas. Those regions are Wisconsin’s primary ruffed-grouse range.
Why was this spring’s drumming data so impressive? Alaina Roth, the DNR’s ruffed-grouse specialist, credited 2023’s abnormally dry conditions in late spring and summer. The prolonged dry spell created prime nesting and brooding conditions for grouse.
“This is likely the most influential factor explaining the increase in drumming grouse this year,” Roth said in a DNR press release. “We are also likely entering the ‘up’ phase of the grouse’s 10-year population cycle, which may also be an influencing factor.”
Roth noted that the grouse’s typical cycle peaks in years ending in a 0, 1 or 9. Even so, this year’s drumming data exceeds anything seen since 2011, and the next population peak isn’t expected until 2029, 2030 or 2031.
Many grouse hunters, meanwhile, had expected this jump in drumming activity.
“I was pleased to see such high numbers, but I was not surprised,” said Mike Amman, a forester with the Bayfield County Forestry and Parks Department. “Last year was by far the most productive season I’ve had for grouse flushed per hour; like two times higher than anything I had in 15 years of hunting grouse.”
Amman said the drumming data should remind everyone that when conditions align, northern Wisconsin still generates great grouse numbers. “We have the habitat, and West Nile Virus clearly has not been a big drag on the population,” he said.
Amman, in fact, said he would like to work with the Wisconsin Conservation Congress next spring to start the process for reopening January grouse hunting. “No one ever presented biological evidence that January hunts hurt grouse populations,” he said. “Few people actually hunt that time of year. Closing the hunt early was a social decision made from high anxiety over potential WNV impacts.”
For now, though, Amman is looking forward to hunting season, which he expects to be good despite the wet spring and summer Wisconsin is experiencing.
“All that rain will dampen recruitment of grouse chicks, but I’m hopeful the high population we had in spring produced more nests than usual,” Amman said. “If that’s the case, all those nests will produce enough chicks so things won’t be too bad this fall.”
Top Small-Game Hunting Dogs: The DNR’s most recent small-game harvest reports from Wisconsin’s 2021-22 and 2022-23 hunting seasons show game birds — ruffed grouse, pheasants, woodcock and mourning doves — combined to account for 81% of hunting activity involving dogs. Rabbits, squirrels and snowshoe hares accounted for 11% of dog-assisted hunts, while furbearers like foxes and coyotes accounted for 5.5% of those hunts.
The approximately 3,000 hunters returning small-game hunting surveys made Labrador retrievers the state’s most popular hunting dog. Here’s the top 12 hunting-dog breeds in the recent Wisconsin DNR surveys:
35%, Labradors,
12%, German short-haired pointer,
5%, German wire-haired pointer,
5%, Brittany,
5%, English setter,
5%, beagle,
4%, golden retriever,
4%, springer spaniel,
3%, mix breeds,
3%, walker.
The small-game hunting surveys also found that ruffed grouse, pheasants, squirrels, rabbits, coyotes and woodcock accounted for 77% of all small-game hunting activity during Wisconsin’s 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. Here’s how those species ranked:
25% of small-game hunters pursued ruffed grouse,
17%, pheasant,
15%, squirrel,
8%, cottontail rabbit,
7%, coyote,
5%, woodcock.
Surveys by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources this spring found drumming activity by ruffed grouse increased 60% from 2023 in the state’s northern areas and 41% in the central areas. — Patrick Durkin photo
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