DEC Seeks Input from Ruffed Grouse Hunters

Hunting Logs to Help Monitor Species Population and Distribution

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan today asked 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 all of 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 our grouse hunters to take part in the program this year. It's a great way to partner with DEC and find out more about this beautiful game bird."

During the 2004-05 hunting season, the first year of the Cooperator Ruffed Grouse Hunting Log, participants reported data from more than 2,700 hunting trips across the State. 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 currently being analyzed and a report summarizing the results will be available on the DEC website in October of this year.

The 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-aged forests. These preferred habitats are declining as most of New York State's forests grow older, thus resulting in a decline in grouse numbers since the 1960s. The 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.

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 if 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 of time. New York will cooperate with other states by evaluating flushing rates and determining if there are regional differences in the relative abundance of ruffed grouse.

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 fwwildlf@gw.dec.state.ny.us, or they can download a form from the DEC website at www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/
wildlife/gamebird/grouselog.html.

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.

05-117

Click Here To Return To The Previous Page