Ohio's ruffed grouse population devastated

There have been recent suggestions that the Division of Wildlife may be considering suspending ruffed grouse hunting in Ohio. I understand that this rumor began when the question was posed by a Wildlife Council member questioning the impact such action might have on the crashing grouse population. It is my understanding that this is not currently being entertained by the division as part of this year's hunting and trapping proposals. While the thought of losing the hunting season for this popular game bird concerned a lot of folks, I sometimes believe that concern to be misplaced. While the grouse being dropped from huntable species would be a tremendous loss, the real concern should be why such a question was ever asked in the first place. I began hunting grouse while still in high school. They made quite an impression upon me and my little bench-beagle Chipper. We'd just turned a corner and startled my first grouse as it relaxed beside a tree. I still smile as I remember how Chipper barked in excitement. That was just 50 years ago … it may sound like a lifetime to you but rest assured, to me it seems like just a flash of yesterday. I knew then that time passes and that things will change, having learned that from those aging dogs, but the presence of the ruffed grouse seemed as eternal as the onset of autumn. I was wrong. Ohio's ruffed grouse, known as Bonasa umbellus by biologists and ornithologists, is in deep trouble. Indiana was the first state to acknowledge how profound the problem has become by listing the once abundant game bird as an endangered species in their state. Now, 18 states list ruffed grouse as a species of concern across a wide geographic area (New England, the upper Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, Appalachians). Both Indiana and Ohio grouse populations followed similar patterns, comparable many Midwestern states. Early settlers found grouse to be common throughout these areas. As years passed, increased agricultural pressure and the loss of habitat caused a rapid decrease in the population. The Great Depression offered something of a reprieve as many farmers began abandoning marginal ground to concentrate on more productive soil. This led to a period of natural succession and reforestation. The grouse population expanded back into those areas, encouraging many wildlife agencies to begin relocation programs to expand the bird's range. Some states, including Indiana and Ohio, even live-trapped the abundant ruffed grouse to trade for wild turkeys for various inter-agency restocking projects. By 1983 the ruffed grouse had expanded its range. In Indiana, 41 counties held healthy populations, their widest distribution since 1856. Ohio's ruffed grouse populations also peaked in the early 1980s. Since that time, their slide has been reaching a terminal velocity toward the abyss of eternity. Today, Indiana reports that the ruffed grouse population has been extirpated in at least 15 counties and that's expected to reach 25 within a few years; barring any major forest disturbance. In Ohio, drumming count surveys are primary indicators of population levels. Since the 1982 high of more than 40 per 100 survey stops, the total has plummeted to fewer than 1% of that number. Like a patient's cough may be blamed on a temporary malady, many early warning signs were passed off as the grouse's well known cyclic population spikes and dips; a recognized pattern with little explanation. Sadly, this patient's cough was the onset of a graver situation. Now, Indiana has fewer than 1% of the grouse population it had just 50 years ago. A 99% reduction in population can barely be considered anything but grievously serious. Ohio is very close to that level. Regrettably, the crashing populations came as no surprise. Wildlife biologists across the ruffed grouse's range have seen the warning signs and have been sounding a call for action for over 25 years. In 2015, Indiana suspended all grouse hunting and in 2018 not a single grouse was heard drumming during their spring roadside counts for the sixth consecutive year. "To put that into perspective, in the early 1980s we were harvesting over 10,000 birds a year," explained Steve Backs, a wildlife-research biologist with the Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife. Their plight is a reflection of the declining successional habitat required for the bird's existence, a critical habitat shortage that effects many upland-dwelling species from bouncing warblers and long-beaked woodcock to the secretive little gray fox. As is true with all wildlife species, habitat remains the key. Forest health is the all-important factor in managing ruffed grouse. Many walk through the forest and have a picture of what it should be: tall, straight trees with squirrels hopping playfully, logging curtailed and under-growth minimalized, trails allowing easy access, and all fires eradicated. In one word, pristine. Sounds great on paper, but that ideal is neither natural nor a friend of wildlife except for those bouncing squirrels. Misperception about timber and fire management is a big reason why ruffed grouse habitat has disappeared. In fact, grouse rely more than most species on forest disturbance and the early successional habitat that comes from those disturbances. The remedies offered by biologists often sound like they're too much, too difficult, and too hard to sell … and now, could they also be too late? All the affected states suffer the same management hurdles; modern land-use practices, public policy and social trends with regard to harvesting timber. The ruffed grouse; as well as many upland wildlife species, require a mix of successional habitats, marginal areas and timbered belts to survive. At one time, naturally occurring fires may have done this job but today regulated timber harvesting and restoration projects fill that niche, and in Ohio that type of work on public forests has declined substantially or has stopped. Aggressive forest management tends to be a hard sell. People and politicians have been programmed to believe that all timbering on public land is negative. The ideal of "tall, straight, and pristine forests" destroys the diversity of Ohio's woodland wildlife, whether indigo buntings, scarlet tanagers, eastern towhees, ovenbirds, whip-poor-wills or ruffed grouse. For some reason, interest turns toward reintroducing already extirpated species like elk and bison while at the same time losing those animals struggling to hang on. Adding additional pressure to already struggling populations, it's likely that West Nile Virus has been quietly killing ruffed grouse for more than 15 years. The Ohio Division of Wildlife is telling hunters that they're likely to encounter poor grouse numbers as drumming counts and hunter flush rates remain at historic lows. Ohio has initiated a ruffed grouse habitat study with OSU professor Dr. Robert Gates and his graduate student Joe Hintz. This study, looking at the suitability of habitat in public forests in Ohio for ruffed grouse is ongoing, with results expected in 2024. I don't expect the findings to be a surprise. Forty years have passed since Ohio's peak grouse populations inhabited Ohio's Appalachian foothills. That may seem like a lifetime ago … but for ruffed grouse, it may truly be so. We may be witnessing its end across much of its home range. How sad it is that the politics of forest management might allow this to happen. "You see, in life, lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action." — Tony Robbins Along the way The Henry-Wood Sportsmans Alliance recently held their annual fundraiser in Deshler, Ohio. As the program wound down, a simple hat was auctioned with all proceeds going to the Otsego Outdoors Club, an organization which introduces high school age members to trap shooting and other outdoor activities. While especially embroidered for the event, the hat was just a hat, but bidding was brisk. Brothers Jason and John Cline (Cline Brothers Trucking, Grand Rapids) jumped the bid to $2,000. When the crowd was asked if any others would like to donate, attendees gave an additional $1,300. While all of the donors' generosity is overwhelming, it is not necessarily atypical at conservation fundraisers. Those club hats often set upon big hearts. Step outside An interesting online publication is available entitled "Managing Forest Birds in Southeast Ohio." Published cooperatively by the Division of Wildlife, The Ohio State University, The Nature Conservancy, The Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative and Ohio Biodiversity Conservation. You can search the title or visit https://woodlandstewards.osu.edu/sites/woodlands/files/imce/Managing%20Forest%20Songbirds%20-%20Guide.pdf •Tuesday: March 14, 21, 28. Trap Shoot. 20-yardline competition, shooters may re-enter. $10 per relay. Includes Lewis class and draw. Traps open at 5 p.m. UCOA, 6943 Marion Township Road 243, Findlay. •Friday, March 17–Sunday, March 19: "Open Season" Sportsman's Expo, Columbus, Ohio Expo Center, featuring industry leading companies, high-tech gear, equipment and the latest hunting and outdoor products on the market today. Complete information and tickets at https://www.openseasonsportsmansexpo.com/ohio/ •March 18: 31st Hancock County Pheasants Forever Fundraiser and Dinner, The Old Millstream Centre, 1017 E. Sandusky St., in Findlay. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6:15 p.m. For tickets: https://pfqf.myeventscenter.com/event/Hancock-County-Pheasants-Forever-Dinner-Banquet-73138 •March 18–19: Vintage Decoys & Wildlife Art Show and Sale, Holiday Inn Cleveland South, 6001 Rockside Rd., Independence, OH 44131. Includes 24 Carving Contests, Wildlife Art, Collector Buy-Sell-Trade, Saturday Night Auction, Hands-on Demos, carving and decoy vendors. •March 19: 50-Bird Trap Shoot, practice traps open 11:30 a.m., program at 12:30 p.m. UCOA, 6943 Marion Township Road 243, Findlay. Contact Sandy Thomas at sandthm@aol.com •March 25: Seneca County Pheasants Forever Fundraiser and Dinner. 5 p.m. Meadowbrook Park Ballroom, Bascom. Tickets: https://pfqf.myeventscenter.com/event/Seneca-County-Annual-Fundraiser-Dinner-70506 Abrams is a retired wildlife officer supervisor for the state Division of Wildlife in Findlay. He can be reached at P.O. Box 413, Mount Blanchard, OH 45867-0413 or via email at jimsfieldnotes@aol.com