Ruffed grouse in Minnesota are not to be out drummed by Wisconsin ruffs. You may recall a recent post about the increase in the WI grouse population for a second straight spring. MN ruffs are not to be out done and are at their highest level in seven years, according to the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. In fact MN’s grouse population has jumped 30% and grouse hunters and their dogs have silly grins on their faces. The Star Tribune says the increase, which is calculated during Department of Natural Resources spring drumming counts, follows a 25% rise last year. This two-year spike fits in with the typical 10-year grouse cycle the population. If the population was at its lowest in 2005 then now the DNR predicts that grouse action should be hot and heavy for at least the next four or five years. On average, hunters harvest 545,000 ruffed grouse per year. The Saint Cloud concurs and says the DNR suspects the population cycle will peak between 2008 to 2010. It’s the DNR’s goal to have the harvest level increase to 600,000 to 650,000 birds per year. Not only do the grouse have something to crow about, sharp-tailed grouse counts in both the northwest and east-central regions have increased. And prairie chickens counts at their leks in western MN spiked 45% from 2006.