Back in 2004 the NY Department of Evironmental Conservation (DEC) launched a study called the
Cooperator Ruffed Grouse Hunting Log. The program asks grouse hunters to keep a daily log of their grouse hunting activity. In the 2004-2005 season, 274 hunters kept a journal and logged over 8,000 hours afield and over 6,600 grouse flushed, which calculates to about 0.8 flushes per hour (FPH). During the 2005-2006 season, some 284 hunters participated and gathered data from over 2,800 hunting trips, 8,000 hours afield and 8,000 flushes or about 1 FPH.
The western part of the state has the highest number of grouse flushed and harvested. If you're interested in wild NY birds try these regions where the FPH rate was highest:
- St. Lawrence Valley Ecozone: 1.51 grouse FPH
- Adirondacks-Tug Hill Ecozone: 1.41 grouse FPH
- Champlain Valley Ecozone: 1.27 grouse FPH
- Catskill-Delaware Hills and Appalachian Hills and Plateau ecozones: 1.17 and 0.99 grouse FPH
- Lake Plains Ecozone: 0.71 grouse FPH
- Mohawk Valley-Hudson Valley-Taconic Highlands ecozones: 0.61 grouse FPH
DEC hunter stats show that there are more than 75,000 grouse hunters in the state who average about 2 grouse per year or about 1 grouse for every 10 flushes. If you are interested in being part of the Cooperator Ruffed Grouse Hunting Log program,
contact the DEC.
Comments
I wish our wildlife department would implement such a registry program. In BC grouse can be hunted and no one knows how many are shot each year and how many are left in the wild.
-Othmar Vohringer-
Posted by: Othmar Vohringer | September 29, 2007 10:56 PM
The State of Ohio has the same program for squirrel hunters. This is my first year participating, but it looks to be a great program for helping manage the wildlife.
Posted by: Andy | October 2, 2007 09:42 AM