Tilt: Hi I FEU GRUL >'£ l\ THE MARCH UE TIME 



Color 



lnown riifled trrouse 

 copper ruflcd grouse 

 gray mountain grousp 

 gray ruffed grouse 

 gray ruftled grouse 

 gray-tail 



red-ruffed grouse 

 red-tail 

 silver-tail 



Based on sirurture 

 ruffer 



rulTet! grouse 

 li|)pet grouse 



Based on sul)-species according to: 



Distribution 



Arctic ruffed grouse 

 hush pheasant 

 Canadian ruffed grouse 

 eastern ruffed grouse 

 northern ruffed grouse 

 Oregon grouse 

 western ruffed grouse 

 Based on habits 

 drummer 

 drumming grouse 

 druniniing partridge 

 (Irumining pheasant 

 fool hen 

 ruffled grouse 



EVIDENCE OF HIGH ESTEEM SINCE EARLY COLONIAL TIMES 



That the "fool hen" characteristic of the bird in the early days did not affect the high 

 esteem in which it was held as a piece de resistance for the table, is clear in all r)f the early 

 writings. A letter from John Bartrani. sent to England about 1752 and quoted iiy Edwards, 

 states, "their flesh is white and good". Audubon opines that the grouse "far surpass, as an 

 article of food, every other land bird except the wild turke\". while Billings'", writing at the 

 same time, reaches a similar conclusion. 



Larger than the quail and more abundant than ihc tiirke\ tiirouglioul tlic northeast, half a 

 century ago. one might have found grouse competing with ducks in po|)ularit\ in the mar- 

 kets of the larger cities and definitely more common in rural kitchens. Tiiat todav it can 

 rarely lie shot on the ground over mucii of its range, lias, of course, made grouse a less 

 common but more prized delicac\. to which the auliiiiiM-bniw ii of wooded hillsides, leavened 

 with falling lea\fs and tired musc-les. often adds a (liquant llaxor. With more hunters than 

 ever afield, turning their attention in increasing minibers from pheasant to grouse, the enthu- 

 siasm for the sport vies with ils thrills in |)utting the ruffed grouse in a class by itself. For. 

 to be a good grouse hunter, with dog and gun or a camera, is to |)lace one's self in a rather 

 select circle of outdof>r devotees. 



Thus time has ser\c(l to >hifl llic rrnplKisi> licini grouse as an article of food lo a place of 

 high favor as one of the most >porling birds thai enriches our co\erts. 



INCREASE IN NUMBERS NEAR SETTLERS' CLEARINGS 



Lcgendar\ have become the laics of llic iniiltiludc of gr<nise in pioneer days. Their abun- 

 dance was not uniform but rather concentrated about o])cnings in ihe forest cover, most of 

 which were man-made. This is indicated b\ several of the earl\ authors, although they did 

 not, at tin- lime, recognize that llie \er\ inlrn>ion of llicii < rude clearings and cuttings was. 

 in a large measure, the cause of this conc<"nlraliori. ."^wainson and Richardson'^ slate that 

 grouse "frequents the horse-palhs and clearings about the forts', while Alexander Wilson"" 

 records that he could always snpplv himself with plenty of birds "without leaving the path". 



