COVER REQUIREMENTS OF THE GROUSE 



139 



and the related effect of undergrowth type and density, weather conditions and slope on 

 grouse. 



Individuals addicted to making snap judgments may fail to see the connection between a 

 knowledge of brood preferences and an increase in the grouse crop. But those whose job it 

 is to assist Nature in producing that crop, know better. As but one concrete example, grouse 

 broods, in New York, at least, do not like steep slopes. A breeding area developed there is, 

 then, going to be less productive than one developed on a gentle grade or where the land 

 is relatively level. Many similar preferences, each small in itself but collectively important, 

 must be ferreted out and catalogued if one is to go about the job of producing better grouse 

 cover in an efficient, businesslike way. 



What, then, are the characteristics of good brood cover? 



Types of Cover Used by Grouse Broods 



The outstanding characteristics of brood cover are its diversity and its youth. It is the 

 early stages of woodland succession, with their profusion of fresh herbaceous growth, that are 

 attractive. (See table 13.51*. The abandoned pastures, the overgrown fields, the fresh, not too 



» Sop Afpcnilix. p. 801. 



■iffZ,' ,^ 



Lr^rdmer bump 



THE FAVORITE HAUNT OF GROUSE BROODS THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER IS THE OVERGROWN FIELD, 

 ESPECIALLY IF BUT FEW CONIFERS ARE PRESENT (TYPE c) 



