AS A GROUSE HUNTER 375 



survey results to get an estimate of the October grouse population in each county. The 

 number of grouse killed as recorded by the hunter reports is then doubled to take care of 

 such inaccuracies as are described on p. 372. The per cent bagged is then obtained by 

 taking the ratio of grouse reported bagged to the estimated grouse population. 



These results are only a general indication of conditions and trends. The arbitrary assign- 

 ment of cover quality values is obviously open to error, as well as other details of the 

 system. But probably more significant than any of these is the possible error accruing to a 

 faulty distribution of kill reports in relation to residence of the reporters. Thus, it is prob- 

 able that the per cent bag for counties having large cities is exaggerated due to reports of 

 many hunters who actually went outside the county for their hunting.* 



The take in seven counties from 1931 to 1934 ranged from 4 to 28 per cent. Half of the 

 figures were between 10 and 20 per cent. The extreme range in a single year was 9 per 

 cent. Considering the limitations of this method, the results corroborate the field studies 

 remarkably well. 



Average Bag. Seasonal and Daily 



To those who are on the threshold of becoming grouse hunters, this topic will be a revela- 

 tion. And to those "old timers" who may still be smarting from a bad day when they 

 "couldn't get their eye on 'em", it should prove reassuring, for there are many more whose 

 "luck" has been worse. There probably is no other American game bird which presents 

 as difficult a target as does the ruffed grouse, except, of course, in those wilderness areas 

 where the species has not yet become man-wary. That such a ganie.y bird should develop 

 in the space of a century, is a tribute to its adaptability. 



The old journals are replete with records of large daily and seasonal takes, usually by 

 market hunters. Forbush"" mentions several cases occurring in Massachusetts. He says. "I 

 can remember when a market hunter going out from the city of Worcester by train each 

 day, walking to the covers and returning at night, killed from 10 to 15 birds daily . . . Five 

 men of Foxborough snared grouse prior to 1888 and averaged about TOO birds a week . . . 

 Mr. George Howes shot and marketed 398 birds in one shooting season". Haight' ' relates 

 of two men shooting 998 grouse from the 15th of September, to the following 31st of Jan- 

 uary, a total of 122 hunting days or an average of four birds per man-day. Not only are 

 the days of the market hunter gone but so also arc the days of such legal bags. Current 

 efforts must necessarily be within bag limits of three a day and 15 a season in New York. 



An indication of the average seasonal bag of grouse per hunter in New York may be 

 obtained from the reported kill of licensed sportsmen. These are given in table 5.S. 



Considering licensed grouse hunters as a whole, the maxinmm average seasonal bag dur- 

 ing this period was approximately five grouse per hunter in the best year, and in the worst 

 year, about one. Leopold records the average bag for all hunters in Wisconsin in 1931 to 

 be .3 bird per hunter for the season. This is somewhat lower than the average for all New 

 York hunters during 1923-1939. ,1';.'.'' 



Information on daily bag has been obtained on the field hunter-check studies in 1930 

 and 1931. In these two years the data show that it took 19 and 12.6 hours of hunting, 

 respectively, per grouse bagged. The hunting "day" was 5.75 hours in 1930 and 3.4 hours 

 in 1931. Reduced to an 8 hour day basis, the average daily bag per hunter was .42 grouse 

 per day in 1930 and .63 in 1931. The actual "daily" bag in the short days which were 



* Reports are assumed to apply to county in which license was taken out. 



