646 



IMPROVING AND MAINTAINING GROUSE COVERTS 



Occasionally one will be faced with cut-over lands which have grown up into a dense jungle 

 of large sprouts. In accordance with good forest and game practice, these may well be thinned 

 out especially if other nesting cover adjacent to openings or woods' roads are not available. 



In carrying out such cultural operations, it is wise to give preference to trees furnishing 

 food and shelter as well as to those worth saving as timber producers. An excellent, though 

 temporary combination of spring breeding grounds and summer feeding units may often be 

 established, in the Northeast, by cutting out an occasional, usually overmature, widespread- 

 ing "wolf" tree. This encourages the light-loving herbs and berries to take over the forest 

 floor which, otherwise, is too often bare. Where den-loving wildlife, such as squirrels and 

 raccoon, are desired, hollow trees may be girdled and left in place. Woods roads also help 

 to break up the forest c()^pr and provide small openings along which partridges prefer to nest. 



W inter Shelter 



Unless a woodland is heavily grazed or recently burned, adequate shelter for grouse is 

 usually present except in winter. At that time clumps of conifers or, in their absence, thick 

 groups of evergreen shrubs such as mountain laurel, mav provide congregating places for the 



WUKKK WINTKR SIIF.LTKH !,>; .SCARCE. A .SPOT SUCH AS THIS MAV WVAA. UK THINAKI) TO KNCOl K- 



AGF THK K.VERORKENS BEN£ATH 



iiirds. W IiIkhiI llicse, at lea.xt in tin- Northeast, grouse are apt lo experience serious difli- 

 culty in a\ol(iing predators while ki'c|)inp comfortable. WIicti ((irulitidns allow, lliev will 

 resort to snow roosting as a substitut<' but here, also, lhe\ arc liable lo attack. Hardwood 



