52 The RufiFed Grouse 



acres, with travels of only one or two hundred yards, except for 

 occasional longer trips to a drumming log. During the summer the 

 range of the female covers the same territory as the brood, often 

 extending half a mile or more, while males and broodless females are 

 more restricted, often remaining within ten acres or less and travel- 

 ing only two or three hundred yards in distance. 



During the fall the greatest distances are traveled. Extremes are 

 almost always birds of the year seeking new territories. Distances ex- 

 ceeding two miles are not uncommon, and fairly authentic records 

 have been made of birds traveling up to twenty-two miles. Terri- 

 tories are large and daily travels are greater than at any other time. 

 When winter arrives the territory is more restricted. Except for 

 occasional warm, sunny days when they may wander afield in search 

 of berries, they remain close to the winter shelter areas. Two or three 

 hundred yards would be a normal range on an active day and it 

 would not greatly exceed this for the season. 



Daily range also varies widely, with the season, the weather, and 

 the type of activity. Normally, the day's travels consume only one 

 to three hundred yards, but if flushed and reflushed the bird may 

 extend to a half mile or more. Occasionally a single flight wfll carry 

 them a quarter of a mile. Females nesting far from a drumming male 

 travel up to half a mile on their visits for mating. 



Year around range normally adds up to about three-quarters of a 

 mile, outside measurements. 



Characteristics of Flight. Having short, rounded wings and power- 

 ful muscles for rapid wing movement, the grouse is a powerful and 

 accurate flyer. Its ability to dodge obstacles and change its course 

 at full speed are famed. However, its accuracy in flight is sometimes 

 exceeded by its recklessness. A grouse flushed at night will often fly 

 off as quickly as if it were daytime, unmindful of the branches hit 

 along the way. Occasionally one hits a tree, fence or other obstacle 

 and closes its career with a broken neck. 



Probably the most marked characteristic of the grouse's flight in 

 the mind of the average observer is the whirring, sometimes terrify- 

 ing noise that accompanies it. Springing from the ground near by, 

 it puts all its power into a quick getaway with the resulting loud 

 whir. Even the most experienced woodsman wfll on occasion be so 

 taken unawares by a grouse as to be scared nearly out of his wits. 



