82 



The Ruffed Grouse 



The preference for coniferous woods during the winter is shown 

 to be one of the outstanding grouse cover requirements. No other 

 consideration at this season can compare with this need for heavy 

 protection cover. The second preference, that of mixed woods over 

 all hardwood types is also significant, and is merely a repetition of 

 the need for conifers. The difference between the various hardwood 

 types— the hardwood woodland, overgrown land, and slashings— is 

 less important, except that slashings are even less useful than the 

 others. The open land, as at all seasons, is not significant as a cover 



E EH F FH 

 TYPE OF COVER 



Fig. 3. Analysis of Certain Cover Requirements of the Ruffed Grouse in New 

 York State (taken from G. Bump, 1938). Symbols used for type of cover are: 

 A— open land; B— overgrown land, single species; C— overgrown land, mixed 

 hardwoods; D— overgrown land, hardwoods and conifers; E— yoimg hardwood 

 woodland; F— mature hardwoods; G— spot-lumbered woodland; EH— young 

 mixed hardwood-conifer woodland; FH— mature mixed hardwoods and conifers; 

 H— coniferous woods; I— briar-stage slashing; J— sapling-stage slashing. 



type although very important in improving adjacent types by pro- 

 ducing edge. Thus, for the grouse, there are three distinctive win- 

 ter cover types: First, and most vital, is the confferous woodland; 

 second in importance comes the mixed hardwoods and conffers; 

 and thirdly the various types, brushy and woodland, that are pre- 

 dominantly hardwood. The latter are important in winter primarily 

 in proportion to their proximity to coniferous or to mixed woods. 



