176 The Ruffed Grouse 



Fencing and Livestock: Woodlands adjacent to pastures present a 

 management problem to a farmer. The desirability of fencing the 

 woodlands so that the livestock may not have access to them is gain- 

 ing increasing recognition. It is generally true in the Northeast that 

 one cannot have a good pasture and a good woodland on the same 

 ground. Likewise the pasturing of woodland has a detrimental ef- 

 fect on the area as grouse cover. 



The most obvious effect of pasturing a woodland is the reduction 

 of the understory and ground cover. That materially affects the sup- 

 ply of grouse food and often entirely eliminates important food- 

 producing herbs and shrubs. The changes that grazing brings about 

 in soil conditions may affect the plant succession on the area for a 

 long time following abandonment of grazing; the effect is to set 

 back the ecological stage toward the field weed complex. If grazing 

 is continued intensively it eventually results in the transformation of 

 the woodland into a park-like area, and ultimately into an open 

 field. 



Ploughing and Cultivating: Since the use of the plough and other 

 crop field tools are normally confined to the better-quality open 

 fields, these practices do not materially affect grouse in a direct 

 sense. It is true that a cultivated field is less desirable to grouse than 

 a weedy meadow, but their use as cover is too small to be important. 

 As openings to provide edges, one field type is as good as another. 



From the long-time point of view, the maintenance of land in 

 field crops prevents it from becoming grouse cover and is a restric- 

 tion on the increase of available grouse foods as well as of shelter. 



FOOD AS A LIMITING FACTOR 



There are few species of game birds that have as little trouble 

 finding food year in and year out as the ruffed grouse. If a covert is 

 of a nature to permit grouse existence from the standpoint of size and 

 shelter, it is likely to provide enough food for the maintenance of at 

 least some grouse. This does not in any way imply that food is not 

 an important factor. It is. But the grouse can get along on such a 

 wide variety of foods. It uses parts of plants that are almost always 

 available, regardless of weather conditions or competition of other 

 animals, that ahnost any type of woody area will provide some food. 



