Hunters shot about 23 percent fewer ruffed grouse at this year's National Grouse and Woodcock Hunt, held Oct. 13 and 14 at Grand Rapids.
This was the 30th year of the hunt, a fundraiser for the Ruffed Grouse Society. A total of 96 hunters took part in the event, which offers no monetary prizes.
Hunters took 213 ruffed grouse during the 2011 hunt, with a ratio of 3.9 immature birds to adult females. The long-term average is 6.6 immatures to adult females, indicating that this year's nesting and brood rearing was not as successful as in most years.
"The low ruffed grouse recruitment could be due in part to substantial rain during the third week in June across northern Minnesota," Dessecker said.
The woodcock harvest was 374 birds, up 37 percent from last fall's hunt, Dessecker said. The number of immature birds per adult female was just under the long-term average (0.9 this year compared to 1.14 long-term).
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"We had a full moon and strong northwest winds Wednesday and Thursday evenings," Dessecker said. "This likely spurred a substantial migration of woodcock."
But windy conditions both days of the hunt probably reduced the harvest somewhat, he said.
Join dignitaries at "Big Buck" Luncheon
A "Big Buck" Luncheon will be held Nov. 4 at the Lodge at Giants Ridge near Biwabik as part of the Governor's Deer Opener.
A ticket to the luncheon includes a cap and door prizes. Tickets, $25, are available at the Iron Range Tourism Office, by contacting the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association at (218) 327-1103, ext. 12, or by visiting the MDHA online marketplace at www.mndeerhunters.com .
Wisconsin hunters: Look for tagged deer
Wisconsin wildlife researchers are looking for assistance from Wisconsin hunters who might harvest any of the more than 335 white-tailed deer marked with ear tags and radio collars during the archery and gun deer seasons.
The researches say hunters' help may play a role in how Wisconsin's white-tailed deer herd is managed.
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"These deer were marked back in January as part of a study to better understand how long deer live and how they die," said Chris Jacques, a research scientist with the Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Science Services. "Hunters are free to harvest these marked deer. And if they do, we would like some basic information that shouldn't take more than a minute to provide."
The requested information about marked deer include:
The hunter's phone number, complete with area code. Hunters are being asked to call Jacques at (608) 221-6358 to report this information.
Jacques and his colleagues marked the deer 10 months ago in the northern counties of Rusk, Sawyer and Price and the east-central counties of Shawano, Waupaca and Outagamie as part of a buck mortality study sponsored by the University of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Conservation Congress and other groups.
