There's some talk of shortening Wi's partridge season.
https://www.outdoornews.com/2018/06/20/w...t-lakes-states/

for some reason our grouse program isn't working

I know they go through a 10 years cycle.

And sometimes they never come back.
To even hear one drumming in something of the past for me.
I did manage to see 2 last year.
None this year yet.

Use to have allot of em back in the 70s and 80s in Ct, I have not seen one or heard drumming in 15 years But Drive 2 hours north to Vt and
there are allot of em. Here is a Partridge nest I found last month.

We have few grouse in this area compared to even 2 years ago. They have found West Nile in enough birds to think it is probably a big factor. Our weather has been generally favorable to nesting but the population decline is obvious. Not enough birds killed by hunters to be a factor.

A cycle yes, but now they think there might be something more going on.

Yep. Grouse are certainly extinct. No point hunting them.

I suppose the road hunters will have to shoot deer out the truck window with their crossbows.

Too many predators?or loss of habitat?

are you seeing a lot of hawks in that area?

There's definitley more and diverse predators than 3 decades ago.
Maybe it has something to do with todays forest management practices.
Perhaps low fur prices have resulted in more critters on the landscape eating their eggs.

Some, but I don't know enough to say whether the hawk population is up.

The turkey population seems down too. In fact I was just reading an article yesterday about this being like the lowest turkey harvest in a decade.

I've got six turkeys right now about 10 yards from my kitchen deck.

I never heard one Drumming this spring, usually hear at least a couple every year.

Seems good up here, I found the drumming trees of 6 males this spring. 3 were withing earshot of the same clearing. I like to listen to them drum and then sneak as close as possible. Hearing and seeing them drum from 10 yds is awesome!

There have been a couple cold and wet springs which hurt grouse during the nesting and hatching time period. Also there are more predators and egg eaters than 30 or so years ago. The cycles do occur and when other environmental issues come during a lower number or a downward trend they can cause some significant losses. As to West Nile and other diseases we should be able to confirm those causes quite quickly and easily. Some habitat studies should be done as well. Are there more grouse in the areas where there is more newer growth and undergrowth versus the more maturing forest areas?

Bryce

In Pa, the numbers are very low. No winter season now. It’s blamed on....

1. West Nile Virus
2. Lack of timber cutting/ new growth habitat
3. Hawks and owls

I think fixing #2 would help out a lot..

I had never seen or encountered one until the fall of 2016 when I flushed one on my property in VA. I did not know what it was, I thought "what is a lone quail doing the wood?" ….then it happened again a few weeks later and that is when I realized it was a grouse. This past fall I did not flush any, but saw one that did not flush when I was blood trailing a deer through thick stuff....it was about 10 feet away and did not seem bothered by me. Also this fall I heard woodcocks calling for the first time ever, and had one under a treestand at last light, I could see it but identified by the unique call.

This property was heavy select cut 16 years ago, and the neighboring properties were clear cut 14 and 20 years ago. So I guess the timber conditions are about right for grouse.

Ours are down tho I have seen newly hatched chicks in the last week. In this area the grouse love the gravel and clover that come up on the never ending forest roads and the hawks are in the trees on those roads every 100 yards year round. Never seen as many hawks as in the last few years.

Osky

I believe west Nile plays a major factor. Also, thank a tree hugger. Here the Feds rarely cut timber any more like they used to. In the 90s a 20 bird jump day was common. Now you're lucky to jump 2!!!