Like in 2022, spring drumming counts are up for the state’s ruffed grouse spring population in its core range in northern Minnesota, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
In a news release this week, the DNR said warm temperatures and dry conditions that are boons for nesting grouse may explain “the quicker than expected rise to levels like recent peaks in the 10-year cycle.”
The DNR and its partners involved in the drumming survey listen for the low sound produced by males as they rapidly beat their wings, signaling their location. Drumming also is part of the bird’s courtship ritual.
“While ruffed grouse drumming counts are up in the core of ruffed grouse range, they are not an accurate way to predict the birds that will be present during the fall hunting season,” said Charlotte Roy, DNR grouse project leader, in the release. “Nesting success and chick survival during the spring and summer are among the factors that influence the number of birds present in the fall.”
Minnesota’s sharp-tailed grouse population also mirrors similar levels to 2022.