Wisconsin’s ruffed grouse, one of four species native here, have been front and center for nearly a year. This brown or gray beauty, what some call the state’s unofficial game bird, has not lost any patronage, however.
Alleged factors including West Nile virus and unfavorable recruitment weather may have put an extra bump in the rollercoaster population cycle. Also, a proposal to make the ruffed grouse Wisconsin’s official gamebird went up in a puff of feathers. Some hunters were miffed because Missouri was granted permission to trap 100 birds three consecutive years in trade for habitat work. If the birds could vocalize, they might complain by saying “no respect.”
Still, an entourage of hunters, most from Georgia, helped to right the ship of respect by commenting that they love driving 1,700 miles to northern Wisconsin during the season, for the scenery — it’s so beautiful — and for the friendly folks who welcome their stay.
Four-hundred Wisconsin grouse hunters continue to collect one sample each to test for the virus. Dogs continue to find enough scent to flush about 10 birds a day; and support of the bird’s state status has not waned.
The season has been cut short by a month, however, ending at December’s closure instead of January 31.
The sharp-tailed grouse, spruce grouse, and prairie chicken are the other three Wisconsin grouse species. Only sharptails are subject to hunting, albeit very limited.
Deer continue to become more obvious, too noticeable for some, as Wisconsin’s wildlife animal engages in its mating season. Calls and calling devices are working well, especially grunt tubes.
Archers and crossbowers have registered 28,940 deer since Sept. 17.
Small game and waterfowl hunters and observers are enjoying fine squirrel, turkey, duck, and pheasant seasons, in part due to weather and relatively abundant game and continued biweekly pheasant releases.
Bird feeders and watchers, too, have settled into the season with most populations now in place for the winter. Some northern birds may continue to show as weather and food push them down, most notable being snowy owls and golden eagles. Watch for larger scavenger birds roadside as deer seasons continue and culminate with the nine-day gun deer season.
While insects have become less common, some birds are going to great lengths to fuel up. Robins and a few others continue to be attracted to crabapple trees. A lone male downy woodpecker must have waited all summer for cold to send hornets from their large paper-like nest. This woodpecker opened the abandoned nursery to find dead eggs, larvae and pupae and without the usual work of drilling into a hardwood tree.
Hibernators and those who prefer torpor, have already left and some have returned to the landscape. An occasional black bear can still be seen, chipmunks, skunks, and ground squirrels, too, are making one last push for food.
We can now see the trees and the deciduous forests, even though some observers were frustrated by color displays. A few individual trees, particularly a rare oak, are doing their best to satisfy leaf peekers. In this case look at individual trees, not the entire forest.
Wisconsin’s wildlife and outdoors are special, as evidenced by the outstate licenses sold for hunting and fishing. They are likely outnumbered, though, by those who come here to recreate in ways not requiring a certificate.
— Jerry Davis is an Argyle native and a freelance writer who lives in Barneveld. He can be reached at sivadjam@mhtc.net or at 608-924-1112.
