From the Field: Forest Grouse

By Jim Lukens, Idaho Department of Fish and Game Idaho's three species of forest grouse - dusky, ruffed and spruce grouse - are found right here in the Salmon Region. Each is unique in appearance, behavior, and habitat preference. The dusky grouse, formerly called the blue grouse, is a large bird about 20 inches long of uniform sooty-gray color. Females are smaller, mottled brown above, with a gray belly. Males sport a bright yellow-orange eye comb and white feathers surrounding fleshy reddish-purple air sacs on each side of the neck. During courtship, these air sacs are inflated for a flashy show of color that amplifies their deep, owl-like hooting call, audible up to a quarter mile away. In the breeding season, dusky grouse favor forest edges and openings, where they feed on a mixed diet of insects, green plants, and berries. In winter, in an unusual reverse migration, they head uphill to dense conifer stands, where they subsist on fir needles. The spruce grouse is smaller and stockier than the dusky. Males have a black throat edged with white, black breast, and a scarlet eye comb. Female plumage varies from gray to reddish brown. The male's courtship display includes a series of low frequency hoots and a gliding flight ending in two loud wing claps - like gunshots. Spruce grouse inhabit dense conifer forests of spruce, fir and lodgepole pine. In winter, their diet consists entirely of conifer needles. In other seasons, they feed on green shoots, leaves, berries, flowers and insects. Spruce grouse are noted for their boldness with humans, often feeding or perching mere feet from observers, a behavior that has earned them the nickname "fool hen." Ruffed grouse are similar in size to spruce grouse, but have a distinct crest on the head, black ruffs on the sides of the neck and a dark band near the tail tip. Males are renowned for their "drumming" courtship display, which produces a series of accelerating, muffled thumps that can be felt as well as heard. The sound is made by beating wings against the air to create a vacuum, as lightning does when it makes thunder. Riparian areas and other moist mountain-shrub habitats are commonly used by ruffed grouse. Forest grouse are well-adapted for surviving Idaho's harsh winters. All three species grow comb-like bristles on their toes in winter, which act like snowshoes, enabling them to easily walk on soft snow. And to cope with the bitter cold, forest grouse will either burrow or dive into a "snow roost" where temperatures may be 20 to 30 degrees warmer than the open air. All three forest grouse offer fun and challenging sport, whether wing-shooting over a hunting dog or bird watching through binoculars. Forest grouse season in the Salmon Region runs August 30 through December 31, with a daily bag limit of four and possession limit of eight. With so much public land within reach and the chance of bagging any of three forest grouse species, what better excuse for a walk through the fall woods? Jim Lukens is the regional supervisor for the Salmon Region.