REGIONAL— An increase in grouse drumming this spring may have suggested a better season for grouse hunters when they take to the woods beginning on Saturday. But a wet June appears to have put a damper on the much-anticipated population rebound, according to Tower Area DNR Wildlife Manager Tom Rusch.

“The birds just aren’t there from what we see right now,” said Rusch.

Ruffed grouse should be on the upswing of their ten-year cycle, and the 40-percent increase documented in this past spring’s drumming count in northeastern Minnesota suggested the grouse population was rebounding right on schedule.

But Rusch said two primary factors combine to determine the size of the population each fall— overwinter adult survival plus reproductive success. Overwinter survival appears to have been strong, but heavy rains in June appear to have sharply limited the survival of newly-hatched grouse.

“The further north you go, the more precipitation we saw and the fewer birds we’re seeing,” said Rusch. Parts of the state, such as east-central and west-central Minnesota, where spring rains were more limited, are seeing decent grouse numbers, according to Rusch, but that does not appear to be the case in northern St. Louis and Lake counties.

Rusch said his prediction could still change, if more birds start appearing later in the fall. “At this point, unless we get more information, I’d say the birds just aren’t there.”