REGIONAL— Northeastern Minnesota’s ruffed grouse population appears to be booming and hunters should start to reap the rewards this Saturday, when the fall grouse season gets underway.

With plenty of leaves still on the trees and brush, the first couple weeks of the season are always challenging. But hunters should find more birds in the woods this fall than they have in years, according to Tower Area DNR Wildlife Manager Tom Rusch.

“We’ve been seeing plenty of broods in the woods this summer,” said Rusch. “Combined with this spring’s drumming counts, I expect it to be a really good season.”

Statewide drumming counts averaged 2.1 per stop this spring, a 57-percent jump over last year. And the numbers were even better in northeastern Minnesota, where a survey crews recorded an average of 2.5 drums per stop. Generally anything above 2 is considered an exceptionally strong population. The drumming counts are based on an annual DNR survey during which surveyors listen for drumming grouse for a set period at predetermined stops. It’s seen as a reasonably reliable indicator of the cyclical fluctuations in the ruffed grouse population.

Minnesota is traditionally home to the largest ruffed grouse population in the U.S. and normally experiences the largest harvest in the country by a wide margin. “We’re a destination for hunters from around the country,” said Rusch. “Minnesota has the best ruffed grouse hunting in the nation.”

When the grouse cycle is nearing its peak, as it appears to be this year, the ruffed grouse hunting in northern Minnesota is unparalleled.

Perhaps the best news is that the good times should last for a few more years. According to Rusch, the region’s grouse population is probably still two-to-three years from reaching its peak, which means hunters could be looking at outstanding grouse hunting at least through 2020 in northern Minnesota.

While a wetter-than-normal June can depress survival of young grouse, Rusch said that likely won’t be much of an issue this year, despite a June that was slightly wetter overall than average. He noted that while rainfall was frequent, it was rarely heavy and it wasn’t accompanied by cold temperatures. “It was generally warm enough that the young birds likely did fine,” he said. That view appears to be bolstered by field reports showing good numbers of young birds, said Rusch.

Strong reproduction can add a lot of young birds into the mix for hunters, and many of the young birds aren’t as savvy as adults, making them an easier target.

As if an abundance of birds isn’t enough, Rusch said hunters in the region benefit from a huge amount of public land that’s open to hunting. In addition, the DNR maintains a growing network of hunter walking trails across the region. The trails are designed to allow hunters to access favorable grouse habitat. The trails are mowed to provide easier walking and to make them more attractive to grouse, who often frequent forest edges. The Tower Area DNR maintains 75 miles of hunter walking trails in 20 locations around northern St. Louis and Lake counties. For maps of available trails, visit the DNR’s website at www.dnr. state.mn.us/hunting/hwt/index.html.