I saw the GC watch it happen in Pa. Hunters told them Birds were in a major decline…their response was habitat deterioration. Many knowledgeable hunters told them we have great covers with few to no Birds. And for years were ignored….The GC had the degrees, the hunters only boots on the ground.
Finally they went out-with some of the same hunters- and were shown many great covers that should hold Birds.
They ignored the situation for at least 15 years. All the while bragging about their Deer program. Well, great Deer and Grouse covers are almost identical. It should have been obvious to any that had a couple clues re Grouse….something was going on.
And finally????? "Oh look here what we found....West Nile Virus."
Yet they practically had to be spoon fed to acknowledge they had fumbled the ball.
You could make the limit 10….but if you have no Birds what difference would it make.
Truth.
I'm not too awfully far from you. Back in the 80's a couple or 3 of us would spend an afternoon with our housedog............an American Cocker that would flush and retrieve anything that had wings............and have 30+ flushes as the norm.
Truth be told.........today, our grouse cover is BETTER than what it was then due to timbering and habitat improvement efforts on our part. I have not seen a ruffed grouse on our 285 acres in probably 5 years and I haven't seen 3 in the last 10 years.
Every year we get a gang of guys together for the opening day of bear season. Usually between 12 and 20 guys. We push out the best (nastiest) thickets you can imagine. IDEAL bear, whitetail and grouse cover. EVERY year for the last decade....... at the end of the day, I ask the whole group if they saw a grouse. I am still waiting on my first "yes". So, that's (conservatively) 800 man hours in ideal grouse habitat with zero flushes.
In my part of PA 2D the ruffed grouse is functionally extinct.
