WILDLIFE
Fair Game
Be certain the grouse you’ve cornered can be legally hunted BY JOE HEALY
I
was following my English pointer through a stand of white pine and tamarack trees when the sudden, booming flush of a grouse triggered my reflex to shoulder my shotgun. Reason overpowered instincts, however, and I lowered my gun. Never actually seeing the bird, I didn’t know whether it was a ruffed grouse or the spruce grouse, which is protected in many states, including my home state of Vermont. Here’s how you can tell between the two:
SPRUCE GROUSE PLUMAGE: Male spruce grouse (or black grouse) have a crimson comb, black breast feathers, white spotting and a chestnut band on the tail — quite different from ruffed grouse. The females are mottled gray or brown, similar in appearance to ruffed grouse. Both sexes have shorter tails than ruffed grouse. SIZE: Adult spruce grouse are smaller but more full-bodied than ruffed grouse, weighing in the 1-pound range and are 15 to 17 inches tall. HABITAT: Arboreal and tend to roost in trees, often firs (such as spruce trees). COMMON BEHAVIOR: The birds are called “fool hens” because they show no alarm and often stay roosted when approached. You won’t hear spruce grouse drumming in the spring — in fact, you probably won’t hear them, although they sometimes cluck when threatened.
22 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2018
Tail plumage is smaller than that of a ruffed grouse. Male spruce grouse have a distinct crimson comb.