doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Grouse ID

Secondary wing feathers are monochromatic not banded like those of a ruffed grouse.

One more interesting bit:

"The present Vermont breeding spruce grouse population, estimated to be about 100 birds, is limited to the 24-square-mile Nulhegan Basin between the Wenlock Wildlife Management Area in Ferdinand and the so-called �Yellow Bogs� area in Lewis. The Nulhegan Basin provides habitat for the spruce grouse with stands of pure black spruce or mixed spruce, balsam fir, and larch dominating the vegetative cover of these lowland boreal forests. Scattered alder swamps and small open bogs are also present."

https://northernwoodlands.org/outside_story/article/the-other-grouse-hangs-on

Habitat similar to Nova Scotia. We used to see a lot of them but I haven't in 25 years.

Spruce. We are getting more each year in our area of Manitoba. A fire went through in 1989 that turned 000's of acres of logged and semi-open jackpine/birch into doghair jackpine that is slowly thinning out from competition for sunlight. After almost 30 years the doghair jackpine is still almost impossible to walk through because of the deadfall, and the pre-fire logging trails are the only way to get into the area as they were used once again for salvage logging of some of the larger dead jackpine. Interestingly, Sharp-tailed Grouse were abundant in grassy openings in the area the first few years after the fire.

Yep....Sprucie.