James: It is unique, isn't it?
Sadly, it's also rapidly becoming one of the last refuges of truly-huntable populations of Bonasa Umbellus in these United States. In the world I grew up in (NW Pennsylvania) they are extremely scarce anymore (they were quite plentiful in my youth). My brother tells me that in northern New Hampshire they aren't nearly as depleted (and I'm seeing online that northern Maine may still be in respectable shape as well).
You folks in Canada will likely be the final stand for all that (& from what I understand these birds here are the Canadian Variant, [Togata] as well). I see more hunters here with every passing year. When I first started coming up, 25-years ago now, it was very different place (very empty & no 4-wheelers).
Lloyd, I'm always surprised when I go to a place like Penn or Mass or upstate NY at just how much wildness there still is, because I have a rough idea of the populations in those places. I feel that way because in Canada, when you go to the wild places, there are effectively no people. Not there and not close by. In the US, with the population you have, even the wild places in the east are thick with people. If I drive 2 hrs north of where I sit and type this, I have 1000 miles to the west and 500 miles to the east of basically empty grouse habitat. It feels endless. And I expect it to feel that way for at least another 50 years.
Now, there are good years and not so good years. Great habitat and not so great habitat. But these are largely naturally occurring circumstances. Not too influenced by man's presence. Just as I need to travel to the US if my goal is to hunt quail, I think it will not be too long before American hunters will need to travel to Canada for good ruffed grouse hunting.
