The woods are waking up from last night’s cold rain. Bright morning sun envelops the landscape, warming us and the golden leaves as we stride down a muddy logging road. Ahead, the dog’s bell tinkles as he weaves through the aspen thickets.

The dog’s nose pulls us away into a small clearing. He pauses, tail wagging on scent. Tracking carefully, he pushes into the dense understory on the meadow margin. Now frozen, the dog waits. Content to observe, I listen and hear the sudden beat of wings, then the crack of a friend's 20-gauge across the glade. The bird falls, only to be swept up and brought to hand. Perfect gray phase camouflage, so invisible on the forest floor, now enthralls us as we inspect the king of the forest, a ruffed grouse.

Ruffed Grouse Out West

This is the classic upland experience of the Northwoods, a hunt in the glory days of bird season, except, we aren’t in the Northwoods. We aren’t in the forests of northern Wisconsin or Minnesota. We aren’thunting a clearcut in Maine or a logging road in Pennsylvania. We are standing on a mountainside in Montana.

Ruffed grouse are arguably the quintessential North American upland bird throughout most of the northern latitudes. Only bobwhite quail to the south can rival them in distribution and habitat diversity. A quick glance at a species distribution map will reveal that in southern Canada, ruffed grouse stretch almost the entire width of the continent. In the United States, lobes extend down into the upper Midwest, New England, and down into Appalachia. They also extend into the Rocky Mountains and the Northwest Coast.

As many as fifteen subspecies of ruffed grouse span this range. These birds evolved as generalists, browsers of deciduous forests. In late winter, they mostly rely on the buds of deciduous trees and shrubs for food. Vastly different habitats fulfill that need.

Ruffed grouse might be the idyllic upland quarry of the Great Lakes and New England regions, but in western states, they are more of a curiosity than an icon. Further east, the word ‘grouse’ ubiquitously means ruffed grouse. Out here, it prompts confusion. While ruffed grouse might be ‘the King’ elsewhere, out West, they are mostly an afterthought.

With so much upland hunting culture built around ruffed grouse further east, it is surprising that western birds receive limited attention from hunters—at least from wingshooters with dogs. I live on the edge of the western ruffed grouse range, but I can count on one hand the number of friends that hunt them with any regularity. How can a game bird that is glorified, even worshiped, as the pinnacle of wingshooting in one region be mostly disregarded in another?

The Difference Between Eastern and Western Ruffed Grouse

Logan Clark grew up hunting ruffed grouse in northern Michigan, but now hunts them in northern Utah. He is also a graduate student at Utah State University, where he conducts research on forest grouse. He thinks there is a good reason why ruffed grouse hunting is more popular in the eastern half of North America.

“In the east, ruffed grouse are the only pursuable game bird in many places. There is a huge culture built on just that species over there. Out west, there are more options, many of which are more convenient. I'vemet several folks who grew up bird hunting out west and didn't even know that ruffed grouse were here.”

Clark thinks that the diversity of upland species in the west just leads hunters to spend more time elsewhere. “You'll see a good number of people opening weekend and into September, but once the seasons open for the ‘open country’ species, everyone pivots to that and stops going after forest grouse.” Even those that are more interested in ruffed grouse are likely to pursue them as a mixed bag, or as an incidentalbonus during a blue grouse hunt.

In general, small game and upland hunting are less popular in the West. Here, the hunting culture mostly revolves around large ungulates like mule deer and elk. Many consider a creature that yields a few ounces of meat to be entirely unworthy of anything other than incidental harvest. Sure, elk hunters might unleash an arrow at a ruffed grouse that crosses their path, and people pot-shoot them off forest service roads, but not many wingshooters seek them out.

In Montana, harvest surveys indicate that about 23 percent of bird hunters pursue ruffed grouse, compared to the 52 percent that hunt pheasants. Most of those are probably taking them opportunistically with a bow or .22. While infrequent, western ruffed grouse wingshooters can be found amongst both transplants from eastern states and a few oddball natives.

Mike Thompson, an avid upland bird and grouse hunter in Montana, learned how to hunt ruffed grouse in the rainy Cascade Range of Washington State. “Ruffed grouse were ‘my thing’ for most of my life. I’mpretty sure I coined the term ‘coastal ruff.’ I think plenty of people target them by shooting them off roads. As far as hunting them traditionally with dogs, it’s a rarity. It’s a real niche thing, with not muchinformation to help you.”

Where to Find Ruffed Grouse

Novice grouse hunters can be unsure where to look for ruffed grouse. Across their western range, ruffed grouse can be found on vast public lands, but only in the most ideal habitats. In the Rocky Mountain region, Clark says it all comes down to deciduous forest. “In my experience, covers with aspen, maple, or oak, with a thick understory of fruiting shrubs, are the best. This is often going to be near drainages and the wetter parts of the mountains.”

Clark thinks that western ruffed grouse are easier to find than in the upper Midwest, but harder to get to. “In the Great Lakes, covers are more blended together, and you will find ruffs outside of aspen dominated areas. That is rarely the case out West. If you want to find a ruff, you must first hike up a mountain and into the aspens.”

Like anywhere, western ruffed grouse seem to prefer the thickest patches of saplings and brush. If you are being smacked in the face by twigs, you are likely in decent ruffed grouse habitat. Unlike covers in the Great Lakes or New England regions, western covers tend to be patchy. You can save a lot of walking by focusing on ribbons of habitat along small trickle creeks. Pay attention to the ground layer—if you aren’tseeing green vegetation like clover, berries, and forbs, you are probably in a zone that is too dry to hold birds.

Further west in the coastal mountains, moisture is far less of a limiting factor. Mike Thompson describes the ideal cover: “I look for cedars or other heavy-branched conifers and salmonberry bushes. In my experience, salmonberry takes the place of aspen as the one sure sign of good habitat in the Northwest, and the conifers give them cover from the weather.”

Behavioral Differences Between Eastern and Western Ruffed Grouse

Eastern ruffed grouse hunters are understandably proud of their birds. A wily old drummer in hand is a true prize to be celebrated. Western ruffed grouse are sometimes derided as too foolish to hunt. A typical conversation goes, “Why would you hunt those dumb birds? I see them all the time elk hunting, and they just stand there.” While overblown, there is a little truth to this narrative. With limited hunting pressure, western ruffed grouse are sometimes quite tolerant of humans.

Behavior is one of the biggest differences that Logan Clark has noticed in hunting western ruffs.

“In the east, they are certainly more ‘spooky.’ Out west, you can get very close to ruffs. They often will flush straight up into a nearby tree if at all.” Sometimes, ruffed grouse are so stalwart that a dozen thrown sticks fail to dislodge them. However, others flush beautifully, offering challenging shots. While sporting, wingshooting isn’t guaranteed with western ruffed grouse. Clark points out that similar experiences exist elsewhere. Less pressured birds in Midwestern and Northeastern covers behave similarly.

Ruffed grouse evolved to avoid four-legged predators. If you want to level up a western ruffed grouse hunt, simply put a dog on the ground. You are far more likely to get a good flush. Even for a veteran bird dog, ruffed grouse are a challenge. A solitary grouse puts out much less scent than covey birds. Pointing dogs must be careful to not bump a bird before you get there. If they do, the bird is likely to ‘tree,’ or simply bomb off the mountain slope. Flushing dogs will have their work cut out tracking scent on the forest floor. Just like in the Northwoods, if a dog can master western ruffed grouse, they will excel on any species.

Some might sneer that western ruffs are lesser prey, but devotees like Thompson aren't about to quit chasing them. “Even if both the dog and I do everything right, there is still a slim chance of killing one. I can come back and try again later in the season without worrying about being a game hog. It’s as close to catch and release as I can get in hunting.”

Clark agrees, “They are the king. They are more approachable out west, but they still fly fast and turn on a dime in the thick woods. Compared to other game birds, they are a real challenge to hit on the wing. I enjoy hunting in the woods compared to an open cover. I like not knowing what is around the corner and being surprised.”

Get Involved and Make a Difference

Wherever ruffed grouse surprise you, they are the hall-marks of a healthy forest. That is true in the West, just like anywhere. Ruffed grouse need advocates for science-based forest management, which includes small natural wildfires, controlled burns, and strategic logging. Without disturbance that resets the landscape, grouse habitat will age out. Western populations are mostly secure, but some mountain rangeshave seen numbers decline after a century of fire suppression.

Clark encourages hunters to get involved. “There is certainly much less habitat management being done in the name of ruffed grouse out west. The Ruffed Grouse Society has very little presence out here…I imagine numbers would increase if they were considered as much as they are back east.”

Managing agencies need help to establish baseline population data. Spring drumming surveys, hunter flush counts, and wing samples can all help them manage ruffed grouse. Without such basic information, it is impossible to monitor future changes or implement effective management strategies. While ruffed grouse dwindle in parts of their eastern range, we still have the opportunity to influence landscape-scalehabitat trends in the West.

Far from ‘dumb birds,’ western ruffed grouse are worthy of our attention, both as a challenging quarry for upland hunters, and as a species of interest for conservation. Ruffed grouse are the kings and queens of the forest, East or West.