Believe it or not, the hunting season is not over yet; several species of small game can still be hunted.

Squirrels, pheasants, and rabbits are still in season until the 28th of February, although pheasant hunting is pretty much limited to those areas that the Pennsylvania State Game Commission stocks.

Like a lot of hunters, I, too, like to get out for some of those small game species, including our state bird, the ruffed grouse.

The grouse season ended December 24, but for many hunters, it never really got started. I have encountered very few grouses during my hunting outings over the past couple of years, and I’ve talked to a lot of other hunters who have had the same experience. The grouse numbers seem to be down, at least in our general area.

Grouses are actually found throughout Pennsylvania wherever there is a suitable habitat, and they are year-round residents of the state. Unless pressured by hunters or predators, a grouse would rarely range more than a few hundred yards in a day, which explains why you may end up flushing the same grouse several days in a row.

So, what factors are involved in the changing population numbers of the ruffed grouse? It’s well known that grouse populations are cyclic, with populations ranging from low to high over periods of five to ten years.

There are actually many factors that affect the size of the grouse population, and weather is one of them. A cold, wet spring, especially one that is followed by a long-lasting, harsh winter, can certainly hinder successful hatches. Cold, drenching rains are particularly hard on nesting hens and newborn chicks, which can make them weaker and more susceptible to disease, parasites, and predation.

Another major factor when looking at fluctuating grouse populations involves habitat. The type of cover that is available or the physical features that provide natural shelter and protection are critical to grouse and all wildlife. Cover is utilized for natural shelter and protection from predators, and it is especially important for raising young. The proper cover also provides a vital food source.

What makes a good cover for grouse? Mountain laurel with hemlocks or white pines is a good cover. Greenbrier thickets and areas that have been burned or logged within the last ten years and are growing up again provide good cover. Dense pine clusters in immature hardwood forests, stands of wild crab and hawthorn trees, and abandoned apple orchards with thick cover, including grapevines, greenbriers, and thorn-apple trees, all provide the much-needed cover.

Obviously, Pennsylvania’s maturing forests have played a role in reducing the desired grouse cover, and to some extent, the larger deer herd feeding on undergrowth and cover has also led to some loss of that desired cover.

If you own property and you would like to try to increase your grouse population, you may want to cut down some of the towering, shade-producing trees and allow more sunlight to reach the forest floor, and you may want to encourage the growth of juneberries, grapes, greenbriers, and witch hazel.

Well, hopefully, we will see some increases in that grouse population in the years to come. It’s still quite a thrill to take a step while in the woods and have a grouse bolt from some nearby cover. That pounding sound is both the thundering wing flap of the grouse and my heartbeat.