Seems like they've been bust for the last 20 around here.
Is West Nile Virus hitting the ruffed grouse populations hard?
- Thread starter Big Bad
- Start date
Seems like they've been bust for the last 20 around here.
Last year our cycle was on the incline. Even if last year was the peak I would expect there to be a slow decline this year not a total bust. I dont even think its worth going out for upland game birds at all around here anymore, no grouse, huns, even the pigeons have practically disappeared.
This is true. Their cycle follows that of rabbits, which as they become scarce force predators to turn to other animals like grouse. I also knew an old guy who said bad weather at the wrong time in the spring could kill off a whole generation of ruffies; however up in the eastern hills I used to encounter mother grouse with new broods well into the summer. Or at least, they would do the broken wing thing to lure me away from their nests, I made a point of never walking towards those for fear of any chicks or eggs being abandoned.
Slight necro-thread revival:
I've been reading up on this, both published articles and other forums, and I'm starting to become convinced that west nile is the culprit. The area I hunt was logged late '90's/early 2000. The last time I saw really peak grouse numbers was just prior to the logging. If habitat was the issue, then there should have been a local population boom, not a bust and a steady decline. Last fall's hunting was dismal, miles of walking just to find a couple of birds. I haven't seen really good bird numbers since the late '90's.
The early 2000's was also the time when west nile started to become prevelant. I know some studies have found birds living and apparently healthy while infected, but it would be very difficult to determine the actual mortality rate. It would be hard to find a dead bird in the summer months, when the bush is a wall of green, so I don't know how anyone would get accurate data on this.
^^^ What is the prevelance of west nile in these areas? My understanding is that it's rare to non-existent north of Sudbury.
I've been reading up on this, both published articles and other forums, and I'm starting to become convinced that west nile is the culprit. The area I hunt was logged late '90's/early 2000. The last time I saw really peak grouse numbers was just prior to the logging. If habitat was the issue, then there should have been a local population boom, not a bust and a steady decline. Last fall's hunting was dismal, miles of walking just to find a couple of birds. I haven't seen really good bird numbers since the late '90's.
The early 2000's was also the time when west nile started to become prevelant. I know some studies have found birds living and apparently healthy while infected, but it would be very difficult to determine the actual mortality rate. It would be hard to find a dead bird in the summer months, when the bush is a wall of green, so I don't know how anyone would get accurate data on this.
^^^ What is the prevelance of west nile in these areas? My understanding is that it's rare to non-existent north of Sudbury.
We have 'low levels' of the Virus in the Okanagan - whatever that means....
AFAIK there have been 5 cases in humans here since it was detected in the Southern Okanagan in 2009. In 2018 it was detected in birds and a horse in the East Kootenays
AFAIK there have been 5 cases in humans here since it was detected in the Southern Okanagan in 2009. In 2018 it was detected in birds and a horse in the East Kootenays
badgreenbird
Regular
- Location
- Dawson Creek, BC
See also my earlier post #14 in this thread... but as far as I know, there is a lot of uncertainty / speculation on West Nile distribution and impacts. Of course, if no one is properly monitoring, then likelihood of discovery is pretty damn low! It SEEMS that the disease is less likely to occur in the north... whenever I hear (in places that ARE being monitored) that "uh-oh, it's now west nile season", it tends to be near the end of summer in those areas... which is well past the peak of skeeter season in the north.
The impacts of the virus on bird populations seems not to have been well-studied. Again, lots of speculation. But it is a prime suspect in declines of some species, including ruffed grouse. Your observations on good habitat but no birds have been reported throughout the east. The RGS is taking heat for always pushing habitat management as THE solution but local observations have not supported this. What else has changed? Arrival of West Nile is an obvious potential factor.
I've noticed a decline here in eastern Ontario in the areas we hunt. The wild turkey population is doing quite well so I'm not sure if there is any connection there. I hunt old pasture areas with haw trees, once the turkeys pass through there isn't a leaf unturned!
As I recall, West Nile is linked to Mosquitoes , It's not bug season ???
Grizz
No, but it is cabin fever season, and I have a lot of time to think about why there are no birds to hunt in the fall, and how much better it was in "the good old days"
Found this article in my googling, and it sums things up rather my succinctly than I can:
http://www.mindentimes.ca/what-s-killing-our-grouse
Londonshooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Yes, I think there is a connection. Don't know of any locations where both turkeys and grouse are thriving. It seems to be one or the other.
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Well. It's not here but in Scotland the gamekeepers or the moors which provide habitat for pheasants and red grouse, well they have some interesting info.
They say too many mountain hares can transmit a fatal disease to the upland birds via the ticks from the rabbits/hares.
Edit: do you folks remember the DDT infomercials of the 1970s? Was banned because the raptor eggs became to thin and soft. High mortality rate.
They say too many mountain hares can transmit a fatal disease to the upland birds via the ticks from the rabbits/hares.
Edit: do you folks remember the DDT infomercials of the 1970s? Was banned because the raptor eggs became to thin and soft. High mortality rate.
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Same here .... I bought a woodlot 10 years ago and not too far from Ottawa. Half of the woodlot was clearcut .... and this is now a young regrowth forest ... and would be prime grouse habitat. However, the numbers of grouse that I have seen on the property and that I harvested have gone down year after year ....
I hardly see any grouse any more.
However, the wild turkey population has gone up .... and is doing really well.
And one more observation .... 10 years ago ticks did not exist on the property ... they appeared around 7 -8 years ago .... and the area is now infested with ticks ... lots and lots of ticks out there now ...
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The Ottawa area has really crappy grouse habitat. I find a lot of the wooded areas around here have a lot of tall pines and stuff like that. I've also noticed it's more than a little difficult to find an oak tree anymore.
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nowarningshot
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Its cyclical, weather related in my experience. If its wet and cold.right when they hatch, survival of chicks is very low.
The problem is, they haven't really had a good "up" cycle for 20 yrs. It's not just a local problem. Indiana has declared them an endangered species ( in that state) and New Jersey has closed their season.
On the properties I hunt people are starting to self impose bans on them unless we see an up cycle. They're supposed to live 7-8 years, and we know the local populations are down so it seems counter productive to kill the 1 or 2 a year we see.
