Stem Density
Many of my clients have had to listen to me prattle on about grouse habitat, and especially the need for "stem density". This sounds like a nebulous term, and no, I don't have an exact figure tor the amount of stems per acre that makes excellent grouse habitat (there is a figure that I've read, but it didn't stick in my memory the way that grouse coverts do). I know it when I see it, and it is nearly always a good place to stop and take an inventory. I have read that wrist-sized poplar are the best, but we have a lot of maple and yellow birch here in northern New Hampshire and Vermont that seems to provide the cover that grouse need.
Great stem density here, not only liked by grouse but woodcock too.
A covert with the right amount of stems serves three purposes. Early on in a grouse's life, it provides excellent brood rearing habitat, as the chicks can move around and have protection from avian predators. For male grouse, areas of high stem density provide good cover for drumming. As they usually use logs or other natural perches for this purpose, the stems allow them to advertise their wares and not have to suffer the consequences for doing so. In the hunting season, areas of high stem density provide cover for grouse, and as they are usually on the periphery of a logging cut, they can get easy access to food and flee for safety when needed.
Areas of high stem density is pretty much all that we hunted yesterday with my client Art. He's been with me a long time and has always complied with my requests to go in to a particularly thick area or climb yet another hill. I tested him yesterday and Art did a nice job of responding to the beeper when a dog was on point (that happened a lot yesterday) and though his usually solid aim went askew every now and then, he did a good job of rewarding the dogs for their efforts. Art limited out on woodcock behind Bode's excellent pointing and retrieving, but the highlight of the morning was Bode's point on a quartet of grouse, lounging in the ferns just down the hill from us. Art was caught by surprise as the grouse went off, one at a time, to safety ... no shot fired. This would be a bit of a theme for us yesterday.
A frequent pose for Bode yesterday morning - on point.
Rosie worked the afternoon and she had quite a time pointing a number of woodcock that we had to let go, and then a bunch of grouse. There were two groups of at least three grouse that she pointed, and a few singles for good measure. A couple of them gave Art good opportunities, but they gave him the slip, with the last being the most memorable. Rosie went on point on the edge of a large clearcut, and as we moved in one grouse exploded to Art's left. He took a shot at it and missed, cracking his gun to put in another shell, and wondering what happened on the last effort. Still, Rosie stayed on point, and that should have been our trigger that there were more to come ... two more grouse went out, one at a time, and they would have made excellent targets. Art just shook his head. Never let your guard down!
Our total for yesterday was 16 grouse and 13 woodcock moved, many of which were pointed by the dogs. We'll be out there today, at least for a while until the rain catches up to us. Better weather is on the way this week however.
