I'm not a real smart guy. I don't play the frozen orange juice futures or invest in the Greek economy. I do however wait for the Minnesota DNR statewide ruffed grouse report to come out every year. I try every year to get it early from some people in the know but they all have been sworn to secrecy. This year I had to wait. However here is the info!

ITS UP OVER 18%!!!

We are seeing the cycle on the upswing. I had a good feeling it would be up with the number of big, strong birds in the spring woodcock banding. It was a weird winter but they made it ok. We have rain but it’s been spread out enough not to hurt the broods. The last two years have been pretty steady at 1.1 drums per stop. In 2016 its 1.3 drums per stop. These drumming surveys are done between the dates of April 12 and May 10, before reproduction.

What does this mean? We should see an uptick in flushes this year at Pineridge. We all know how easy they are to bag so hopefully seeing more birds will help our average. The best part of this report is we should have good to hopefully great grouse number the next 4-6 years. Now’s the time to get the puppy!!

Please keep in mind, you still need a good pair of boots, a good dog and a passion for the King of the Woods!!!