I saw this on a great blog called Uplandbirdhunter.com. Check it out. I’m sure you could use the same technique to a grouse.
OF course, you need to do something with those quail once they’re cleaned. You could even bring the ingredients along with you and do this in the field:
Enjoy.
www.dogsanddoubles.com
I was doing a bit more research into winter time grouse foods when I came across this: Winter Food Habitats of Ruffed Grouse in Young Aspen Stands. This paper is based on finding from a 1972-1973 study of 10-15 year old clear cuts in Oneida County, Minnesota.
The researchers found that the top ruffed grouse foods were Aspen bud and Hazel catkins. The grouse also were also feeding heavily on a species of ferns, as well as on wintergreen and goldenthread.
I’ve always been told that grouse switch to Aspen buds as cold winter moves in and the ground freezes up. This string over at Upland Journal proves that that’s not the whole story. Some bird’s diets are a bit more diverse.
The bird was shot in late December. Check out the content of it’s crop (and just how full that crop is) to see what it has been eating.
I think that green, leafy stuff is Toothed Wood Fern.
