Species Highlight: Oregon's Forest Grouse

Blue Grouse

Illustration by Jeffrey Klinefelter

Understanding the fall habits, food preferences, and preferred habitats of Oregon’s forest grouse species can help make it easier to locate birds and improve your odds of harvesting a bird.

Ruffed Grouse

Illustration by Kip Richmond

While the hunting regulations specify separate bag limits for blue and ruffed grouse, Oregon technically has 4 species of forest grouse. Ruffed grouse are the most commonly harvested species of forest grouse in Oregon. “Blue grouse” are comprised of 2 species: sooty grouse and dusky grouse, which occupy separate ranges in the state, but look very similar. The fourth species is spruce grouse, which occupy a small range in northeast Oregon, and are not legal to harvest.

Ruffed grouse can be found throughout the Coast, Cascades, and Blue Mountains. They prefer early successional deciduous habitats; particularly quaking aspen stands when they are available. Ruffed grouse can also be found in brushy streamside habitats where some of their favorite food items are available. The buds, catkins, leaves, and twigs of aspen are an important food source for ruffed grouse in eastern Oregon. Other important foods include rose hips, willow buds and twigs, clover, hawthorn, chokecherry, serviceberry, red osier dogwood, and elderberries. Ruffed grouse are typically permanent residents and don’t perform seasonal migrations.

Among blue grouse, sooty grouse range spans the Coast and Cascade mountain ranges, including the Warner Mountains. Dusky grouse range includes the extent of the Blue Mountains. Blue grouse tend to be found at higher elevations than ruffed grouse, preferring open conifer stands on ridgetops in the fall and winter. In the earlier part of the hunting season, blue grouse can be found associated with ripe fruits such as hawthorn, currant, Oregon grape, serviceberry, strawberry, rose, huckleberry, and salal. As the season progresses, blue grouse migrate from relatively open breeding areas to more dense conifer forests and transition to primarily a conifer needle diet. Blue grouse get more difficult to find as the season progresses and they spend more time in trees feeding on conifer needles. Hunters should look for blue grouse in stands of fir trees, lodgepole pine, and western hemlock.

All species of forest grouse depend on ingesting grit, such as small rocks, to aid in digestion. This activity typically takes place within an hour of dawn and dusk. Hunters who are having difficulty locating birds can search forest roads during these times, however it is not legal to hunt or shoot, from or across, a public road or it’s right-of-way. A better strategy is to walk forest roads closed to motor vehicles in the early morning and late afternoon. During the day, hunters can also look for other sign, including droppings and footprints that can provide clues to favorite forest grouse hangouts.

Finally, consider the slope and aspect of potential grouse habitat. Ruffed grouse generally prefer steep, north-facing aspects which retain more moisture and contain a greater diversity of vegetation than drier south-facing slopes. South and west-facing slopes are important to blue grouse at higher elevations as they work to stay warm in cooler conditions. On windy days, look for grouse on the protected side of slopes, or in dips and hollows in the landscape as they prefer to stay out of the wind.

Oregon enjoys a bounty of healthy forest grouse populations. Adult hens are the backbone of Oregon's forest grouse flocks, producing the young for each generation. Hens can be particularly vulnerable early in the season when they are still tending their chicks. Hunters who learn to identify the difference between male and female grouse can choose to pass on hens and focus on harvesting males, giving hens the chance to contribute to next year's population and ensure our long-lasting tradition of forest grouse hunting in Oregon.

Spruce Grouse

Illustration by Buck Spencer