Grouse Hunting

Connected with thousands of acres of public hunting ground in the Chippewa National Forest, Northland Lodge offers ideal grouse hunting. Ruffed grouse are a native woodland bird about the size of a small chicken. The bird is noted for its fan-shaped tail marked by a broad, dark band. Grouse hunters can start their hunt from Northland Lodge and return to their comfortable cabins at the end of the day.

Ruffed grouse feather length indicates sex of bird.
If the central tail feather measures six inches or longer, the bird is a male. If the feather is noticeably less than six inches, the bird is a female. In the photo above, the top feather measures about seven inches, and is from a male. Note the male bird's distinctive dark band. The bottom feather is about 5 3/4 inches, and is from a female.
Determining the age of a ruffed grouse.
This photo of two ruffed grouse wings shows a good example to use for determining age of ruffed grouse. The wing on the left is from a juvenile, characterized by frayed ends on the outer primary feather. The wing on the right is from an adult, distinguished by smooth round edges on the outer primary feathers.

2008-2009 Hunting Calendar

2007 Grouse Survey (pdf)

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