FEMALE FEEDING GAME PATCH

The eggs are incubated about 24 days, and all the eggs hatch within a few hours of each other during late May and early June. The clutch normally numbers 9 - 14 eggs, which are laid over a period of approximately 2 weeks. Most ruffed grouse nests are located at the base of trees in open hardwood stands, although other sites (such as the base of stumps, under slash, bushes, or brush piles) are commonly used. After fertilization occurs, they leave the male and seek nesting cover. Male grouse then proceed to 'drum' - a territorial display which also serves to advertise their location to females.ДЇemales are receptive to, and mate with, displaying males for only a few days. With the onset of spring, male ruffed grouse become aggressively territorial and defend an area of woodland approximately 6-10 acres in size. Grouse chicks feed on insects, a high protein food that helps them double their weight during their first week of life.

Aspen is generally regarded as the most important single year-round food for ruffed grouse in Maine. During winter, when snow covers the ground, they live almost exclusively on the dormant flower buds or catkins of aspens, birches, and cherries. Ruffed grouse are omnivorous they eat green leaves, fruits, and some insects. Because of the small home range of grouse, good habitat must meet all food, shelter, and drumming requirements within a small area (generally less than 30 acres).ДЇood habits. Fire can create mixed-age stands of aspen that is considered premier ruffed grouse habitat. Approximately 27,690 square miles of Maine is forest land and is considered grouse habitat, but the quality of the habitat varies widely according to the interspersion of age classes and forest types. Ruffed grouse occur throughout Maine in cover types of hardwood dominated mixed growth, softwood dominated mixed growth, upland hardwoods, lowland hardwoods, old fields,and orchards. Game Bird Hunters!!Д¬an you tell the difference between the legally hunted ruffed grouse (partridge) and the spruce grouse, for which there is no open season? See photo and description. The female grouse has a tail about as long as her back, whereas the male's tail appears longer than his back. In the field, a rough guess can be made by looking at the relative length of the tail to the body. The most reliable method of determining sex of a bird is by examining its internal organs. Ruffed grouse are monomorphic, that is birds of both sexes, and birds that have lost their juvenile plumage, all look alike. There are two color phases of ruffed grouse, red and gray.

FEMALE FEEDING GAME PATCH

Conspicuous markings are the broad black band of the fan-like tail feathers and the patch of dark feathers on both sides of the neck that can be expanded umbrella-like into a ruff. Plumage of the ruffed grouse is subtly and beautifully marked in a way that blends remarkably with their habitat. The subspecies that inhabits Maine is the St.

They rank among the smaller of the 10 species of grouse native to North America with weights ranging from 17 to 25 oz. Ruffed grouse are the most widely distributed game bird in North America. Ruffed Grouse ('Partridge') Physical Characteristics Rulemaking Proposals Open to Public Comment.Opportunities for People with Disabilities.

Female feeding game