Chapter 2 - Upland Game Birds

Ruffed Grouse | Prairie Chicken | California Valley Quail | Gambel's Quail | Bobwhite | Ringneck Pheasant | Chukar | Hungarian Partridge | Mourning Dove | White-Winged Dove

The most prized game bird of upland game hunters in the northern belt of states is the ruffed grouse, one of a large family of birds that inhabit North America. In the same family is the pinnated grouse commonly known as the prairie chicken. Other members of the family include the dusky grouse of the west, Franklin's grouse of the Pacific states, the Hudsonian grouse of northern Canada, sharp-tailed grouse of the western plains states and their numerous subspecies. In the Northeast they are found in company with the blue and spruce grouse. Ruffs weigh from one to two pounds average and are about sixteen inches in length.

The reason for singling out this particular one for study is the extreme esteem that hunters and naturalists hold for this most canny bird of the north woods. Books have been written about the craftiness of this bird and the ways and means of finding and outwitting him. The grouse vies for the honors with the Chinese pheasant as to which is the number one sport bird. To be sure there are more who hunt pheasants simply because they are more plentiful and easier to shoot, because they are largely farm birds. The grouse, on the other hand, is a creature of the wild forests and finds his home in deserted farms and open areas where the loggers have left brush growth in the forests.

The grouse is almost impossible to raise in captivity, so its restocking is much more difficult than with other birds. Mother Nature, then, is the grouse's only guide, with man its best friend and protector. Nature takes care of the grouse by constantly varying the cycle of abundance. When the birds become too crowded in a certain area, she steps in with a disease which all but eliminates the species. Then, for a few years, the number of birds gradually increases again. Most conservation authorities have tried to follow these natural cycles in an effort to keep the birds at a more even level.

Grouse are readily identified by the black and brown-banded fan-shaped tail, the two tufts or ruffs on each side of the neck and the crested head. Both male and female are colored alike. There are two general hues of color, one gray and the other rust-red.

The most interesting time of the year is in the spring, when they are in the mating mood and when they can be seen and photographed while drumming on a log to attract a female. The whirr of their wings can be heard for some distance in the woods, as they vibrate their flight feathers in a terrific dance to impress their mate-to-be. At this time it is possible to approach with the camera for some excellent photos of the courtship.

The grouse's habitat is the deep woods rather than the open fields. They are sometimes quite tame in the wilderness, but are extremely wary when found in the vicinity of even sparse farm populations. Being a member of the chicken family, their habits are not unlike that of chickens. They roost on the ground or in trees and scratch for food, which is 90 per cent vegetable and 10 per cent insects. They often take dust baths along country roads, where they also eat gravel for their gizzards.

Unlike chickens, however, they do not travel in large flocks, preferring to be individuals. The hunter is lucky to flush more than two at a time in the deep woods. Four is the most I have ever seen in the air at one time. They were all young birds who had been raised together in one patch of woods.

Their flight when aroused is quick and erratic. They explode from the brush and quite often the gunner or observer is shocked momentarily because of the sudden sound coming from almost beneath his feet. The course of flight from there on out will be one of zig-zags through the leaves and branches as the bird tries to put as much natural cover between himself and you. No two grouse ever rise in the same way, so there is no characteristic flight to study in order to be a better shot. Hunters who are successful on grouse shoot instinctively. Somehow or other their shotgun barrels seem to point in the right direction, with enough lead to deliver the shot pattern on target. They are even harder to photograph because their course in the air is so unpredictable.

Grouse are best hunted with dogs, preferably a springer spaniel or perhaps an English setter. These dogs should be trained for grouse specifically, since grouse act entirely differently than pheasants or other game birds. A good quail dog is often at a loss, due to a strange and complicated terrain. The perfect experience is enjoyed with a good dog who is able to locate a grouse on the ground and hold it on point until the hunter moves up to flush it. If the bird is shot, its coloration blends so perfectly with the forest floor that the dog, with his keen sense of smell is relied upon to fetch it.

Grouse usually live to an age of about six years and are able to stand the severe winters of the northern climes. They are smart too, and in recent years boldly hold out in the face of real estate developments and advancing civilization. The key to their survival is food, mostly berries and seeds, and a good supply of unpolluted water. They prefer to live near the hemlock and pine forests where they can dodge their predators and take flight into the thick trees. Near their protective haunts, they must have a generous food supply year-round.

As the name implies, the prairie chicken is the bird with directly opposite haunts from the ruffled grouse. He is a bird of the Plains states and western provinces of Canada, with several close relatives in a smaller species known as the lesser prairie chicken, and also the sharp-tailed grouse and sage hen. The prairie chicken is also known as the pinnated grouse. Many of these birds once lived in the eastern states but because of wide cultivation of the fields and the leveling of the land, were gradually limited to the broader western lands. The heath hen is extinct because of man and, for that matter, several of the same general types are found now only in rare bands.

Fortunately the pinnated grouse has more territory at its beck and call and so was able to cope better than most of the others with the advances of civilization.

The prairie chicken is about the same size and shape as the ruffed grouse, but with more drab markings and a square tail, rather than a fan. Male chickens wear a slight crown on the head which is drab brown, unlike the darker crest of the ruffed grouse, and they sport two ruffs at the side of the neck which also do not contrast with the neck as much as the eastern partridge's ruffs contrast with his neck.

Chickens seem to successfully make the wide open spaces their home, and manage to hide well from predators and hunters, preferring to run away ahead of the gunners or dogs than risk flying into the air. When they do take wing, they do so with a frightening explosion and erratic air path. They are found more often in small flocks and so make relatively easy hunting. The urge to migrate is strong in the more northern climes.

They prefer to miss the icy blasts and deep snow drifts and move south.

They mate in March and up until early May. A number of cock birds may gather at sunup to dance for their female prizes. They inflate yellow-colored air sacs on their neck until they resemble horns. They crackle and squawk as they reach the motions expel the air in booming sounds, which can be heard for some distance, to attract other hens to the scene. To further excite interest they raise the ruffs on the side of the necks to resemble horns. They crackle and squawk as they reach the climax of the mating dance.

This is quite an easy bird to photograph as he is so intent on the business at hand that one can approach quite closely. Females lay from eight to twelve eggs and the young leave the nest very soon after hatching to fend for themselves.

Both the California valley quail and the Gambel's quail and their many subspecies can be grouped together as they are all about the same size, of the same habits, with similar markings are found in the same general areas.

The Gambel's quail is about nine inches long and appears chestnut and purple-blue in color. The adult male is bluish-grey above with grey on his breast, but the belly is patched with buff and black. Head and throat are strikingly marked with bars of white and the rust-brown crown curves into a handsome black crest. The female is more drab in appearance. The California mountain quail is similar but with a more marked tassel OIT the top of the head.

These and their subspecies are birds of the semi-arid mountains and hill country of the Southwest and particularly California. They flock in coveys just like their cousins, the bob-white and so offer great sport to bird hunters working their dogs, particularly the German short-haired pointer.

These quail seem to have taken to civilization very well and are found in and around the fringe of cities where there is water, food and cover. Quite often in the larger towns they will parade across people's lawns and live in the bushy undeveloped lots near homes, roads and factories. They do well in captivity and are raised for the table.

When they seek safety they tend to run at first rather than fly, streaking across the ground with head and neck outstretched, their tassels bobbing as they go. When forced to take flight their air path is quite erratic, as with all the quail family. They do not fly too far generally, preferring to settle down in good cover until disturbed again. The hunter, knowing this can allow them to rest and regroup before coming upon them again for another try. Like all the quail family, they seem to believe in cooperative protection, often sleeping in a circular formation at night with all their heads pointed outwards from the circle.

They mate and breed in the spring and the female lays up to a dozen eggs, and sometimes has more than one clutch in a season.

They are subject to predators and sudden weather changes and in areas where they have been reduced by these conditions or by disease, the state conservation departments have protected them and restocked the broods with fresh blood from other areas. In general, they seem to be doing well despite the encroachments of civilization.

Their food varies according to range, the greatest part of it being seeds, buds and grains with berries as a second choice. Some insects are in the diet where the birds reside near watered areas. The hackberry bush is one of their mainstays, but they have been known to gorge themselves on bugs and particularly beetles and grasshoppers.

They spend most of the year in pairs or singles, gathering into varied flocks as high as sixty birds in the fall months. When spring comes they disband again just prior to finding their mate.

They do not have the familiar "bobwhite" call such as their eastern cousin, but make up for this in the plumage beauty.

The bobwhite is truly America's favorite, a true native of this country, with its whistle call that has made it one of the most famous birds of the world. The "bobwhite" bell-like notes immediately help to locate the bird in the cover and a cheery sound it is to the bird watcher, the wildlife photographer and the hunter.

It is a brave little bird and a "smart alec" of the fields and farmlands, preferring to live near the farmer rather than be a recluse in the forest.

"Bob" at one time lived over most of the land, with several subspecies still prevailing to this day in almost all but the most frigid parts of the country. His stronghold is in the states south of New York, Michigan and Oregon, liking the vacation land of Florida, Georgia, Virginia, the south central Mississippi Valley and the Southwest, where he is found in great abundance. The plantation owners of the South have kept their covers well-birded by introducing wild strains with pen-raised stock to keep the coveys large and strong for hunters.

At one time, "Mr. White" lived well in New England, but during the past twenty years has steadily decreased in number.

In New Jersey though he still thrives despite the winters, land reclamation and development. Before rifles were made unlawful in the counties near New York City, sportsmen shot off the predators and the quail thrived. Few are found now in West-chester and nearby counties, unless stocked on private preserves.

This quail is a checkerboard of browns, tans, yellows and off-white with black streaks here and there to further help in his camouflage. He is a very small bird, weighing a scant half to three-quarter pounds, is short-tailed, fast and erratic in flight. Enough of his numbers in the frying pan can make quite a dinner.

Bobwhites prefer to stick together in coveys, roosting and feeding together and rising in a group when put up by dogs. They are easy to photograph and, as mentioned, simple to locate by their famous whistle call that can usually be heard across the fields from dawn to dusk.

Famous sportsmen and farm hands alike love him for the continued sport he offers. His one weak point is low resistance to bad weather and disease, but conservation methods have been developed to keep his numbers high enough so we will always hear his call.
 
Though not a native American bird, the ringneck or China pheasant is an import from the Far East. He's done much better in the face of stiff competition with predators and the advance of civilization than any of the other imports and will also probably survive much longer than any of our native game species. He has to contend with hunters, real estate developers, dogs, housecats, game poachers and attacks of disease, droughts, fires and floods, but does well in spite of them all.

He is the easiest of all game birds to recognize, since there is no other upland game bird with a bright green head and neck supported by a white ring at its base. His barred, unusually long and broad tail is his second fast identifying feature. He's a big bird, weighing from two to three pounds, which is larger than a grouse and about half as big as the usual wild turkey.

Ringneck is the most popular hunting bird of all found in natural "native" stock throughout the northern states and as far south as Florida. He has traveled west to California, Oregon and Washington, either by natural breeding or by conservation truck. Where he is shot out or dies out from disease or other causes, he is easily restocked by private or other governmental agencies.

Commercial shooting preserves stock this bird in their covers where shooting is heavy and constant during the fall and winter months. In areas close to the big cities, where shooting pressure is too great in open lands, the shooting preserve and the ringneck is the only answer to shooting sport.

"Chink" is a grand bird, rising in a flurry of feathers, cackles and wingbeats dragging his magnificent tail and often waving it in a hunter's face. Best hunting is with a bird dog from the little cocker spaniel to the bigger pointers and setters. The birds are usually quite gregarious, and it is often possible to flush as many as ten at a time. Best territory for their natural growth is in the corn and wheat-belt states of the midwest. They do well also in areas where the foliage is fairly broken between forest and farmland and where there are fields broken by strips of trees and brush.

This bird is a hybrid of many species, but now has become a distinct species here in America. It is a cross between the English pheasant and the Mongolian pheasant, all quite similar in appearance. Since the strains have been intermingled over a period of time, they have developed into a strong bird which resists disease and has become smart in the face of encroaching civilization. They are often found nesting in the broken country-like patches of fields between private homes and often seen flying across main traffic arteries such as the modern parkways.

When hunted over to any extent the wild birds become very smart and crafty. They will run well ahead of even the best of bird dogs and escape. They will also fly low when flushed, keeping the dog in the line of the gun, thus causing the shooter to withhold his fire from fear of killing or wounding the animal.

Pheasant are easily pen-raised even by amateurs and many farmers raise them for the market and the table. 4H Clubs across the nation have a pheasant-raising course and contests to develop interest in aiding the conservation departments. Many states encourage 4H-clubbers by offering to pay them for raising the birds from the eggs to maturity and to help stock them in local cover.

Judged the most beautiful of all the hunting fowl, the pheasant is a godsend to our country. The male averages about two and three-quarter pounds and specimens in good wild cover usually weigh a bit more.

One of the easiest birds to locate and identify, they offer the best opportunity for the beginner at spotting, photography and hunting. They are also very good for training the young hunting dog.
 
The chukar, an import from India, Asia and Africa, and the Hungarian partridge from Europe can be grouped together for this study. Their markings and habits are somewhat similar and they are found generally in the northern prairie states and into Canada, having gained a foothold there after repeated failures in other parts of the Northern Hemisphere. They are also found as artificial plantings on the many commercial shooting preserves particularly in the East and in California.

The chukar is a fast flying bird that quickly understands what the hunter is up to when shot over to any degree and so offers exciting work with gun and dog. It is a short-tailed partridge of soft grey coloration marked with greyish-brown bars on the flanks. The feet and the bill are coral-red. It weighs a little more than the "Hun," from one to one and one-half pounds, while the "Hun" rarely weighs over a pound. The "Hun" is more plump in shape, greyish over-all but with defined chestnut-colored bar markings on the flanks. Both are seed and grain eaters and seem to survive well on farms of the Middle West and lately in the more southern states.

Sportsmen looked to these imports to bolster the failing crop of quail, and pheasant in certain areas. They have not been disappointed in the sporting qualities of the species, but have had a hard time in establishing them so that they will breed in the wild where they are most needed.

Chukars and "Huns" are a covey-type bird and in habits not unlike the native quail. They hold well to a good dog and when they take wing their flight is speedy and direct, similar to our bob white.

While both species are strong birds, they have yet to reach the status of the pheasant even in their most established range. It is hoped, however, that through the years, the future generation of these birds will build up to the rigors of life in America and that both will become well established "natives."
They are a good bird as a table delicacy, and also make good decorations for the den as mounted specimens, being a trifle more colorful than the American quail.

Their breeding and nesting times are similar to all quail and their habit of gregariousness makes them a good bird to hunt as they will generally rise in groups rather than in singles or pairs.

Hunters refer to the mourning dove and the white-winged dove as "the pigeon" in their hunting. The white-wing is a western variety and the mourning dove is a species found all over the entire country from southern Canada to Mexico. While classed as a migratory bird, they usually stay the winter when the weather allows.

They are both related to the passenger pigeon which is now long extinct due to overshooting and market-hunting, plus disease, which plagued the huge flocks that covered the land a hundred years ago.

The mourning dove is recognizable by its long triangular tail and its white border. The wings, like those of all doves, are long, slim and pointed, giving them a swift and erratic flight that appeals to gunners who try to sight it correctly in pass shooting when the doves are returning to their feeding or roosting locations.

They are ground feeders and their chief staple of diet is grains. They can be seen quite often along highways taking dust baths and eating gravel for their digestion. They generally nest in trees, the nest being made of small twigs. Two or more eggs are laid and sometimes they lay as many as three clutches a year.

Their mournful cry or coo is a sure way of locating them for identification and pictures. They are exceedingly tame and will come in to the feeding station in your yard.
The whitewing dove is a hunters' favorite particularly in California and other western states. Its habits are somewhat similar to the mourning dove except that it can live in much drier climate. Patches of white on the wing are the main identification marks. The two species are distinct and could never be confused.

They are fun to hunt, and the only time that they can be taken is during their flights from roost to feeding locations and back. While on the wing from these two locations they fly fast and usually in a direct course, appearing out of nowhere, dashing between the trees or suddenly veering off at the sight, sound or feeling of danger.

They are an excellent table bird, though small in size.

The number of wild pigeons is holding up well and they are in little danger of extinction, particularly the mourning variety. 

Are You Ready To Move Onto The Next Lesson? Click Here...