August/September 2004 Now in our thirteenth year. www.Bdarn.com

A total of four units will share the available permits. For management purposes, sharp-tailed grouse management units use the same boundaries and designations as deer management units (DMU). Those units with sharp-tail permits available for 2004 are: DMU 2 (640 permits), DMU 8 (70 permits), DMU 9 (190 permits), and DMU 10 (100 permits). Hunters interested in sharp-tailed grouse hunting must submit an application. Applications can be purchased at all ALIS vendors, DNR Service Centers, by calling 1-877-WI-LICENSE, or by applying through the DNR Web site: http://dnr.wi.gov/. Applications cost $3. Hunters are encouraged to carefully review the zone map and apply for units that are open. Applying for closed units will result in an invalid application. Last fall, just over 500 applicants applied for 1,240 permits. Hunters harvested 78 birds during the 2003 season. The sharp-tailed grouse is native to Wisconsin's barrens and savannas and is currently only found in that remaining habitat. It closely resembles the greater prairie chicken and female ring-necked pheasant, but has a distinctive pointed tail edged with white, and creates a "chuck, chuck, chuck" call when flushed. Sharptails are most known for their courtship display on clearings called "dancing grounds" in the spring. During this display, the male uses a stiff-bodied stepping motion, followed by a "dance" in small circles. While dancing, the male vibrates his tail feathers, which makes a clicking or rattling noise. FOR MORE INFO CONTACT: Andrea Mezera 608-261-8458 Survey finds fewer Ruffed grouse drumming this spring Data from annual spring ruffed grouse drumming surveys indicates a decreased number of grouse this year compared to last year, state wildlife officials report. Statewide drumming counts are down by 14 percent compared to 2003 levels according to surveys conducted by the Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologists. "The statewide average was 0.67 drums per stop in 2004 vs. 0.78 in 2003," said Andrea Mezera, assistant DNR upland wildlife ecologist. "The largest decrease was in the northern part of the state where drumming activity was down 17 percent compared to last year. The southeast region was the only part of the state that showed an increase in drumming activity (20 percent). Mezera said the results are in line with the 10-year ruffed grouse cycle that peaked back in 1999. "We are currently on the downward side of the cycle and expect numbers to begin climbing in about a year or two. Depending upon the hatching success this spring, grouse numbers may begin to slowly increase this year," she said. Ruffed grouse drumming surveys have been used since 1964 as an indicator of ruffed grouse population trends. Beginning 30 minutes before sunrise, the surveys are conducted by driving established survey routes and stopping at 10 points lying approximately 1 to 2 miles apart, listening for four minutes, and recording the drumming activity. Because the survey technique measures changes in trends of number of drumming males heard on randomly established routes, location of the routes coupled with the drumming count results do not necessarily give a good picture of actual grouse populations in the area. Nor are the routes run through identified high or low quality ruffed grouse habitat, they are used to index annual change at randomly selected sites. The ruffed grouse season runs this year from Sept. 18 through Dec. 31 in the northern zone; Sept. 18 through Jan. 31 in the western zone; Oct. 16 through Dec. 8 in the eastern zone. The daily bag limit is five birds in the northern and western zone and 2 birds in the eastern zone. The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Warnke (608) 264-6023 or Andrea Mezera (608) 261-8458

We should have pheasant counts in the next issue before the season start.