Kind of a what is it.

[Jeff]

Hunters and woodsmen( and ladies) might know right  off where the significance of this photo lies. After sitting on a deer stand one evening and being treated to perform ace after performance somewhere south of me, I went the next day on a search and found this. 

Do you know what it is beyond the obvious?

[SwampDonkey]

I'm pretty sure I know what your getting at. But, I won't spoil it. The type of woods your in and succession of them woods is pretty much setting up home base of a bird much talk about lately in the 'Birds' thread. I have to get a picture to post in that thread, maybe tomorrow.

[Jeff]

I should have added that this is a northwoods event. I don't know of it occurs much south of our latitudes.  Donk is zeroed in.

[Furby]

Yeah, I know what Donk is talking about, and it's been a long time since I've been in the area of a performance.

[thurlow]

Passenger pigeon, eh?

[sprucebunny]

    

[bitternut]

Not sure if there is a grouse drumming on that log or if you are referring to that oval hole on the fallen log that looks like it was made by a Pileated Woodpecker.

[Jeff]

Yup, a drumming log.  The area above and slightly to the right of the hole is almost polished from I guess lots and lots of wing beatings.  The log is perfect. Its wedged between those two young aspen lifting it up. You tap on the log with the palm of your hand and its quite loud.

[Fla._Deadheader]

 I hunted for probably 10 years, before hearing a "drum beat". I was trout fishing one morning, and heard this engine start in the middle of the swamp. Scratching my head, I proceeded to investigate. Came upon a grouse doing the drumming. Sounded exactly like an engine starting slowly, then increasing in RPM until abruptly dying.  Some really neat things happen in the woods. 

[farmerdoug]

You should hear those little guys drum it up around Atlanta, MI.  I use to hunt turkeys up there in the spring before they became plentiful down here.  The little guys would drum so much that it was almost not stop.  When a predator would come around the silence was deafening.

Farmerdoug

[Jeff]

They must be having a turf was there where I was hunting. Drumming is usually a spring time thing used in the fall sometimes by males defending their territory. As Harold mentioned. it sounded like somebody starting an engine every couple minutes all that one evening. I must have hear the drumming a couple dozen times right up until just about dusk. I was hunting on a  power line right of way. Just after the drumming quit, birds started flying from south to north across that 100 foot of right of was into the cedars. I guessed between 15 and 20 birds flew by me that evening. Thats a very good thing to see that many birds again.

[Fla._Deadheader]

 Are they extremely wild up there ??  Where I hunted, they would jump up behind a tree and fly away. You didn't see them until the very last, IF you stood perfectly still. I guess they would get curious and turn left or right to see what made them flush. THAT'S when we would nail them.

  My dad was an excellent shot, and he never DID get one.    BIL and I would limit out (6) each, every time we went, AFTER I figgered out how to get 'em. 

[katie-did]

We have them on the farm in Virginia. My real treat was that I had never seen or heard a grouse before, so just imagine the trip to the pine tree at dusk before tucking into bed for the night.  Lets just say that night I never did make it to the tree.  Kicking up one bird sounds like a B-52 taking off if you do not know what it is. They still startle me but at least I do not take off running the other way.

[Burlkraft]

For some reason I just can't imagine you running off the other direction from anything....

[Jeff]

A person would have to be a zombie if they didn't duck and cover when a grouse breaks lose under foot when they were totally expecting. 

[SwampDonkey]

 Are they extremely wild up there ??  Where I hunted, they would jump up behind a tree and fly away. You didn't see them until the very last, IF you stood perfectly still. I guess they would get curious and turn left or right to see what made them flush. THAT'S when we would nail them.

They are very wild here near settlements. However, if you go in the deep woods where there is less hunting pressure, they are as tame as chickens. I've walked in under them, with them being only 12 feet up in a birch tree. Sometimes they would always run and never fly. Sometimes a whole flock of 6 or 8 or more would just fly straight up in a big birch or fir tree and sit there to be picked off by shot gun or .22 . Limit here was 6 per day, 12 in possession.

[Phorester]

We still have grouse in Virginia, although the biologists say they are less than in the past.  I've had my share of almost-heart attacks when one or more of these chicken-sized birds exploded out from under my feet peppering me with a bushel of leaves and sticks as I stood there trying to get my breath back.  I swear one of them brushed aginst the underside of my boot as I almost stepped on him before he jumped.  Lord-A-Mercy!  JEFF your picture of the drumming log looks to be in a perfect location according to the biologiests.  Next to a small opening so the bird can peer out, but up against the mature trees and a little brushy for added cover.

I've done a lot of research on grouse habitat since one of my landowners expresssd interest in that bird a year or so ago.  He owns about 80 acres of mature mixed applachain hardwoods, within several thousand acres of the same forest type.  Read that as only one wildlife habitat in several thousand acres of forest. When I told him that a 20 acre clearcut on his property would provide excellent habitat for grouse, he said, "well, I guess they won't be on my property after all.  I'm not clearcutting one acre."  Shortsighted.

One glaring habitat missing in one of my counties where grouse used to be found easily is the presence of 1 - 10 year old clearcuts, 10 - 20 acres in size.  A definite requirement for this bird to have reproducing populations.  There has been no clearcutting in that county for about 15 years. 

It is not a stretch to say that this woodland bird is becoming extinct in that mountain county due to a lack of clearcutting.  Try to explain that to the anti-clearcutting public.

[Jeff]

We are very lucky to have the cabin in the area that it is in. We have several large land owners surrounding us who live on thier property and manage it for the wildlife and their own personal enjoyment. They understand that a clearcut can be a management tool not only for timber but also for wildlife.

[Onthesauk]

Have a lot of them on the hillside up behind our house.  Several years ago while hiking up there in the Spring, surprised a hen with 3 or 4 chicks.  She flopped off through the brush, trying to draw me away.  The chicks ran directly to my feet.  Someone later told me it's instinctive, the foot stepping away won't step on them.

[bitternut]

We have grouse in western ny but not a lot of them. They are usually quite flighty and as Jeff said they will scare the heck out of you when they explode into flight without any warning.

But I know of 2 different cases where an adult grouse was apparently attracted to the exhaust of a 4-wheeler. The first one was a few years ago and this grouse would follow a friend of mine around on his 4-wheeler. I never saw this grouse but heard the many tales of his antics from more than one person.

The second grouse I know of is alive and well at the moment and I have witnessed some of his strange behavior in person. This grouse is an adult male and at least 2 years old. A friend of mine has a camp near my woods in Allegany County ( NY ). This grouse was also attracted to a 4-wheeler. He is named " Drummer Boy ". My friend has pictures of this grouse sitting on his head and doing other abnormal grouse behavior. Drummer Boy has even become friends with my buddies yellow lab. My friend carries sun flower seeds with him and even with me there he came right up for his usual snack. If the play with the dog gets a little too rough he flies up in a tree for a while. I would post a couple of the pictures I have but my friend is a pretty good photographer and he gets a little ticked if his pictures get shared without his approval.

Anyways I don't mean to steal this thread but just thought I should tell the story about Drummer Boy.