Zbone's Link
https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/safety-conservation/about-ODNR/news/ohios-2024-25-hunting-seasons-proposed-to-wildlife-council
Zbone's Link
Looking over the proposed changes learned grouse can no longer be legally hunted in my county and bordering counties I used to hunt them in... Next season will only be a month long and only in 17 counties:
" RULE 1501:31-15-22 | GROUSE SEASON, HOURS, AND BAG LIMIT. It is proposed to consolidate the seasons, hours, and bag limit for grouse into this new rule. The proposed grouse season is from November 1, 2024, through December 1, 2024. The hours are from one-half hour before sunrise to sunset daily, and the bag limit is one grouse.
It is further proposed that grouse may be hunted only in the following counties: Adams, Athens, Belmont, Gallia, Guernsey, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Vinton, and Washington."
Can remember when grouse season came in the first Saturday of October and ended the last day of February and daily bag limit was 3, it was the longest hunting season we had... After bowseason ended in January we used to have a blast hunting them in February, so much even got a Brittany pup that turned into a pretty good bird dog...
Zbone's Link
I do know the DOW and the Ohio Wildlife Council are aware of these birds decline including wild turkeys and had a disagreement last year on season's and dates... Had read the first time the DOW and the Ohio Wildlife Council after long working relationship disagreed...
Sounds like DeWine stepped in and vetoed an amendment allowing the Wildlife Council more authority: "the DeWine administration called the council “an important voice in the stewardship of Ohio's outdoor recreational traditions.” On the other hand, “the current system, which relies on the professional determination of the Division of Wildlife, has worked for many years, and we see no reason to change it"
The way I read it, the Ohio Wildlife Council really hasn't any authority to change any regulations, only recommendations: https://www.coshoctontribune.com/story/sports/outdoors/2023/07/16/gov-mike-dewine-veto-leaves-ohio-wildlife-council-with-limited-say-hunting-season/70411431007/
Another buddy of mine has a farm in Carroll Co. on the Harrison Co. border and 15-20 years ago he had had a huntable population of them. (6-10 or more flushes in a few hours) but now we don't even hear them anymore. We would only hunt them once or twice a year and we scared way more than we killed.
The land uses changed down there also as some neighboring ground has grown back up from being logged and on another side the "cover" got logged out and turned to cattle pasture.
Was looking at the Ruffed Grouse Society website and discovered they are based out of Pittsburgh, wonder how our PA neighbors grouse population is doing?
We do see lots of woodcock, which is neat - but never tried to hunt those little guys.
I too know or knew (I think he's passed now) avid grouse hunter who owned a construction company and had the wealth to annually travel all over the nation hunting upland birds and waterfowl, upland birds over dogs was his thing and he felt turkeys were killing young grouse and nests... Now thinking back on it and the time frame was '97 when he was my neighbor and first mentioned it when we met in the woods and started talking turkey, so he was the first to bring it to attention way back then... I thought at the time, nah, can't be, but as time went by and local grouse population continue to decline without cycling back up I began to believe it and now firmly believe it... If ya think about it, it's obvious by the stats, look at the graph above grouse decline and the rise of the wild turkey population, they match...
I know, I know the DOW won't admit it and as you say, the NWTF has likely suppressed it...