Number 9

HABITAT REQUIREMENTS
The Ruffed Grouse is a major
upland game bird found primarily in
the
Appalachians
and
the
Cumberland Plateau. Usually found
above 2,000 feet in the southern
portion of their range, they have
also been found at lower elevations.

Grouse typically inhabit thickets,

brushland, and forests of rugged
mountains
and
canyon-lined
plateaus. Grouse requires early
stages of forest succession.
Interspersion and a variety of timber
classes enhance the quality of
ruffed grouse habitat. Ruffed grouse
prosper in even-aged woodlands
that have frequent thinning and
short rotations.

Home Range
Most adult male grouse are
generally stationary, and have a
home range of 10 to 50 acres.
Females with broods, however, will
range over 40 to 100 acres. Home
range is determined by the quality of
food, water, and cover. Habitat
quality, not hunting, limits grouse
densities.

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University, North Carolina
A & T State University, US
Department of Agriculture,
and local governments

Water
Grouse fulfill their water needs from
dew and succulent plants. Standing
water is not necessary.

North Carolina
Cooperative Extension Service
North Carolina State University
College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
College of Forest Resources

Page 2

Food

Cover

Grouse are primarily plant eaters. Although

mostly browsers of woody plants, twigs, and
buds, they also like to feed on fleshy fruits.
Insects are essential food for broods from late
May through July. Grouse are opportunistic
feeders, having more than 300 plant species on
which to feed. Listed below are some of their
favorite foods by season.

The major cover requirements are for escape,

nesting, brooding and winter protection.
Interspersion of cover types is very important.

Ruffed Grouse Foods

Spring
Apple
Sumac
Catkins

Shadbush
Strawberry

Yellow Birch
Hop-hornbeam
Laurel

Summer
Insects
Blackberry
Mulberry
Crataegus

Black Cherry
Raspberry
Dewberry
Strawberry
Jewelweed
Partridgeberry
Succulent Forage

Fall
Apple
Beech
Birch
Acorns

Crataegus
Huckleberry
Dogwood

Viburnum
Sumac
Grapes

Escape cover is provided by thickets,

vine tangles, young timber, and dense shrubs
- the thicker, the better.
Nesting cover is generally second
growth, fairly dense hardwoods where the
undergrowth is sparse and located near
brood-feeding grounds. About three-fourths
of the nests are located within 100 feet of an
opening, and near drumming sites.*
*Drumming sites are decayed logs or prominent rocks
on which a male beats his wings for a mating call.

Brooding cover is characterized by

forbs, grasses, low shrubs, and insect
production. Overgrown lands, recent cut-over
areas, and areas of sparse overstory crown
cover are premium brood range.
Winter cover usually consists of
evergreens such as laurel, greenbriar, and
rhododendron, or small, dense young
conifers. Regenerated hardwood stands (3 to
20 years old) can also provide excellent winter
cover.

Winter
Birch
Apple
Hazelnut
Clover

Hop-hornbeam
Acorns
Sumac
Hepatica

N.C. Cooperative Extension Service

Grapes
Greenbriar
Laurel
Teaberry

Working With Wildlife # 9 - Ruffed Grouse

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RUFFED GROUSE

AGE
COVER

TIPS FOR IMPROVING RUFFED GROUSE HABITAT

General:
Regenerate small stands (10 - 40 acres)
Distribute regeneration cuts throughout the tract to maintain interspersion
Avoid extensive stands of even-aged, single stand management
Limit prescribed burns to winter months

Direct Improvements:
Plant roads and logging decks with white clover and orchard grass
Thin around fruit and nut trees for crown growth and more food production
Establish small, dense evergreen patches for winter cover
Create openings in areas where they are lacking

Species That Benefit from Ruffed Grouse Management

Numerous game and nongame species with similar habitat requirements benefit from
grouse management. Rather than focusing solely on grouse, management plans should
emphasize the communities of which grouse are a part. Grouse associates include:
Black Bear

White-tailed Deer

Rabbits

Foxes

Prepared by:
Edwin J. Jones, Department Extension Leader,
Mark A. Megalos, Extension Forestry Specialist,
Michael S. Mitchell, Graduate Research Assistant

Songbirds

Page 4

Cost share assistance may be available through the Stewardship Incentive Program for
these practices. See your Wildlife Biologist, Forester, or Extension Agent for more
information about the Forest Stewardship Program.

Other Wildlife Notes Available:

No. 1 - Endangered Species
No. 14 - Snags and Downed Logs
No. 2 - Eastern Gray Squirrel
No. 15 - Managing Edges for Wildlife
No. 3 - White-tailed Deer
No. 16 - Building Songbird Boxes
No. 4 - Songbirds
No. 17 - Woodland Wildlife Nest Boxes
No. 5 - Wild Turkey
No. 18 - Low Cost Habitat Improvements
No. 6 - Wood Duck
No. 19 - Pools for Amphibians
No. 7 - Cottontail Rabbit
No. 20 - Hummingbirds and Butterflies
No. 8 - Bobwhite Quail
No. 21 - Bats
No. 9 - Ruffed Grouse
No. 22 - Owls
No. 10 - Black Bear
No. 23 - Managing Beaver Ponds
No. 11 - Raccoon
No. 24 - Herbaceous Plants for Wildlife
No. 12 - Mourning Dove
No. 25 - SIP Wildlife Opportunities
No. 13 - Wildlife Terms

FOREST STEWARDSHIP
a cooperative program for
improving and maintaining all of the
resources on private forestland

11-94-4M-WWW-9