Give for Grouse Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this week's show, we introduce to you the Give for Grouse Initiative! We discuss what the Give for Grouse Initiative is all about, what we're hoping to accomplish, and how we want to give ruffed grouse a voice and advocate for healthy forests and forest management. 

In this week's episode of the Give for Grouse Podcast, we discuss ruffed grouse management 101. Ruffed Grouse are a specialist species that thrive in early succesional habitats and young forests, and we dicuss how to create those environments through logging and other habitat management techniques. From food sources to cover requirements, we talk about the habitat requirements adult ruffed grouse need, as well as nesting hens and brooding habitat for ruffed grouse chicks. We also discuss how managing for ruffed grouse impacts and benefits other wildlife species. Ruffed grouse need intentional management to create the type of habitats they need and if we're to continue to have ruffed grouse on the landscape, it's important that we manage our forests and habitats correctly! 

In this week's episode, we discuss what it takes to manage private property for ruffed grouse in Appalachia. We use Cody's property in Virginia, Rockin' Chair Ridge, as an example to illustrate the challenges, management practices, and successes he and his family have experienced in their land management journey. From communicating goals and objectives to family members, to contacting and implement NRCS plans and contracts, this episode is about unpacking the possibilities, options, and potential obstacles to consider when it comes to private land management and ruffed grouse.

• How to distinguish the difference between a male and a hen ruffed grouse in flight.
• How far ruffed grouse travel and how big their home range can be.
• Favorite food sources for ruffed grouse in Appalachia.
• The correlation between ruffed grouse populations and the hawk migration.
• How to create a grouse paradise on private land through timber cutting.
• Why managing for oaks is less important for ruffed grouse than it is for other wildlife.
• The impact high deer densities can have on ruffed grouse populations.
• And the best time of day to hunt ruffed grouse, and why.

In this week's episode of the Give for Grouse Podcast, we talk with ruffed grouse guide and outfitter, Wesley Hodges. Wes guides hunters for ruffed grouse in Virginia and, through his adventures and experiences, offers a perspective on ruffed grouse in Virginia that few people, if any, can match. We discuss:

• Why Wes thinks Ruffed Grouse are doing better in Virginia than most people think.
• The disconnect between Wes' in field observations of grouse populations versus how a state agency might collect data.
• How the economic impact and value of hunting a perceived declining species can actually be a positive for ruffed grouse.
• Why Wes thinks that logging alone won't fix the problem for ruffed grouse in Virginia.
• How unique Appalachian Ruffed Grouse are, and why we don't always find them in "typical" grouse habitat.
• His message to those who might look at his commercial guiding for ruffed grouse as negative for the species.
• Why Wes would like to see species-specific hunting licenses sold in Virginia.
• How hunting grouse could actually be what helps grouse in Virginia in the long run.

Follow Wes on Instagram:   / wesley_hodges_fly_fishing  

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• Where he sees the most birds while grouse hunting in Appalachia.
• The habitat types and plant communities that consistently support the most ruffed grouse.
• Managing for oaks and managing for ruffed grouse.
• Food sources for ruffed grouse in Appalachia
• His message to the general public and those who may be against logging and forest management.
• Does the forest product industry have the capacity and ability to support the landscape type of timber harvest that ruffed grouse need?
• The ebbs and flows of the supply and demand of forest products.
• His thoughts on the health of the forestry industry, both presently and in the future.

• Hear the story of his first successful ruffed grouse hunt.
• What he's learned about ruffed grouse hunting in Appalachia.
• His journey into hunting ruffed grouse.
• What's more important for ruffed grouse, food or cover?
• The different types of habitats he typically finds grouse while hunting.
• How he manages his family's land, grouse, and all wildlife.
• The different species of trees, shrubs, and vines he's planting for ruffed grouse.