Minnesota’s grouse season opens Saturday

Published 9:50 am Thursday, September 17, 2015

ST. PAUL — Grouse season opens Saturday in Minnesota, and it looks like hunters won’t have a lot to grouse about.

The Department of Natural Resources said grouse are Minnesota’s most popular game bird. Adult populations have held steady, and chick survival this spring and summer was good.

Ted Dick, forest game bird coordinator with the DNR, said visibility will improve for grouse hunters as leaves drop from the trees. And he said enjoying the fall colors is part of the experience, even if the vegetation makes shooting more difficult.

Email newsletter signup

Minnesota’s ruffed grouse hunter numbers last year were estimated at 83,000, an increase of 11 percent from 2013.

The season for ruffed and spruce grouse runs from Saturday through Jan. 3, 2015, and through Nov. 30 for sharp-tailed grouse.