Spruce Grouse

Description: This forest-dwelling grouse is distinguished from the sooty grouse and the dusky grouse by its smaller size and is distinguished from the ruffed grouse by the lack of a crest on its head. There are two known subspecies: D. c. franklinii is found in the southwestern part of the range and has white spots on the upper tail, while D. c. canadensis is found in the northwestern part of the range and has a chestnut-tipped tail. The male has a mottled brown head, neck, and back. The dark-colored throat and neck are edged in white. It has red combs above the eyes. The female is seen in two morph colors: red and gray. The red birds are a chestnut color, while the gray birds are a flat gray. The body is mottled brown and lighter on the undersides. It has no eye combs. Average size of males: 16-17 inches. Average weight of males: 1-1¼ pounds. Average size of females: 15-16 inches. Average weight of females: ¾ -1 pound.

Science: Spruce grouse are found across much of Canada and in the United States in the interior of Alaska, the northwest Rocky Mountain States, the Pacific Northwest, the northern Great Lakes area, and New England. They like mixed forests with pine, spruce, fir, aspen, and birch. They usually stay within a small twenty-acre area and feed mostly on needles of pine and spruce, though they also eat berries and the leaves of bushes. They form small family groups. The population is thought to be stable, but fluctuating. Logging and fires can wipe out entire local populations.

Hunting: Most spruce grouse are taken incidentally by hunters seeking ruffed, sooty, or dusky grouse. When flushed, they often fly a very short distance to the nearest tree. It takes its common name, “fool hen,” from this behavior. The eating quality is fair: the meat is dark and can taste like pine needles.