Wonder How Many Grouse They Eat

[Opening Day]

Originally Posted by Todd Poer

BTW a great read if your a fan of Daniel Boone and reading about some his exploits is a Biography called Life of Daniel Boone. I cannot remember the author will have to dig the book out again. However, it was actually written in mid 1800's but never published until the 1990's. The author was a historian that finished someone else's work but kept the same style of technical writing biographers from that era. Needless to say, it is an arduous style to read with documented interviews and accounts from direct sources and family members that knew the man. It can be quite wandering.

Anyway enough of the preface to my point, essentially about 250 years ago Kentucky looked about like what a good bit eastern woodlands were before the europeans settled the area. It documents at how much game the woodlands would produce and support. Turkey flocks in the 100's, deer everywhere, even tremendous herds of Buffalo and elk until the market hunters and settlers with no limits or seasons just decimated the game populations in a very short period of time.

Things are always changing even if you try and manage portions of it cause and effect are hard to identify, regulate or correct. There are some great success stories, mostly nowadays about turkey and deer populations, some species may find it too hard to get back to a thriving wild population like bob white quail. Different reasons for success of that wild population.

Grouse populations actually benefit from mans logging activities. Game numbers, management and hunter roles in all aspects are critical and complex. I like it where biologists say drum counts are up 57% from last year. Makes no mention of where it is in the 7 to 10 year cycle. If you look at the actual numbers that could mean last years drum beat was 3 and this years was 4.8. Anticipation is an incredible aphrodisiac and market force.

I'm just going to walk away from this post as there is so much wrong with this post (habitat loss maybe.....? ) I think we may have a troll...... I hope I am wrong !