Those came out beautiful Frank, great addition to the man cave:)

Some of you fellows forget that gender today is not subject to traditional definitions. Perhaps these grouse self identify as male or female despite physical characteristics. Maybe they are trans gender or non binary, I think that's the correct phrase.

We will be having education sessions for you fellows mired in outdated thinking.

I'll keep my eyes peeled for signs of gender fluidity amongst my grouse buddies here under the midnight moon.

I think I'll be absent that day. I'm pretty comfortable in my own skin.
I identify as a very open-minded member of the "old school" who really doesn't care what sex the grouse he shoots are but is happiest to kill a cock bird in full adult plumage. And I have yet to shoot a cock with strap-on ruffs... or vice-versa :shock:

Beautiful birds Frank. The great majority of grouse here in New England are predominantly gray in color while the birds of western New York and the Appalachian areas are predominantly brown or 'red-phase.' It is said that the New England grouse are of the 'togata' subspecies and that accounts for the gray coloring.

I think the brown birds like yours are prettier than ours but my brother-in-law, Jamie has one that Scott mounted for him that is actually a dark mahogany color. Jamie shot it in the NEK of Vermont over my Gracie.

No, it is not the protected Spruce Grouse.




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Protected spruce grouse??? Seriously? Now that's funny!!

Truthfully, I see a lot more ruffies and sharptails than spruce grouse around Fairbanks these days.

Yup, in Vermont they're protected. I always thought I wouldn't be able to tell the difference but then I flushed one on Maine's "Golden Road" and that bird was practically 'black' in flight, and it was quite easy to see the difference.





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I may have to come introduce the teacher to a piece of Hickory. I quite sure u won't be teaching.

The spruce grouse are quite a bit darker and easy to distinguish if they're sitting. In a dark dense spruce forest it can be harder to tell if they flush and you swing around to shoot. I've thought I shot a ruffie at least once that turned out to be a spruce when I found it. In theory they prefer pretty different habitat; in reality not so much really, at least up here.