Grouse numbers have plummeted here in PA while we've seen a major increase in land and avian predators. Chicks in particular are especially vulnerable. Hardly anyone traps anymore and hawks/owls have been totally protected for decades now. Anyone driving through PA on the Interstates when the leaves are off can hardly go one mile without seeing a hawk(s) sitting on a tree eyeing for its next meal. There was a time and not so long ago when our Game Commission called for small game hunters to shoot these “vicious predators on sight”. And that was in its official publication. Loss of habitat is total joke propaganda pushed by the RGS and PGC and methinks the WNV is at most a minor impactor. Sure, you can find a grouse or two here and there, but sorry to say I don't see any real hope for grouse recovery on the horizon.
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