Date: 1/22/26 2:23 pm From: Charlie La Rosa <charlie.larosa...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] State Wildlife Action Plan
Spruce grouse habitat in Vermont is indeed limited to a few well-defined
areas in Essex County, most notably the Moose Bog region in the town of
Ferdinand. If you poke around for a while near Moose Bog off the South
America Rd., you will eventually come upon or flush a spruce grouse. You
can often find them across Rt. 105 from the official Moose Bog area. Ruffed
grouse also frequent the area where their habitat type overlaps with that
of the spruce grouse. It's unusual to find a spruce grouse outside of it's
favored dense spruce habitat.
On the other hand, ruffed grouse can be found virtually throughout Vermont.
They tend to gravitate more toward mixed hardwood and conifer forests,
especially those with successional habitat. Mature hardwood forests are not
the greatest habitat for grouse. In addition to younger
successional growth, they prefer places that offer cover from predators and
safe roosting spots. Areas with old apple trees, blowdowns, aspens, and
mixed growth are likely spots in which to find them. One reason they may be
regarded as under concern is that the forests of Vermont are maturing in
many areas. While acres of maturing maples on a hillside make a great
sugarbush and are home to sugarmakers, they are not so comfortable for
grouse. In areas where timber has been cut and new growth has been pushing
up for a few years, grouse are quite at home. Opening up areas of woods
around old apple trees and creating forest openings ripe for regeneration
are among the techniques used for improving and enlarging grouse habitat.
Allowing forests to mature to end stage leaves less suitable habitat and
cuts down on the number of grouse.
Currently, if you spend a day or two in Vermont in even marginally good
grouse habitat, your chances of flushing a ruffed grouse or, in summer and
early fall, encountering an entire covey with their mom are good. In
ideal habitat, the odds are easily in your favor. There are plenty of
grouse, and they are not in grave danger. The concern is more a recognition
of changing habitat due to aging and also to development which may create
an outright loss in some areas.
The penalty for killing spruce grouse is well-known to most grouse hunters.
It is clearly signed where spruce grouse may occur and is always clearly
stated in the Vermont Hunting Digest or rule book for hunting along with
photos for comparison and information about where spruce grouse and ruffed
grouse may overlap. There are acres and acres of habitat where ruffed
grouse can be hunted, so hunters are advised to simply avoid areas where
spruce grouse are likely to occur for conservation reasons and in order to
avoid a mis-identification and a possible fine. Since the fine for killing
or wounding a spruce grouse can be $2000 with additional penalties, most
hunters will avoid the possibility.
While spruce grouse are endangered in Vermont due the limited habitat, the
species itself has a wide range in North America across the boreal forests
of Canada and Alaska and is not in any grave danger. Closer to home, they
can be found in Coos County in NH and in the White Mtns. and in the
coniferous forests of Maine. If you're hiking in those areas and there's a
dark grouse on the trail that shows little interest in running away, it's
most likely a spruce grouse. They don't call them 'fool hens' for no
reason. If you're in spruce grouse country, keep an eye out for
black-backed woodpeckers, boreal chickadees, gray jays, crossbills, and
pine grosbeaks, too.
As for the bag limit on ruffed grouse, I doubt that it puts the overall
state population in any danger. To regularly take four in a single day
requires time, knowledge of good habitat and where to find it, a good
pointing dog, and the ability to hit the darned things when they rocket
away upon being flushed. To take four birds in a day without a dog is like
a hole-in-one or a grand slam in my opinion. They make excellent
table fare, so the time and energy spent can be worth it. In addition, many
acres of suitable grouse habitat probably never get walked by a hunter from
one year to the next.
Grouse tracks are easily spotted on snow. They have some fleshy growths on
the edges of their toes that act like snowshoes in the winter. It's easy to
find long lines of tracks of one or more grouse in the snow, and it's
interesting to see the paths they follow in and about the woods and under
balsam branches and blowdowns in their search for something to eat. You'll
also see the marks where they have alighted on the snow and where they have
taken flight. Don't forget to look up. You can often find them eating buds
near the ends of branches high in aspen trees and other hardwoods where
there is also coniferous cover.
Get out there and have fun in the snow.
Charlie LaRosa
So. Washington
I would like to see every single soldier on every single side, just take
off your helmet, unbuckle your kit, lay down your rifle, and set down at
the side of some shady lane, & say nope, I ain't gonna kill nobody. Plenty
of rich folks wants to fight. Give them the guns. - *Woody Guthrie, 1939*
On Thu, Jan 22, 2026 at 12:50 PM Sue Wetmore <
<000006207b3956ac-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> Moose Bog east of Island Pond is one place to find spruce grouse.
> Sue Wetmore
>
> Sent from my iPod
>
> > On Jan 22, 2026, at 12:28 PM, Jared Katz <
> <000003825c43bc1a-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Brenna,
> >
> > Thanks for clarifying. I would love to see a Spruce Grouse. I also would
> have no problem reducing the bag limit of Roughed Grouse though, in my
> experience, I would be under any limit. I am absolutely in favor of
> protection and conservation over hunting.
> >
> > Jared
> >
> >> On Jan 21, 2026, at 8:14 AM, Brenna <dbgaldenzi...> wrote:
> >>
> >> Hi Jared,
> >> Sage was a typo. Spruce grouse are found in a few pockets in Essex
> County. Perhaps prohibiting hunting of ruffed there would protect spruce
> from being mistaken.
> >>
> >> Also, it seems that Vermonts bag limit on ruffed exceeds neighboring
> states but that’s a separate issue.
> >>
> >> Brenna
> >> www.ProtectOurWildlifeVT.org
> >>
> >> Sent from my iPhone, which has been known to mess with me.
> >>
> >>>> On Jan 21, 2026, at 6:11 AM, Jared Katz <jdkatzvt...> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Hi Brenna,
> >>>
> >>> You mention Roughed, Spruce and Sage Grouse in your email. Do you mean
> Roughed and Spruce?
> >>>
> >>> I “hunt” Roughed Grouse, which means my dog and I flush them and I
> shoot approximately 3 per ten years if I’m fortunate. In Richmond, I think
> there are no Spruce Grouse. I’ve never seen one here or, for that matter,
> anywhere in VT. They look distinctly different to me, but I can understand
> how one might confuse them. I didn’t think there were any instances of Sage
> Grouse this far east.
> >>>
> >>> Thanks for your thoughtful message.
> >>>
> >>> Kind regards,
> >>>
> >>> Jared
> >>>
> >>> Sent from my irresistible flat thing.
> >>>
> >>>> On Jan 20, 2026, at 21:32, Brenna <dbgaldenzi...> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> Hi all,
> >>>> As a group of folks who share a passion for birds, it's important for
> us to
> >>>> be aware of Vermont Fish & Wildlife's state wildlife action plan.
> >>>>
> >>>> Ruffed and spruce grouse are listed as Species of Greatest
> Conservation
> >>>> Need (SGCN). Spruce grouse are listed as a high priority and there is
> no
> >>>> hunting season on them. Even though ruffed grouse are listed as a
> medium
> >>>> priority SGCN, VT F&W still allows a very generous hunting season that
> >>>> lasts three months and allows hunters to possess eight sage grouse
> DAILY.
> >>>>
> >>>> The problem is that it's next to impossible to differentiate between a
> >>>> ruffed and a sage grouse in the field. F&W needs to close the season
> for
> >>>> ruffed grouse to protect the imperiled spruce grouse.
> >>>>
> >>>> Vermont's Spruce Grouse population is very small, state-endangered,
> and
> >>>> exists in an isolated area (Nulhegan Basin in Essex County), with
> estimates
> >>>> fluctuating from around 100 to 300 birds, facing threats from habitat
> loss
> >>>> and fragmentation.
> >>>>
> >>>> You can read the Wildlife Action Plan here:
> >>>>
> https://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/sites/fishandwildlife/files/documents/About%20Us/Budget%20and%20Planning/WAP2025/6.%20SGCN%20Lists%20%26%20Taxa%20Conservation%20Summaries%20(2025%20Draft).pdf > >>>>
> >>>> You can share your concerns here:
> >>>>
> https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=O5O0IK26PEOcAnDtzHVZxihNRyJb-odNvvBQA0ZXNFlUQVhYVU1ZT08xNkk4QkRZN1FVSUlTUEtSMC4u&route=shorturl > >>>> I had only been reviewing mammal species since that's my area of
> >>>> focus/expertise, but when a colleague raised the spruce grouse
> concern, I
> >>>> took a look and shared his concern. Maybe you will as well.
> >>>>
> >>>> Brenna Galdenzi
> >>>>
> >>>> *President*
> >>>> *Protect Our Wildlife **POW *
> >>>>
> >>>> *A Vermont Non Profit Organization*
> >>>>
> >>>> *www.ProtectOurWildlifeVT.org <http://www.ProtectOurWildlifeVT.org>* > >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> *Only if we understand can we care. Only if we care will we help.
> Only if
> >>>> we help shall they be saved.*
> >>>> ~Jane Goodall
>
