Good Bit of News on Grouse in Connecticut

For the first time in long while I saw a hunter harvest a grouse in northwestern Connecticut.

This is hardly a scientific study, but hopefully this is a good sign for the comeback of a significant grouse population in Connecticut. Grouse populations fluctuate based on a mostly mysterious 10-year cycle that is about at the peak right now.

I had previously written in this blog about the decline of grouse populations in Connecticut. The difference between grouse populations I observed hunting in New Hampshire compared to Connecticut was stark. I had even hinted in earlier posts that I had my concerns that grouse were all but extinct in Connecticut. All of this is anecdotal, but I'll be happy if my previous posts were wrong, and grouse are able to again thrive in Connecticut.

Trail Cams Take Hunting Technology Too Far

It’s a fine line between preserving the traditional sport of hunting and the modern technology that is available today. Big game hunters today are not hunting with Hawkens flintlock muzzleloaders or recurve bows with wooden arrows and stone arrow tips. Heck, for their time, those tools were significant technological advances over spears and clubs. Hunters today are using high powered rifles with scopes and modern high performance ammunition, or compound bows with carbon arrows equipped with mechanically released broad heads. Modern accessories like modern camo patterns, calls, scents, and tree stands add to the technological advances available today. I have taken advantage of all of this modern equipment at one point or another. It might seem a bit hypocritical for me to come out against a particular piece of technology when I’m out there hunting with modern equipment. However, I believe there is a line. The line is different for different people, so the debate will rage on, but I content that trail cameras take the first step over the line of too much technology in deer hunting.

Trail cameras are cameras that are attached to a tree. They are motion activated to take digital photographs of any passing animal.

Why do I pick on trail cameras? What’s the difference between trail cameras, and a piece of equipment like the new modern rifle equipped with the latest and greatest optics? The biggest difference is electronics. Electronics is the line I draw in modern hunting. I content that no piece of hunting equipment should need batteries.
I’m not alone in drawing the line with electronics in hunting. Connecticut turkey hunting regulations allow all types of calls except electronic calls. Other states have disqualified the CVA Electra muzzleloader from the black powder season. The Electra uses a battery-operated mechanism to create a spark to ignite the powder. It's evident that hunters and hunting regulators are uncomfortable with electronics in the field.

Trail cams are certainly electronic and battery operated. Some of the more advanced models can actually use a cellular signal (when available) to email pictures to the user. Some also utilize photovoltaic cells to recharge their batters with solar energy. The user does not even need to go into the field collect the pictures! Using trail cameras takes out much of the skill of scouting and evaluation that is a big part of deer hunting. Despite the fact that popular hunting magazines like Field and Stream and Outdoor Life tout the use of trail cams, the wisest woodsman is able to pick their hunting spots based on their superior knowledge of the area, advanced scouting, and animal knowledge. These should be skills that are acquired after years in the field, not from a few hours in front of the computer screen.

The debate over technology in the field will continue. For example, hunters in many areas are currently in debates about the use of crossbows during the archery season. Different people have different criteria, but for me, keep the electronics out of the hunt.

2009 Connecticut Pheasant Hunting Opening Day

Maybe it was the spot we decided to try. Maybe it was the fact that some other popular spots in the area were not stocked this year. Maybe it was the nice weather. Maybe there is increased interest in hunting these days. Whatever the reason, it seems that there were more people than ever in the woods on opening day of the 2009 pheasant hunting season in Connecticut. More hunters than pheasants roamed the Connecticut woods. There was even an accident in one of the Connecticut pheasant hunting areas. A hunter was hit with bird shot from another hunter firing at a pheasant.

Once the crowds thinned out, and we were able to find a decent place to hunt, it ended up being a good day.

Based on the size of the birds I saw, it appears the birds may be larger than in previous years. This is good news since some of the birds were pretty scrawny in past years.

Even if there is only a slight chance you will hunt pheasants this year, consider buying your tags. The money from the sale of pheasant tags goes back into the fund to support the purchase of pheasants for the next year. As Connecticut becomes more and more developed, your tag purchase can help support and preserve hunting in Connecticut.