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.