Musing over the state of game birds in America

Hiding out from the rain a few days ago, a herd of deer, I counted 13 in total, made their way from the woodlots out into a field. After a bit, a fourteenth deer joined them, an albino. I never saw that many deer at one time by our little place along the creek. I also never saw an albino feeding around here.

The rain continued and I ventured to the garage to continue watching the deer. I heard grouse drumming, just before the woodcock started peenting that evening. A few turkeys left the field and made their way to their roost for the night, then darkness enveloped the landscape. The rain continued. I went to bed.

In the morning the creek was swollen and rain still fell. I check out the creeks and rivers watching the water flow. The rain kind of halted my plans for a walk in the woods and a number of projects.

The national outdoor media influencers all focus their attention to some western states wishing to sell off federal land. That vies for attention by them with the reduction of National Forest Staff and the Bureau pf Land Management (BLM) staff. Don’t kid yourself, plenty of political types and wannabe tycoons desire similar things right here in Wisconsin. Our national outdoors influencers were somewhat surprised by comments made from viewers and listeners that didn’t side with them. Not because those people didn’t take the noble side of things, but because they don’t live in those western states with all the major hiking trails and elk, mule deer, and antelope. Wisconsin hunters want to hear about support for the bill that seeks to return management of the wolves to the Great Lakes states. Eastern hunters want to talk about crowded places and decreasing game populations. All of them want to talk about the economy.

But if a chunk of those 155 million acres of western BLM land gets sold off and developed, how many of the 1.5 million head of beef disappear? At that point the only thing rising faster than the price of eggs will be hamburger.

We hear that the price of eggs comes from a reduction in chickens to lay eggs from a virus. We feel those effects in our pocket books.

But what do we feel about the loss of 3 billion birds since 1970 in North America? From songbirds to game birds, they declined. Bobolinks make the list of the top five species in decline. I can remember when a walk along the country roads here turned into a fight for survival from dive bombing bobolinks defending their nests. Just kidding, it didn’t get that bad, but how many years have passed since you saw one?

The greater prairie chicken makes the top five list too. But in the many decades that have ticked by since anyone could hunt prairie chickens in Wisconsin, 90% or more of our population doesn’t even know they are a game bird. Let’s face it, a much higher percentage of our population doesn’t even know what a game bird is. That might be a contributor to the problem. People thinking fowl comes from chicken strips sold at a convenience store.

Prairie chickens once helped feed a nation. But that brings up market hunting and that left a mark on a hungry nation.

And just like that the topic switches off of a decline in birds and we almost didn’t get to some thing more people can identify as a gamebird than a prairie chicken – the ruffed grouse. Sometimes called a limb chicken by lower life upland hunters that prefer chasing easier quarry like ditch parrots. Those types forget that Ol’ Ruff retains the title of the “King of Game Birds” or simply, “The King.”

But I digress again. The ruffed grouse population has decreased by 50% in the last 50 years, just like all the other birds. Remember the first time that one flushed from its hiding spot on a walk in the woods. The mystery and excitement of the forest diminishes greatly if that disappears.

And we didn’t even get to the report that someone shot a bull elk in Jackson County and left it to rot. What an utter and complete waste.

Some things to ponder for second period turkey hunters who start today. Good luck, but please remember Safe Hunting is No Accident!

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CHUCK K OLAR LOCAL OUTDOORSMAN