Re: Spruce Grouse "Attack"
Gyrfal@aol.com
Tue, 18 May 1999 20:39:45 EDT
After reading Bart Hutchinson's description of the turkey attack and
subsequent reports of aggressive pheasants, I was amused and wondered why I
had never witnessed such an incident.
Last Saturday I was in the Churchill area, on Cook St. to be specific. For
those not familiar with Churchill, Cook St. is about 19 miles from the town
limits and is a short, very narrow rough gravel road that leads through
spruce woods to the edge of one of the Twin Lakes. It is ironic indeed for
such a road to have a name in those parts, although there is no street sign.
At any rate, I rounded a turn and there was a Spruce Grouse perhaps 60 yards
ahead on the edge of the road. I quickly stopped the truck, got out my
camera gear and began the slow stalk to where I could get a decent shot with
my 600mm. At about half the distance the bird started getting nervous, and I
was praying that it would not fly the coop.
All of a sudden it flushed and flew right down the road towards me, landing
about six feet away. It fanned its tail like a turkey, fluttered its wings
and danced about, oblivious it seems, to what I was all about. Of course the
minimum focus for my lens is 20 feet, so I tried to back up. It came towards
me. When I stopped, it turned its tail towards me, peering over its
shoulder, apparently "mooning" me, and trotted off down the road.
I am not sure whether this display is usually intended to impress and/or
dazzle a hen bird, or scare off another rival cock. I am hopeful it is the
latter. In any rate, the bird displayed for a while, then flew up five feet
into an adjacent spruce and peered at me while I snapped away. Then it was
down on the road again for a repeat. This sequence continued for quite
sometime when out of no where a young, exceptionally friendly husky appeared
and the grouse flew off into the woods. I spoke harshly to the dog and
finally got it to depart the area, and I went into the woods, spotting the
grouse only about 25 yards in. I heard, but did not see, another grouse fly
away and presume it was the hen.
Soon a pickup with a local and his two boys arrived and I figured the game
was over as he stopped to wait for me to move my truck, which was blocking
his exit. I walked out of the woods and chatted for a few minutes.
No sooner had the truck departed and I was collecting up my gear when the
grouse flew out of the woods and began his dance on the road again. This
continued all told for about 1.5 hours and 100 or so shots. He was still on
the road when I drove away.
I went back yesterday morning, but the temp was 23 and the wind blowing hard
and no grouse was to be seen. Perhaps a once in a lifetime.
Bob Mumford
Darnestown.