Blue grouse production, movements and population, in the Bridger Mountains, Montana
by Thomas W Mussehl
A THESIS Submitted to the Graduate Faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
of Master of Science in Fish and Wildlife Management
Montana State University
© Copyright by Thomas W Mussehl (1958)
Abstract:
A study of blue grouse (Dendragapus obscurus) was conducted in the Bridger mountains of southwest
Montana. Field work, on a full or part time basis, was carried on from April l4, 1957 to October 6,
1958. A total of 256 grouse, captured on the summer range, provided a nucleus of data on seasonal
movements, development of young, population characteristics, and other life history information.
Grouse observations were made throughout the course of the study and hunting season information was
obtained by contacting hunters. ■>
L
BLUE GROUSE PRODUCTION,
MOVEMENTS AND POPULATION,
IN THE BRIDGER MOUNTAINS, MONTANA,
by
THOMAS W. MUSSEHL
A THESIS
S u b m itted to th e G raduate F a c u lty
in
p a r t i a l f u l f i l l m e n t o f th e re q u ire m e n ts
f o r th e d eg ree o f
M aster o f S c ie n ce in F is h and W ild life Management
at
Montana S ta te C o lleg e
Approved:
Head, M ajor D epartm ent
Chairm an, Examining Committee
Dean, G raduate D iv is io n
Bozeman, Montana
December, 1958
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Methods
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Cover u se d by broods
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R etu rn to form er summer rang e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Summer brood movements
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P o p u la tio n
Summary
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' ABSTRACT
"A s tu d y o f b lu e g ro u se (Dendragapus o b sc u ru s) -was co nducted in th e
B rid g e r m ountains o f so u th w est M ontana. F ie ld w ork, on a f u l l o r p a r t
tim e b a s is ,- w a s c a r r i e d on from A p ril lU , 1957 to O ctober 6 , 1958. A
t o t a l o f 256 g ro u s e , c a p tu re d on th e summer range-, p ro v id e d a n u c leu s o f
d a ta on s e a s o n a l movements, developm ent o f young, p o p u la tio n c h a r a c te r ­
i s t i c s , and o th e r l i f e h is to r y , in fo rm a tio n . G ro u se.o b s e rv a tio n s were
made th ro u g h o u t th e co u rse o f th e s tu d y and h u n tin g sea so n in fo rm a tio n
was o b ta in e d by c o n ta c tin g h u n te r s .
“U~
/
INTRODUCTION
V ario u s a s p e c ts o f th e l i f e h i s t o r y and eco lo g y o f b lu e g ro u se ,
D endragapus o b scu ru s (AOU-19^7) have been r e p o r te d .
These in c lu d e ^ i n
W ashington, food h a b it s tu d ie s b y B eer ( I 9 h 3 )} b re e d in g age a n a ly s is by
Buss and S c h o te liu s
, brood h a b its and grow th b y W ing, B eer, and
Tidyman (l9 L h ); and l i f e h i s t o r y s t u d ie s .b y B e n d e ll (193>U) i n B r i t i s h
C olum bia, C asw ell (l95>lt) in Id ah o , and o t h e r s .
The s e a s o n a l, a l t i t u d i n a l
m ig ra tio n h as been d e s c rib e d by a number o f w o rk e rs, in c lu d in g M arsh a ll
(19I46) i n Id ah o , Wing (l9 ii7 ) i n W ashington, and B en d ell (1955) i n B r i t i s h
Colum bia.
D uring w in te r j blue, gro u se a re r e p o r te d to be p r e s e n t a t th e
h ig h e r e le v a tio n s o f t h e i r m ountain h a b i t a t .
low er e le v a tio n s ta k e s p la c e .
Jn s p r in g , a movement to
Broods a re r a i s e d i n th e f o o t h i l l a re a s
and move to h ig h e r e le v a tio n s i n l a t e summer.
The p r e s e n t s tu d y was on
marked b lu e g ro u se from th e B rid g e r m ountains in , G a lla t in co u n ty , Montana.
In fo rm a tio n was se c u re d on th e c h ro n o lo g y and e x te n t o f s e a s o n a l, a l t i ­
t u d i n a l m ig r a tio n s 5 brood movements; developm ent o f young; p o p u la tio n
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s and g e n e r a l l i f e h i s t o r y .
D uring th e summer months o f ■
1957 and 1958, 256 b lu e g ro u se were c a p tu r e d , and o f th e s e 236 marked.
P e rio d ic o b s e rv a tio n s o f marked and unmarked g rouse were made d u rin g
o th e r months o f th e y e a r from A p ril l i t , 1957 t o O ct. 5 , 1958.
/
The w r ite r w ishes to exp ress h is a p p recia tio n to th e fo llo w in g $ Dr.
Don C. Quimby, fo r te c h n ic a l su p erv isio n and aid in prep aration o f the
m anuscript; Joe Townsend and Ralph Rouse and other employees o f the
Montana F ish and Game Department, fo r p r o je c t planning and f i e l d a s -'
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5-
s ! s t a n c e 5 Donald B e ld in g 5 s tu d e n t a s s i s t a n t 5 f o r a id i n th e f i e l d ; la n d owners, on th e s tu d y a r e a , p a r t i c u l a r l y Mr. and M rs. R alph Arm strong and
Mr. and M rs. Claude Maher3 f o r t h e i r h o s p i t a l i t y and c lo s e c o o p e ra tio n ;
my w if e 3 Peggy3 f o r encouragem ent.
D uring th e in v e s t ig a ti o n th e w r ite r
was employed b y th e Montana F is h and Game D epartm ent, u n d e r F e d e ra l A id
P r o je c t W73-R2, R33 and Rlj..
DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA
The s tu d y a re a ( F ig . l ) 3 c o n s is tin g o f a p p ro x im a te ly 10 sq u are m ile s
on th e w e ste rn s lo p e o f th e B rid g e r M ountains3 i n so u th w e ste rn M ontana3
i s lo c a te d 20 m ile s n o r th o f Bozeman.
The main p a r t o f th e B rid g e r ran g e
e x ten d s i n a somewhat n o r th - s o u th d i r e c t i o n , w ith numerous r id g e s and
canyons e x te n d in g in an e a s t- w e s t d i r e c t i o n .
s te e p (F ig . 2 ) .
The s lo p e s a r e ' g e n e r a lly
E le v a tio n s on th e s tu d y a re a ran g e from
200 to S3SljO
fe e t.
Three o f fo u r v e g e ta tiv e ty p e s d e s c rib e d by 1W ilkins (1957) were i n ­
c lu d ed on th e s tu d y a r e a .
The montane f o r e s t ( F ig s . I 3 2 3 3 ) 3 c o n s is tin g m ain ly o f Douglas f i r
( Psued o tsu g a m e n z ie s ii) e x te n d s from a p p ro x im a te ly 6 ,0 0 0 t o 8 3600 f e e t ,
lim b e r p in e ( P inus f l e x i l i s ) and w h ite b a rk p in e (P ir n s a l b i c a u l i s ) a re
p r e v a le n t on th e to p s o f th e h ig h e r r id g e s w ith some a lp in e f i r ■(A bies
l a s i o c a r p a ) on th e n o r th s lo p e s .
Most o f t h i s v e g e ta tiv e ty p e i s i n ­
c lu d ed i n th e G a l l a t i n N a tio n a l F o r e s t.
The b unchgrass p r a i r i e (F ig s . I 3 2) e x ten d s outw ard from th e b ase o f
th e m o u n tain .
Bluebunch w h eatg rass ( Agrypyron sp icatu m ) and Idaho fe s c u e
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V E G ET At l V E
TYPES
BUNCH GRASSPRAIRIE
SAGEBRUSH-BITTERBRUSH
MONTANE F O R E S T
F ig . I .
Map o f th e s tu d y a re a
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F ig . 2 .
7-
Blue grouse summer ra n g e ; fo re g ro u n d , b u n ch g rass p r a i r i e ;
m id d le , s a g e b r u s h - b itte r b r u s h ; r e a r , low er montane f o r e s t .
(F e s tu c a id a h o e n s is ) a re im p o rta n t g ra s s e s o f t h i s ty p e .
( B alsam orhiza s a g i t t a t a ) i s an abundant f o r b .
t r i d e n t a t a ) i s s c a t t e r e d th ro u g h o u t«,
B alsam root
Big sag e b ru sh '(A rtem esia
The p o r tio n o f t h i s ty p e n o t
g ra z ed by li v e s t o c k is . dev o ted m ain ly to th e grow ing o f sm a ll g r a in s and
hay.
D eciduous t h i c k e t s a re common alo n g stre a m c o u rs e s and a t th e
mouths o f draws n e a r th e b ase o f th e s te e p m ountain s lo p e s „
The common
sh ru b s and t r e e s a re b la c k haw thorn (C ra tae g u s d o u g la s i i) , common chokec h e rry ( Prunus v i r g i n i a n a ) , Rocky M ountain maple ( Acer glabrum ) , b la c k
p o p la r (Populus t r i c h o c a rp a ) and ro s e (Rosa a c i c u l a r i s ) .
A t h i r d v e g e ta tiv e ty p e s a g e b r u s h - b itte r b r u s h ( F ig s . I 5 2 ) , o ccu rs
on th e s te e p low er s lo p e s o f th e m o u n tain s5 e x te n d in g from a p p ro x im a te ly
£ 5600 t o 6 5ItOO f e e t .
This ty p e i s g e n e r a lly s i t u a t e d in te rm e d ia te t o th e
montane f o r e s t and bu n ch g rass p r a i r i e t y p e s .
Common p la n ts a re b ig
S agebrush 5 b i t t e r b r u s h (P u rs h ia t r i d e n t a t a ) 5 Rocky M ountain ju n ip e r
( J u n ip e ru s spopulorum ) , c h e a tg ra s s (Bromus te c to ru m ) 5 bluebunch w h eatg ra s s and b a ls a m ro o t.
METHODS
In A p r il5 May and June o f 1957 and 19585 p o r tio n s o f Ul days were
sp e n t c r u is in g th e s tu d y a re a on f o o t t o lo c a t e b re e d in g g ro u s e .
Hoot­
in g m ales co u ld be h e a rd a t a maximum o f a b o u t 75 y a r d s , t h i s d is ta n c e
being com parable t o t h a t e s tim a te d by o t h e r s , in c lu d in g C asw ell (195U)
and Brooks (1926).
In th e s p rin g o f 1957, two m irro r ty p e tr a p s s im ila r
t o th o se d e s c rib e d by Tanner and Bowers (19U8) were u s e d t o c a p tu re
t e r r i t o r i a l m a le s. . C hristm as t r e e ornam ents , f i l l e d w ith autom obile
la c q u e r w ere h u rle d a t grouse t h a t allo w ed approach to w ith in t h i r t y
f e e t o F our were s u c c e s s f u lly m arked.
B en d e ll (19510 s u c c e s s f u lly u sed
t h i s method f o r m arking b lu e g rou se i n B r i t i s h Colum bia.
I n May and
June o f 1957 and 1958, p o r tio n s o f 57 days were sp e n t i n th e f i e l d
making g ro u se o b s e rv a tio n s .and lo o k in g f o r n e s t s .
A L ab rad o r dog was
u sed as an a id f o r th e l a t t e r t a s k d u rin g 1958.
From J u ly to e a r ly August, broods were fr e q u e n tly found in the
bunchgrass p r a ir ie and sa g eb ru sh -b itterb ru sh a r ea s.
During 1957 and
1958, p o rtio n s o f Iili days were spent c r u isin g th ese areas w ith a jeep t o
lo c a te broods.
r e s u lts .
E arly morning and la t e afternoon hours produced the b e s t
Broods o fte n allow ed a v e h ic le to approach them c lo s e ly .
Two
men, equipped w ith hand n e ts (JO to 36 in ch diam eter hoops and 9 to 10
fo o t h an d les) would approach the brood from opposing d ir e c t io n s .
were n e tte d on th e ground or as th ey flu s h e d .
Grouse
S e v e ra l hens were captured
as th e y fle w at an observer in defense o f t h e ir young.
In la t e J u ly and
August,broods in crea sed th e ir usage o f deciduous t h ic k e t s .
Grouse could
then be captured w ith hand n e ts by two observers walking on opp osite
s id e s o f the c h a r a c t e r is t ic a lly lin e a r s t r ip s o f brush.. A cannon-fired
n e t , mounted on the fr o n t o f a jeep was t r i e d .
f e c t iv e on the rough, brushy t e r r a in .
This was n o t very e f ­
S ev era l chicken w ire traps u sin g
the p r in c ip le o f the m odified shorebird tra p (M sc in sk y and B a ile y , 1955)
were used in brushy a r ea s.
TheAe tra p s were g e n e r a lly b a ite d w ith
choke cherry and hawthorne f r u i t .
There was a t o t a l o f 92 trap days in
1957, and 90 in 1958.
In 1957, 105 g ro u se were c a p tu re d as f o llo w s ; 10 a d u lt fem ales and 89
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10 -
j Tiveniles by hand n e t s ; 5 ju v e n ile s by b a ite d w ire t r a p s ; one a d u lt (p re ­
sum ably a m ale) by a m irro r t r a p . • These in c lu d e d a fem ale and k o f h e r
6 young, 6 o f 7 young o f a n o th e r fe m a le , and 2 to 3 members o f 10 o th e r
b ro o d s, p lu s in d iv id u a ls t h a t co u ld n o t be a ssig n e d t o a d e f i n i t e b ro o d .
Di 195>8, l 5l g ro u se were c a p tu re d as f o llo w s : 19...adult fe m a le s, 3
a d u lt m a le s, and ,122 ju v e n ile s by hand n e t s . It ju v e n ile s and 2 a d u lt
fem ales by b a ite d w ire t r a p s , and I ju v e n ile b y a cannon n e t t r a p .
D t-
c lu d ed were a fem ale and 3 o f h e r 7 young, and 2 to It members o f 2lt o th e r
. b ro o d s, and u n a ssig n e d D d i v i d u a l s .
Grouse o f 2^0 grams o r l e s s were w eighed to th e n e a r e s t 3 grams and
th o s e o v er 2^0 grams to th e n e a r e s t 2$ gram s.
P rim ary f e a t h e r d ev elo p ­
ment and o th e r plumage c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s were n o te d .
" J i f f y " wing bands
from th e N a tio n a l Band and Tag Company, Newport, K entucky, were p u t i n
each patagium o f th e s m a lle r c h ic k s ; aluminum le g bands were used, on
g ro u se o f a b o u t f iv e weeks o f age and o ld e r .
C om bD ations o f p l a i n and
anodized aluminum b a id s , c o lo re d p l a s t i c s p i r a l le g b a n d s, and f e a th e r s
p a in te d w ith a D p la n e dope were used t o p e rm it in d iv id u a l i d e n t i f i c a t i o n
D th e f i e l d .
o c u la rs .
I d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f marked b ir d s was a id e d by 8 x 30 b D -
Back ta g s s im ila r to th o se d e s c rib e d by Blank and Ash (1956)
and m o d ified by Eng (1 9 5 7 ), p ro v id e d I n d iv id u a l i d e n t i f i c a t i o n f o r
grouse m ature enough to w ear them .
Em phasis was p la c e d on re c a tc h in g
banded b ir d s D o rd e r t o o b ta in d a ta o n .developm ent.
D 1957, n D e r e c a p tu r e s in v o lv D g e ig h t ju v e n ile s were made w ith
hand n e ts .-
S ix ty -o n e o b s e rv a tio n s (e x c lu d D g r e c a p tu r e s ) were made o f
33 marked in d iv id u a ls , w ith a range o f 1 -7 o b s e rv a tio n s p e r b ird *
In 1958, h i r e c a p tu r e s in v o lv in g 27 ju v e n ile s were made w ith hand
n e ts*
One fem ale ju v e n ile was c a p tu re d e ig h t tim e s .
S ix ty -n in e o b s e r­
v a tio n s (e x c lu d in g r e c a p tu r e s ) were made on 32 marked i n d i v i d u a l s .
From Septem ber 15 th ro u g h 29, 1957 and from Septem ber 21 th ro u g h
O ctober 5 , 1958, h u n te rs were c o n ta c te d a t checking s t a t i o n s and in th e
fie ld .
Grouse w e ig h ts , s e x , b u rsa d e p th s , k i l l s i t e e le v a tio n s and band
r e t u r n lo c a tio n s were re c o rd e d , and th e p rim ary f e a th e r s and t a i l s
c o lle c te d .
H unters were asked th e number o f h o u rs th e y h u n ted in th e
low land b ru s h and m ountain tim b e r, and th e number- o ffg ro lis^ se b a r-a g d v ■
s h o t -i n each o f th e two h a b i t a t s »
O b serv atio n s were made i n w in te rin g a r e a s by snowShoeing and. w alking th e h ig h r i d g e s .
In 1957, t r i p s were made on Hovember 7 and 21, December
'
28 and 31«
In 1958, th e y were on J a n u a ry 2 , F eb ru ary 1 5 , and March hs
1 8 , 21, 2It, 27, 28 and 31»
Twenty t r i p s were made t o w in te rin g a re a s b e ­
tw een J u ly 16 and Septem ber 29, 1957 and August 16 and O ctober It, 1958.
RESULTS
B reed in g
O b se rv a tio n s on A p r il lit and 21, 1957 d id n o t r e v e a l any d is p la y in g
m a le s.
On A p ril 28, h o o tin g was h e a rd a t s e v e r a l lo c a t io n s and a d i s ­
p la y in g male was lo c a t e d a t 6 ,700 f e e t on a so u th w est s lo p e covered by
s c a t t e r e d D ouglas f i r and bunch g ra s s . A male was d is p la y in g w ith in an
a re a o f a p p ro x im a te ly 30 by 75 y a rd s d u rin g l a t e a fte rn o o n a n d /o r e a r l y
morning o b s e rv a tio n s on May 7, 9 , 10, l i t , 18 and 19»
None were see n a t
\
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t h a t l o c a t io n on May 1 1 , 12, and I ^ .
12 A second d is p la y in g male was seen
w ith in 100 y a rd s o f th e form er one ,on A p r il 28 and May 7»
On May I h ? a
fem ale was p re s e n t f o r 15> m inutes on th e " t e r r i t o r y 11 o f th e f i r s t male
m entioned.
The male k e p t up a c o n tin u a l d is p la y s im ila r to t h a t de­
s c r ib e d b y Brooks (1 9 2 6 ), and by c i r c l i n g h e r , k e p t h e r w ith in an a re a o f
about 30 by £0 y a r d s .
s ix tim e s .
Two m ir ro r tr a p s were p la c e d on t h i s t e r r i t o r y on May 9 f o r
28 t r a p d a y s.
tra p .
The d is p la y n o te , a lo u d s in g le "Ooop", was g iv e n
On May 22, th e rem ains o f a dead male was found in one
V i s i t s on May 25>, 27, 29, 30 and June h3 re v e a le d no b reed in g
m ales in th e a r e a .
l e s s h o o tin g was h e a rd on th e s tu d y a re a a f t e r th e second week o f
May.
The l a s t d is p la y in g male was see n on A ugust 2 , 195»7.
d e te c te d a t v a rio u s e le v a tio n s from 9 , IlOO t o 6 ,600 f e e t .
H ooting was
S e v e ra l d i s ­
p la y in g m ales were seen i n th e b u n ch g rass p r a i r i e ty p e o n e -h a lf to one
m ile from th e montane f o r e s t .
From March 31 t o June 29, 1998, l 8 v i s i t s were made t o a tim b e re d ,
draw , o f a p p ro x im a te ly 17 a c r e s , a t an e le v a tio n o f 9 ,6 0 0 to 6,900 f e e t .
Tracks o f fo u r grouse were seen i n th e snow a t t h i s l o c a t i o n on March 31*
Four d is p la y in g m ales were o b serv ed th e r e on A p r il 19, which p ro b a b ly
r e p r e s e n ts some o f th e e a r l i e r d is p la y in g , because t r i p s t o o th e r a re a s
on A p ril 9 , 8 , and 12 had re v e a le d no d is p la y in g b i r d s .
Three b re e d in g m ales and one fem ale were marked w ith " p a in t bombs" •
i n th e 17 a c re a r e a d e s c rib e d above.
The fem ale was marked on May 3 ,
n e a r where a male had b een seen d is p la y in g *
f i e d a g a in .
T his fem ale was n o t ■i d e n t i ­
A male was marked on May 10, and observ ed d is p la y in g w ith in
2f> y a rd s o f where he was marked on May I l 5 1? 5 and 2 £ .
A second male was
marked on May IO5 and was se e n d is p la y in g May 11 and 2h a t p o in ts up to
15>0 y a rd s a p a r t ,
A n o n -d is p la y in g 5 u n -m arked male was seen on t h i s
" t e r r i t o r y *1 May 1 7 .
A t h i r d male was marked May 1 1 .
On June 2E>5 he was
seen ItO y a rd s from th e m arking lo c a t io n b u t.w a s n o t d is p la y in g .
The
t e r r i t o r i e s o f f o u r o th e r m ales were e v id e n t , th u s making a minimum o f
seven m ales t h a t were p r e s e n t i n t h i s 17 a c re a r e a .
Bende11*s (19^5) ob­
s e r v a tio n s o f f iv e m ales d u rin g A p ril and May showed t h a t each m ale’s
p o s itio n s n e v e r f e l l o u ts id e a t e r r i t o r y o f from one to two a c r e s .
L ess h o o tin g seemed a p p a re n t a f t e r th e second week o f May.
Oc­
c a s io n a l d is p la y in g m ales were see n in th e bu n ch g rass p r a i r i e ty p e .
The
l a s t d is p la y in g male was o bserved J u ly 3 0 , 1958 a t 5 ,9 0 0 f e e t .
N ests
2h th e summer o f 1958, th r e e n e s t s , w ith rem ain s o f h a tc h e d eg g s,
were found i n th e b u n ch g rass p r a i r i e ty p e a t d is ta n c e s o f 200 y a rd s to
o v er one m ile from th e montane f o r e s t .
The f i r s t was lo c a te d betw een
la r g e ro c k s a d ja c e n t to a clump o f c h o k e c h e rry b ru s h .
The second was
found u n d er s p a rs e c o v er o f bunch g r a s s and r o s e , 20 y a rd s from a chokec h e r ry clump and th e t h i r d was h id d en u n d er a clump o f ju n i p e r .
Numerous
" d o c k e r " ty p e d ro p p in g s i n th e v i c i n i t y le d t o i t s d is c o v e ry ,
" d o c k e r s ’1
a re m entioned a s b e in g i n d ic a tiv e o f n e s tin g b lu e g ro u s e , sage g ro u se , and
w ild tu r k e y hens b y B e n d e ll (1 9 5 k ), P a tte r s o n (1952) and Rose (1956),
re s p e c tiv e ly ,
" d o c k e r s " were found on th e s tu d y a re a a t 7 ,k 0 0 f e e t .
In
June o f 1958, two r e c e n t l y h a tch e d b ro o d s were found i n th e montane f o r e s t
■■V
- I ila t 6 ,2 0 0 f e e t .
Heebner (l9S>6) i n re v ie w in g v a rio u s s t u d i e s , s ta t e d t h a t
n e s ts have been found from tim b e r l i n e down th ro u g h th e open sage p l a i n s .
H atch
A ccording to C asw ell (l9 ^ il), th e p r o g r e s s io n o f wing f e a th e r d ev elo p ­
ment o f ju v e n ile b lu e g rouse i s s im ila r to t h a t d e s c rib e d b y Bump e t a l
(I9ll7) f o r r u f f e d g ro u se (Bonasa u m b e llu s) .
Gne c h ic k banded i n th e
p r e s e n t s tu d y , a t l e s s th a n one week o f a g e , and two c h ic k s , banded a t th e
i n i t i a l f ly in g age (B e h d e ll; 1955) o f "two w eeks, were re c a p tu r e d s ix to
seven weeks a f t e r b a n d in g .
These b ir d s were aged by Bump's p rim ary wing
f e a t h e r method f o r r u f f e d g ro u s e .
Ages b y t h i s method were one week more
f o r each b i r d th a n th e ages in d ic a te d by, th e banding r e c o r d s .
T h irty -tw o
a d d itio n a l ju v e n ile s o f v a rio u s ages were c a p tu re d two to s i x tim e s each
and aged by th e Bump.method.
H atching d a te s were c a lc u la te d from each
d a te on w hich a b i r d was r e c a p tu r e d .
R ec a p tu re s o f e ig h t o f th e t h i r t y -
two b ir d s o c c u rre d b e fo re n in e weeks o f a g e .
In sev en ©f t h e s e . e i g h t , th e
d i f f e r e n t h a tc h in g d a te s a ss ig n e d t o each b i r d d id n o t v a ry o v er one week.
G re a te r v a ria n c e was a p p a re n t w ith o ld e r j u v e n ile s .
Bump's method was
u se d th ro u g h th e e ig h th week o f age t o approxim ate h a tc h in g d a te s .
In
1957 and 1958, h a tc h in g d a te s rang ed betw een May 25 and J u ly Ili (F ig . Ii) .
I n 1957s 39 o f li9 b roods (80 p e r c e n t) h a tc h e d betw een June 9
and J u ly 6 .
In 1958, 66 o f 71 b roods (93 p e r c e n t) h a tc h e d betw een June 8
and 2 9 th .
The peak h a tc h o c c u rre d th e t h i r d week o f June ip. b o th y e a r s .
I
Growth R ates
Twenty ju v e n ile s ( l l m ales and 9 fe m a les) p ro v id e d in fo rm a tio n on
35
-
—
1
$ —
30 25-
broods
20-
19 5 8
15 ■
IO -
of
5 -
m n ri n i
Illllilll
2 5-31
1-7
I J M il
8-14
number
MAY
15 - 2 I
22-28
2 9-5
11111
6- I2
13-19
JULY
J U N E
2520
19
-
5 7
15 IO ■
5 -
' I
IIimiUI
,1
2 6-1
2 -8
MAY
F ig . L .
9-15
16 -2 2
JUNE
2 3-29
30-6
7-13
14-20
JULY
The d i s t r i b u t i o n o f h a tc h b y w eekly p e rio d s as d eterm in ed from
aged j u v e n i l e s .
-1 6 -
grow th r a t e s .
These, were weighed from two to sev en tim e s each (T able I ) ,
A ll were i n i t i a l l y c a p tu re d a t e ig h t weeks o f age o r l e s s and Aged b y th e
method p re v io u s ly d is c u s s e d .
J u v e n ile m ales o f 10-11 weeks weighed more
th a n 1,000 gram s, w h ile th o s e o f 9 weeks w eighed l e s s th a n 1 ,0 0 0 gram s.
J u v e n ile fe m a les ran g ed betw een 6^0 and 875 grams a t 10 and 11 weeks o f
age.
Three c h ic k s , o n ly a few days o ld , each w eighed 25 grams o r l e s s .
Average grow th r a t e s o f a p p ro x im a te ly 90 grams a week o c c u rre d f o r males
d u rin g th e f i r s t 11 w eeks.
Female grow th r a t e s were betw een a p p ro x im a te ly
60 and 80 grams a week f o r the. same p e r io d .
. For th e i n i t i a l 15 weeks o f
grow th, B en d e ll (1955) i n B r i t i s h C olum bia, c a lc u la te d r a t e s
o f a p p ro x i­
m a te ly 60 and 50 grams p e r week f o r m ales and fe m a le s , r e s p e c tiv e ly , and
s t a t e d th e y were s im ila r t o v a lu e s fo u n d b y Wing e t a l ( 19U4) .
In th o se
s tu d ie s v a r i a t i o n s in h a tc h in g d a te s were ig n o re d and cro p c o n te n t w eig h ts
w ere e x c lu d e d .
The average w eig h ts o f 3k ju v e n ile s from th e 1957 h u n tin g se a so n , a t
ages o f about 10-15 weeks w ere; 983 (7 7 5 -1 ,1 7 5 ) grams f o r 17 m ales and
797 (600 t o 975) grams f o r 17 fe m a le s .
Average w eig h ts f o r ju v e n ile s from
th e 1958 h u n tin g s e a s o n , a t ages o f about 11 t o 16 w eeks, were 1,008 (850
t o '1 ,1 7 5 ) grams f o r 50 m ales and 821 (625 to 1 ,0 0 0 ) grams f o r 61 fe m a le s.
Two y e a r lin g m ales c a p tu re d i n June and J u ly o f 1958 w eighed 1,125 and
1 ,225 gram s, r e s p e c t i v e l y .
W eights o f f iv e
August ra n g e d betw een 775 and 925 gram s.
y e a r lin g fe m a les i n J u ly and
D uring t h e ' f i r s t 11 weeks o f
g row th, o v er 80 p e r c e n t o f th e f i r s t y e a r ’s w eight i s a t t a i n e d .
B en d ell
(1955)* i n B r i t i s h Colum bia, re c o rd e d av erag e w eig h ts o f m ales and fem ales
-
Table I .
Bird
No.
17 -
W eights in grams o f b lu e g rouse ju v e n ile s a t v a rio u s weeklyin te rv a ls .
Weeks of Age
10
7
8
9
it
5
6
— i5o
—
—
—
-
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
325 lt25
-
It
-
-
-
-
375
-
5
-
90
6
-
100
-
-
7
-
-
-
-
8
-
-
i5o
-
-
10
-
11
-
I
2
I
—
2
3
Males
—
—
12
13
lit
—
—
-
1050
-
-
-
-
800
-
-
-
-
-
725
-
-
-
-
-
-
1150
-
—
ItOO -
-
1075
Il
5oo
-
-
925
-
-
1050
-
-
350
-
-
-
775
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6#
-
-
-
-
1075
-
-
-
-
-
it5o
-
—
—
-
-
1075
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
575
-
-
-
-
1025
-
**
-
-
-
-
-
-
775
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
ltoo 5oo 65o 775
875
-
-
-
8
375
-
—
—
775
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
62$
-
-
-
-
275
-
-
-
700
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
IltO -
-
13
-
-
IitO 190
-
lit
-
-
-
15
-
-
-
16
-
-
-
-
17
-
-
-
-
18
-
-
-
-
19
-
-
-
20
-
-
-
210
-
-
75o
8
** Not weighed
-
-
375
-
600 675
-
-
-
U75
-
-
-
-
-
lt5o
-
-
-
-
-
—
—
-
375
650
800
£
12
OD
Females
-
-1 8 -
w ith o u t c ro p s ( a t a p p ro x im a te ly 15 weeks; o f age) as 885 (#5o) grams and
725 (^35) grams r e s p e c t i v e l y , and av erag e y e a r lin g w e ig h ts i n May, June
and J u ly as I ,H O CiltO) f o r m ales and 7 9 0 (-1 0 ) grams f o r fe m a le s .
Cover Used By Broods
One hundred and f i f t y - f o u r and 217 hrood o b s e rv a tio n s were made d u rin g th e summers o f 1957 and 1958,. r e s p e c t i v e l y , m ain ly betw een 5,200 and
6,200 f e e t .
Brood lo c a t io n by c o v er ty p e s i s shown in T able I I b u t th e s e
f ig u r e s p ro b a b ly do n o t r e f l e c t e x a c t p re fe re n c e because f i e l d tim e was
n o t p r o p o r tio n a te ly .d iv id e d betw een the. d i f f e r e n t co v er t y p e s .
Em phasis -
was p la c e d on c a p tu rin g grouse and more tim e was sp en t i n a re a s where V
grouse were m ost a b u n d an t.
were a p p a r e n t.
C h rq n o lo g io a l tr e n d s o f c o v er u sag e by broods' ■
In e a r l y summer, b ro o d s were o f te n o b serv ed in g r a s s - f o r b
a re a s where b a lsa m ro o t was a dom inant a s p e c t.
This a s s o c ia tio n of b ro o d s
w ith b a lsa m ro o t was a ls o r e p o r te d b y H eebner (1956) i n I d a h o a n d
i
S c h o tte liu s ( l9 5 l ) and Wing e t a l (l9kU) in W ashington.
Usage o f g r a s s - •
forb areas was l e s s in. August than J u ly in both 1957 and 1958.
By the
fou rth week o f J u ly o f both years d e s ic c a tio n o f p la n ts o f th e bunchgrass
p r a ir ie , p a r tic u la r ly f o rb s, was apparent.
Increased usage o f deciduous
th ic k e ts during la t e J u ly and August was apparent both y e a r s .
R e tu rn to Former Summer Range
B en d e ll (195W r e p o r te d t h a t b re e d in g m ales r e t u r n to th e same
l o c a l i t y o f th e summer ran g e each y e a r , and d is c u s s e d th e p o s s i b i l i t y o f
young r e tu r n in g t o th e re g io n o f t h e i r b i r t h .
In th e p r e s e n t s tu d y , a
-
T able I I .
V e g e ta tio n
Types
19 -
L o c a tio n by c o v er ty p e o f 35>1 brood o b s e r v a tio n s .
J u ly 1-15
J u ly 16-31
Aug. 1-15
Aug. 16-31
Montane
fo re st
1957
1958
0
I
3
3
3
8
0
8
I
3
6
5
9
Ui
3
0
0
13
19
ho
31
111
29
Ii2
10
13
27
8
5
h
2
0
S a g e -b itte rb ru sh
1957
1958
D eciduous
th i c k e t s
1957
1958
G ra s s -fo rb s
1957
1958
banded male was re c a p tu re d on J u ly 21, 1958 a t a p o in t s l i g h t l y more th a n
o n e -fo u rth m ile from where he was banded as a c h ic k on J u ly 2ii, 1957.
Female 5752 and two o f h e r brood were c a p tu re d on J u ly 23, 1958 a t th e
e x a c t clump o f b ru sh where she had l a s t been ob serv ed as a banded c h ick
on August 22, 1957 (F ig . 5)
Summer Brood Movements
Numerous o b s e rv a tio n s o f marked in d iv id u a ls o f v a rio u s broods were
re c o rd e d d u rin g th e two summers.
O b se rv a tio n s o f members o f e ig h t b roods
were s u f f i c i e n t to in d ic a te i th e e x te n t oi' summer movements.
8-29-58
1/2 MI LE
8-20-57
8 - 8 - 5 7 ( BANDE D)
0
1
F ig .
Movements o f fem ale 57^2 and brood on th e summer brood range d u rin g 1957 and 1958.
-
21 -
Female 5702 was marked w ith a " p a in t bomb" on J u ly 5 , 195? and she
and two o f h e r young were banded on J u ly I l 5 1957.
th e b ro o d was banded J u ly 22, 1957.
A nother ju v e n ile w ith
D uring a 30-day p e rio d th e brood was
i d e n t i f i e d s i x tim es w ith in an a re a o n e -fo u rth m ile lo n g .
S ix o f seven young o f Brood A were -banded d u rin g 1957.
The f i r s t
was banded on J u ly 23<> th e o th e rs d u rin g seven o th e r e n c o u n te rs w ith t h i s
brood in th e fo llo w in g 31 days*
From J u ly 23 to August 22, th e r e ­
lo c a tio n s o f t h i s group were c o n ta in e d w ith in a 660 y a rd l i n e a r s t r i p o f
deciduous t h i c k e t .
Oh A ugust 23, an o b s e rv a tio n 660 y a rd s away from th e
August 22 l o c a t io n was made.
The bro o d was n o t i d e n t i f i e d a g a in and t h i s
movement p o s s ib ly i n i t i a t e d a d i s p e r s a l from th e summer bro o d ra n g e .
J u v e n ile 57li-8 was banded on August 7 , 1957 w h ile accompanying a hen
and fo u r o th e r j u v e n ile s .
One o f th e s e ju v e n ile s was No. 5718 which had
been banded i n th e same v i c i n i t y on J u ly 25, 1957.
No. 57^8 was i d e n t i ­
f i e d w ith a b ro o d seven more tim e s i n th e n e x t t h i r t y d a y s .
The r e ­
lo c a tio n s in d ic a te d movement w ith in a 770 y a rd s t r i p o f deciduous t h i c k e t .
J u v e n ile fem ale 170 was banded J u ly 1 7 ,'1 9 5 8 and was c a p tu re d e ig h t
tim es w ith in th e n e x t fo r ty - s e v e n d a y s.
A hen w ith ju v e n ile 170 was c ap ­
tu r e d on A ugust 1 1 , 1958 and seen w ith ju v e n ile 170 on A ugust 12.
Number
170 was se e n w ith an unmarked hen and s e v e r a l ju v e n ile s , in c lu d in g No.
125, from a n o th e r brood on A ugust 2 2 , 29, and Septem ber 2 , 1958.
The r e ­
lo c a tio n s o f ju v e n ile 170 in d ic a te d movements along th e b a se - o f th e
m ountain a t p o in ts w ith in 660 y a rd s o f each o th e r .
Female 5717 and one o f h e r a p p ro x im a te ly f iv e young were banded
J u ly 25** 195)7. • The bro o d was i d e n t i f i e d f iv e tim es In th e n e x t 28 d a y s.
The r e lo c a ti o n s in d ic a te d movement w ith in a 1320 y a rd lo n g a re a a t th e
b ase o f th e m ountain.
Female 5>75>2 and two o f h e r s ix young ,were c a p tu re d J u ly 23, 1958 and
t h i s brood was i d e n t i f i e d f i v e tim es d u rin g th e n e x t 38 d a y s.
Four o f
th e r e lo c a ti o n s i n 1958 in d ic a te d movements w ith in a o n e - h a lf ■m ile a re a
along l i n e a r s t r i p s o f deciduous t h i c k e t .
The f i f t h r e l o c a t i o n (August
'29, 1958) was In te rjp r e te d as a d is p e r s a l movementj th e bro o d h av in g moved
1150 y a rd s , i n a maximum o f 17 h o u rs , from th e p re v io u s ly fre q u e n te d
brood ra n g e ;
Movements o f t h i s brood a re shown i n F ig u re 5»
Female 5553 and f i v e o f h e r seven young were banded on J u ly 23. and
25j 1958, and i d e n t i f i e d on 11 o th e r o c c a s io n s d u rin g th e n e x t 38 d a y s.
This b ro o d ’s movements were a ls o alo n g l i n e a r s t r i p s o f b ru s h , w ith in an
a re a s l i g h t l y more th a n o n e -h a lf m ile lo n g .
Female 55U9 and two o f h e r f iv e o r s i x young were banded on August
11 and l i t , 1958.
The bro o d was i d e n t i f i e d f i v e tim es i n th e n e x t 19 days®
Four o f th e s e i d e n t i f i c a t i o n s o c c u rre d w ith in p o in ts o n e - h a lf m ile a p a r t
a t th e b ase o f th e m ountain.
The f i f t h i d e n t i f i c a t i o n was 1260 y ard s
away from th e base o f th e m ountain and was in t e r p r e t e d as a d is p e r s a l
movement.
The hen was l a t e r s h o t ( Table I I I , r e f . 1 6 ).
I n d ic a tio n s were t h a t th e broods o f fem ales 5553 and 5752 had n e a r ly
i d e n t i c a l summer brood r a n g e s .
s e v e r a l o c c a s io n s .
These b ro o d s were seen in te rm in g le d on
The broods o f fem ales 5717 and 55h9 and th e 'b r o o d ( s )
ju v e n ile 170 was a s s o c ia te d w ith , a l l ap p eared t o fr e q u e n t th e same
-
Table I I I .
R e f.
No.
I
2
3
h
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Il
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
21
25
Summary o f h u n te r band re c o v e rie s showing movements.
Date
la s t
O b se rv a tio n
8 - 9-57
8-26-57
8 - 2-57
7-29-57
7-18-57
7-18-57
8-27-58
9 - 1-58
8-29-58
8-21-58
8-15-58
8 - 1-58
8-18-58
8 - 7-58
8 - 8-58
8-29-58
8-21-58
8-21-58
8-15-58
8-21-58
8-15-58
8-13-58
8-18-58
8-21-58
8-29-58
"itP r e d a to r k i l l
**Dog k i l l
23 -
Date
of
R ecovery
9-15-57
9-17-57
9-20-57
9-20-57
9-22-57
9-29-57
9 - 9-58*
9-11-58**
9-21-58
9-21-58
9-21-58
9-21-58
9-21-58
9-21-58
9-21-58
9-21-58
9-21-58
9-21-58
9-21-58
9-22-58
9-22-58
9-22-58
9-25-58
9-28-58
1 0 - 3-58
D istan c e
(m ile s)
E le v a tio n
in c re a s e
(fe e t)
.7
.5
.5
3 .1
.1
3 .0
1 .1
.3
1 .8
3 .1
1 .9
2 .8
2 .6
2 .0
1 .0
1 .1
.7
.1
.0
.6
.5
.1
2 .1
.6
1 .3
lo o
0
0
2800
0
2600
1300
0
600
1000
IlOO
1600
lo o
1600
1600
1600
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
IlOO
6000
7000
000
'• 8 0 0 0 1•"
2 4/20
7 0 0 0
MILE
19 5 8
19 5 7
E L E V. - F T.
R E F E R E N C E NO.
( T AB L E n r )
F ig . 6 .
6 0 0 0
F a l l d i s p e r s a l and a l t i t u d i n a l m ig ra tio n o f banded b lu e grouse
-~ 2 5 s e r i e s o f deciduous t h i c k e t s .
O ther o b s e rv a tio n s o f m is c e lla n e o u s marked
and unmarked g rouse in d ic a te d usage o f th e s e same a re a s b y o th e r b ro o d s .
Banding d a ta s u g g e s ts t h a t movements on th e summer,brood ran g e are
g e n e r a lly r e s t r i c t e d t o about o n e -h a lf, m ile o r l e s s .
B en d e ll (l9$h)
made s im ila r c o n c lu s io n s from banded b lu e g rouse hens w ith b ro o d s .
F a l l D is p e r s a l
There was in d ic a tio n t h a t a d u lt m ales and b ro o d - le s s fem ales moved
from summer ra n g e s p r i o r t o f a l l d i s p e r s a l o f b ro o d s.
The l a t e s t ob­
s e r v a tio n o f an a d u lt male on th e summer ran g e was A ugust 2> 19^7•
Y ear­
lin g male 9^26 was banded on th e bu n ch g rass p r a i r i e June 28, 1958, ob­
se rv e d n e a rb y J u ly I , and l a s t seen J u ly 2 2 , 1958 w ith in 25 y ard s o f where
banded*
Y e a rlin g male 5713 was banded J u ly 21, 1958 on th e b unchgrass
p r a i r i e , o bserved w ith in 200 y a rd s from th e banding s i t e on J u ly 23 and
2It, and l a s t seen J u ly 29, 1958 a t th e banding s i t e .
have s t a t e d t h a t a d u lt m ales i n i t i a t e upward movement.
Numerous o b se rv e rs
An a p p a r e n tly
-b ro o d -le ss hen was banded on th e summer ran g e J u ly 21, 1958 and observed
w ith in 200 y a rd s o f th e banding s i t e on J u ly 2h and 28, 1958.
B reak-up o f broods appeared to be c o n c u rre n t w ith f a l l d i s p e r s a l .
An
in c r e a s in g number o f s in g le s and s m a ll groups o f ju v e n ile s was observed
d u rin g l a t e August and Septem ber o f b o th y e a r s .
Of th r e e banded brood
m ates l a s t seen to g e th e r August 21, one was s h o t Septem ber 21, 1958 o v er
th r e e m ile s from and 1 ,0 0 0 f e e t h ig h e r th a n th e o th e r tw o, which were s h o t
UOO y ard s a p a r t on Septem ber 22 and 28, 1958, r e s p e c t i v e l y .
T h eir move­
m ents a re shown in F ig u re 6 and Table I I I j r e f e r e n c e numbers 1 0 , 20 and
'
2k,
-
26 -
Wing e t a l ( i 9l4.Il) i n W ashington, and B en d e ll (195#)' i n B r i t i s h
Colum bia, s t a t e d t h a t th e e a r l i e s t b re a k -u p i n brood o rg a n iz a tio n oc­
c u rre d i n l a t e J u ly .
D uring b o th y e a rs th e number o f b ro o d o b s e rv a tio n s
on th e summer b re e d ran g e d e c re a se d th e second week o f A ugust, and d e­
c re a s e d s h a r p ly th e f o u r th week o f t h a t month (T able IV").
D uring l a t e
A ugust and Septem ber, o b s e rv a tio n s o f marked g ro u se in d ic a te d in c re a s e d
abandonment o f summer b ro o d ran g es (se e p re v io u s s e c tio n ) and an in c r e a s e
i n l a t e r a l movement.
D ates on w hich U marked broods were l a s t seen on
summer bro o d ra n g e s were A ugust 9> 21, 22, and Septem ber 5 , 1957, and
A ugust Ij., 22, .22, 26, 29, 29, and Septem ber 2 o f 1958.
Only 8 o f 23
banded b i r d s s h o t d u rin g b o th y e a rs were on a re a s p r e v io u s ly fre q u e n te d
as summer bro o d ra n g e .
The l a t e s t d a te th e s e were sh o t was Septem ber 22,
f o r b o th 1957 and 1958.
The e x te n t o f d i s p e r s a l was su g g e s te d by h u n te r
band r e tu r n s (F ig . 6 and Table H i ) 5 l a t e r a l movements up t o 2 .1 m ile s
and a l t i t u d i n a l movements up to 3»U m ile s were re c o rd e d .
A somewhat d i f f e r e n t d i s t r i b u t i o n o f g ro u se d u rin g th e two h u n tin g
sea so n s was i n d ic a te d .
have p ro g re s s e d f u r t h e r .
D uring 1957, th e a l t i t u d i n a l m ig ra tio n seemed to
A lthough b ro o d s ap p eared t o have l e f t summer
brood ra n g e s a t about th e same tim e each y e a r , more g ro u se ap p eared to be
p r e s e n t a t in te rm e d ia te e le v a tio n s d u rin g 1958.
r e f l e c t e d i n th e im proved h u n te r su c c e ss o f 1958.
This i s a ls o p ro b a b ly
Beer (l9 h 3 ) in Wash­
in g to n , and M a rsh a ll (1956) i n Tdaho, co n clu d ed t h a t th e upward movement
i n f a l l was a re sp o n se to th e r ip e n in g o f f r u i t a t h ig h e r a l titu d e s ?
Fowle (1955) in B r itis h Columbia, su g g ested th a t th e coin cid en ce o f the
-
Table 17.
27 -
Average number o f brood o b s e rv a tio n s p e r day by weekly
p e r io d s , b e g in n in g w ith th e f o u r th week o f Ju n e.
1958
1957
Av. No.
bro o d ob­
s e r v a tio n s
p e r day
No.
days
o b s e r­
v in g
Av. No.
bro o d ob­
s e r v a tio n s
p e r day
Week
No.
days
o b s e r­
v in g
June
h
2 .5
.0
2 .0
1 .0
J u n e -J u ly
I
2 .0
1.5
3 .0
1.7
J u ly
2
3 .5
2 .0
U.o
U .5
J u ly
3
h.O
3 .5
U .5
U.7
J u ly
h
U .5
U.7
U .5
6 .0
July -A u g u st
5
5 .0
6 .U
U .5
5 .6
August
I
5 .0
6 .6
U .5
8.7
August
2
2 .0
5 .5
U .5
6 .9
August
3
U .5
U.7
U .5
7 .3
August
h
U .5
2 .0
3 .0
3 .3
A ugust-Sep­
tem ber
I
2.5
2 .0
1.5
2 .0
Septem ber
2
1.5
1 .0
2 .0
1 .0
Month
—
28 —
a l t i t u d i n a l movement and b e r r y r ip e n in g may w e ll have b een a c c id e n ta l;
M n g (19I47) i n W ashington, a t t r i b u t e d th e movement as a re sp o n se to a
g e o tro p ism ; B e n d e ll (1955) i n B r i t i s h Colum bia, su g g e ste d d e s ic c a tio n o f
low er v e g e ta tio n as a f a c t o r a f f e c t in g upward m ig ra tio n ; Heebner (1956)
i n Id a h o , s t a t e d t h a t th e r e ap p eared to be more a v a ila b le fo o d on th e
summer ran g e a t . th e tim e , o f th e upward movement th a n th e r e was a t th e
h ig h e r e le v a tio n s .
I n t h i s s tu d y , th e upward movement o f broods and
th e u n a v a i l a b i l i t y o f b e r r i e s a t low e le v a tio n s ap p eared somewhat .lin k e d
i n '1957j b a t in 1958 heavy cro p s o f c h o k e c h e rrie s were e v id e n t on p a r ts
o f th e abandoned summer bro o d ra n g e .
The abundance o f such food as low
r e d h u c k le b e rry ,(V accinium scoparium ) a t h ig h e r e le v a tio n s may have had
some e f f e c t on th e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f g ro u se ' a f t e r a l t i t u d i n a l m ig ra tio n had ■
begun.
P o p u la tio n
D uring 1957 and 1958, 255 g ro u se were c a p tu re d on a p p ro x im a te ly
th r e e sq u are m ile s o f summer ra n g e .
to more i n t e n s i f i e d f i e l d w ork.
One sq u are m ile o f t h i s was s u b je c te d
From J u ly 11 th ro u g h A ugust 1 5 , 1957, th e
hens o f 6 b roods p lu s 69 ju v e n ile s were c a p tu re d on t h i s one sq u are m ile .
From J u ly I th ro u g h A ugust 1 5, 1958, th e hens o f lU b roods p lu s 103
ju v e n ile s were banded t h e r e .
F ie ld o b s e rv a tio n s in d ic a te d t h a t in 1957
and 1958 approxim ate minimums o f 27 and 3U b ro o d s , r e s p e c t i v e l y , had a l l
o r p a r t o f t h e i r summer brood ra n g e s on t h a t one sq u are m ile .
Few r e ­
l i a b l e brood s iz e c o u n ts were o b ta in e d ; th e b ro o d s o b serv ed had from one
f
to e ig h t young. S c h o tte liu s ( l 9 5 l ) , i n W ashington, made 82 com plete
-
29 -
c o u n ts and r e p o r te d an average bro o d s iz e o f 3.77»
Of lOlt g ro u se c a p tu re d i n 1937, 11 d ie d d u rin g c a p tu re and "6 were
d is c o v e re d l a t e r as p r e d a to r l o s s e s .
A ll in s ta n c e s o f p re d a tio n d e te c te d
(in c lu d in g 3 unbanded b i r d s ) o c c u rre d a t a tim e when broods were con­
c e n tr a te d i n deciduous th i c k e t s and f a l l d i s p e r s a l had begun.
P re d a tio n
evidence was found on A ugust 8 , 1 3 , l 6 , 1 9 , 20, 21 and Septem ber k .
Of
th e rem ain in g 87 banded b ir d s (9 a d u lt fem ales and 78 j u v e n i l e s ) , 6 (7
p e r c e n t) were r e p o r te d s h o t.
A ll were ju v e n ile s .
D uring 1938, two
y e a r lin g s (banded in 1937) were r e c a p tu r e d , two g rouse w ith 1937 bands
were o b serv ed b u t n o t i d e n t i f i e d , and th e 1937 bands o f two grouse were
found on th e s tu d y a r e a .'
The number o f 1937-marked g ro u se o b serv ed i n
1938 p o s s ib ly was in flu e n c e d by th e h a b its o f y e a r lin g s , e s p e c i a l l y m a le s.
Buss e t a l (193L) and B e n d e ll (1933) re p o r te d t h a t many y e a r lin g s p ro b a b ly
do n o t r e t u r n to th e summer ran g e th e f i r s t y e a r .
No 1937 bands were r e ­
tu rn e d d u rin g th e 1938 h u n tin g s e a so n .
Of l 3 l grouse c a p tu re d i n 1938, 10 d ie d d u rin g c a p tu re and 2 were
p r e d a to r l o s s e s .
These two lo s s e s as w e ll as th o se o f th r e e unmarked
b ir d s a p p a r e n tly o c c u rre d a t th e tim e o f f a l l d i s p e r s a l .
P re d a tio n
ev id en ce was found on A ugust 3 , 12, l b , and Septem ber b .
Of th e rem ain in g
139 banded b ir d s (17 a d u lt fe m a le s , .3 a d u lt m ales, 119 j u v e n i l e s ) , 17
(12 pep c e n t) were r e p o r te d s h o t.
In c lu d e d were 13 ju v e n ile s and 2
a d u lt fe m a le s .
E vidence from b an ding d a ta su g g e ste d c o n c e n tr a tio n o f"b ro o d s::o n 'a
r e l a t i v e l y sm a ll summer ra n g e , su b se q u e n t d is p e r s a l to a la r g e w in te r
ra n g e , and a s u b s t a n t i a l tu rn o v e r r a t e th e f i r s t y e ar o f l i f e .
B e n d e ll*s
—
30 —
(19$$) p o p u la tio n s tu d y in d ic a te d heavy l o s s o f b lu e grouse young (6? p e r
c e n t m o r t a lit y o f c h ic k s by A ugust) and a r e l a t i v e l y u n ifo rm d e ath , r a t e
o f a d u lts (31 p e r c e n t y e a r ly d e ath r a t e o f m a le s ).
Numerous o th e r .
s t u d i e s , in c lu d in g th o s e o f L eopold (19U3) on p h e a s a n ts and-E rrin g to n
(l9lt5>) on bobw hite q u a i l , have in d ic a te d a high' tu rn o v e r r a t e on o th e r
g a llin a c e o u s b i r d s .
The p e r c e n t o f banded b lu e g ro u se s h o t (7 p e r c e n t
i n 1937 and 12 p e r c e n t i n 1938) in d ic a te d th e m inor in flu e n c e o f h u n tin g .
I n d ic a tio n s a re t h a t h u n tin g su c c e ss c o u ld be s u b s t a n t i a l l y a f f e c t e d
by th e ch ro n o lo g y o f th e h u n tin g s e a s o n .
I t was a p p a re n t t h a t a l t i t u t i n a l
m ig ra tio n was w e ll u n d e r way d u rin g b o th th e 1937 and 1938 h u n tin g
seasons.
F u r th e r p ro g r e s s io n o f th e a l t i t u d i n a l m ig ra tio n in 1937 was
i n t e r p r e t e d a s a f a c t o r in f lu e n c in g h u n te r s u c c e s s .
In 1937, an average
o f 3«9 man h o u rs p e r b i r d bagged ig e re expended compared t o 3«3 f o r 1938.
This d if f e r e n c e was i n t e r p r e t e d a s b ein g more o f a d i r e c t r e s u l t o f
a l t i t u d i n a l m ig ra tio n th a n d if f e r e n c e s i n g ro u se abundance betw een th e
two y e a r s .
In 1937, o f 38 grouse ( f o r w hich th e k i l l s i t e e le v a tio n was
a v a il a b le ) 23 (66 p e r c e n t) were s h o t above 7,U00 f e e t .
g ro u s e , o n ly 17 (lU p e r c e n t) were s h o t above 7 , Il-OO f e e t .
I n 1938, o f 120
This v a r i a t i o n
o f g rouse d i s t r i b u t i o n betw een th e two h u n tin g seaso n s i s a ls o in d ic a te d
by band r e t u r n s (T able I I I ) .
In fo rm a tio n o b ta in e d from h u n te rs in d ic a te d
an in c r e a s e d v u l n e r a b i l i t y o f g ro u se a t lo w er e le v a tio n s .
In 1937, 63
o f 289 (22 p e r c e n t) grouse r e p o r te d flu s h e d i n m ountain tim b e r a re a s
were bagged and 23 o f 39 (39 p e r c e n t) ,flu s h e d i n lo w lan d b ru sh were
bagged.
In 1938, 108 o f I4.0I4. (27 p e r c e n t) g ro u se r e p o r te d flu s h e d i n
m ountain tim b e r were bagged and $1 o f 122 (1}2 p e r c e n t) f lu s h e d i n low­
la n d b ru sh were s h o t.
H a rtk o m (195?) r e p o r te d t h a t p ro b a b ly l e s s th a n
10 p e r c e n t o f b lu e g ro u se m ountain h a b i t a t i s e v e r co v ered b y h u n te r s .
H atching d a ta f o r 195>7 and 195)8 in d ic a te d t h a t m id-Septem ber seaso n s
h a rv e s te d ju v e n ile b lu e grouse m ain ly a t th e 1 2 , 13, lit and Ijyth week o f
a g e.
Growth r a t e d a ta in d ic a te t h a t o n ly r e l a t i v e l y s m a ll g a in s in
w eig h t would be l o s t by h a rv e s tin g ju v e n ile s a t th e 1 0 , 1 1 , 12, and 1 3 th •
week o f a g e .
SUMMARY
D uring 1957 and 1958, a s tu d y o f b lu e g rouse was c a r r i e d on in th e
B rid g e r m ountains o f so u th w est M ontana.
In fo rm a tio n was o b ta in e d on th e
c h ro n o lo g y and e x te n t o f s e a s o n a l movements, developm ent o f young, popu­
l a t i o n c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s and g e n e r a l l i f e h i s t o r y .
Two hundred and f i f t y -
s i x g ro u se were c a p tu r e d , o f w hich 236 were banded and r e le a s e d .
f iv e ju v e n ile s were re c a p tu r e d a t o t a l o f 56 tim e s .
T h ir ty -
Gne hundred and
t h i r t y o b s e rv a tio n s (e x c lu d in g r e c a p tu r e s ) o f 65 in d iv id u a ls were made.
O b se rv a tio n s d u rin g th e b re e d in g season in d ic a te d a minimum o f 7
m ales p r e s e n t on a 17 a c re a r e a .
The s i t e s o f th re e n e s ts a re d e s c rib e d .
D uring 1957 and 1958, h a tc h in g d a te s d eterm in ed by ag in g j u v e n ile s ,
ra n g e d betw een May 25 and J u ly l l u
o f June f o r b o th y e a r s .
The peak h a tc h o c c u rre d th e t h i r d week
Growth r a t e in fo rm a tio n from 20 ju v e n ile s , t h a t
were r e c a p tu r e d 2 to 7 tim e s e a c h , in d ic a te d w eekly g a in s o f 90 grams f o r
m a le s, and 60 t o 80 grams f o r fem ales d u rin g th e f i r s t 11 w eeks.
Numerptzs o b s e rv a tio n s o f marked broods in d ic a te d movements w ith in
-3 2 a p p ro x im a te ly a o n e -h a lf m ile a re a on th e summer bro o d ra n g e .
D uring
b o th y e a rs d i s p e r s a l from th e summer brood ran g e became e v id e n t in August
and upward a l t i t u d i n a l m ig ra tio n was w e ll u n d er way b y th e opening o f th e
h u n tin g seaso n in m id-Septem ber.
l a t e r a l movements up t o 2 .1 m ile s and
a l t i t u d i n a l movements up to 3 oh m ile s were re c o rd e d .
Seven and 12 p e r
c e n t r e t u r n o f banded b ir d s o c c u rre d d u rin g th e h u n tin g sea so n s o f 1957
and 1958, r e s p e c t i v e l y .
No 1957 bands w e re " re tu rn e d in 1958, and h u n tin g
was i n t e r p r e t e d a s a m inor in flu e n c e in y e a r ly p o p u la tio n tu rn o v e r.
I n d ic a tio n s were t h a t h u n te r su cc e ss c o u ld be s u b s t a n t i a l l y a f f e c te d by
th e ch ronology o f th e h u n tin g s e a s o n .
D ata p re s e n te d f o r 1957 and 1958
in d ic a te d t h a t th e p ro g re s s o f a l t i t u d i n a l m ig ra tio n had a pronounced
e f f e c t on h u n te r s u c c e s s .
LITERATURE CZCED
American O r n ith o lo g is ts U nion.
Pp. 121-125.
B eer, Jam es. 19lt3»
7 ( l) :3 2 - b L .
1957»
C h e c k lis t o f N o rth A m erican B ird s .
Food h a b its o f th e b lu e g ro u se .
J . M ild l. Mgmt.,
B en d a ll,' James F . 195L. A s tu d y o f th e l i f e h i s t o r y and p o p u la tio n
dynamics o f th e s o o ty g ro u se D endragapus obsourus fu lig in o s u s
(R idgew ay). Ph.D . t h e s i s , U niv. o f B r i t i s h Colum bia.
_______ . 1955. Age, b re e d in g b e h a v io r and m ig ra tio n o f s o o ty g ro u s e ,
Dendragapus o bscurus f u lig in o s u s (R idgew ay). T ra n s. 2 0 th N. A.
M ild l. C o n f., '367-381.
_______ . 1955« D ise a se as a c o n tr o l o f a p o p u la tio n p f b lu e g ro u se ,
D endragapus o bscurus f u lig in o s u s (R idgew ay). Can. J . Z o o l., 33:
195-223.
. 1955» Age, m o lt, and w eight c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f b lu e g ro u se .
Sondor, 5 7 :3 5 ^ -3 6 1 .
B lank, T. H. and J . S. Ash.
1956.
M arker f o r game b i r d s .
J . W ild l.
-
33 -
Mgmt. 2 0(3}s328-330.
B rooks, A lla n . ' 1926. The d is p la y o f R ic h a rd s o n 's g ro u s e , w ith some-.
n o te s on th e s p e c ie s and su b sp e c ie s o f th e genus D endragapus. Auk,
143(3): 281-287.
Bump, G ., R. W. D a rrow, F . C.■ Edm apisiier and W. F . C r is s e y . I 9I47.
r u f f e d g r o u s e ---- l i f e h i s t o r y ------ p ro p a g a tio n - - - management.
S ta te C ons. D e p t., A lbany, x x x v i 915» p p .
.
B u s s ,'I n r e n 0 . , and Bryon A. S c h o t t e l i u s * 195>hg ro u s e . J . W ild le Mgmt., 1 8 ( l ) $137-138.
The
N. Y.
B reeding age o f b lu e
C asw ell, Edwin B. 19$h* A p re lim in a ry , s tu d y on th e l i f e h i s t o r y and
e c o lo g y o f th e b lu e grouse i n w e st c e n t r a l Id a h o . M. S. t h e s i s ,
U niv. o f Id ah o .
Eng, R o b ert L .
1957•
P e rs o n a l com m unication.
E r r in g to n , P au l L . 19li5» Some c o n tr ib u tio n s o f a f i f t e e n - y e a r l o c a l
s tu d y o f th e n o r th e r n bobw hite to a knowledge o f p o p u la tio n pheno­
mena. E cole M onographs, l 5 ( l ) $ l - 3 ^ . .
Fow le, C. D. I 9I4I4. The s o o ty grouse on i t s summer ra n g e .
U niv. o f B r i t i s h Colum bia.
H a rtk o rn , F red L.
1957.
1937•
Montana b lu e g ro u s e .
M. A. t h e s i s ,
Montana W ild lif e .
Ju n e,
H eebner, Gordon C. 1956. A s tu d y o f th e l i f e h i s t o r y and eco lo g y o f th e
b lu e grouse i n w est c e n t r a l Id a h o . M. S . t h e s i s , U niv. o f Id ah o .
L eopold, A ldo, Theodore M. S p e rry , #m. S . Feeney, and John A. E a te n h h se n .
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