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.