Do ruffed grouse populations in New York follow “10-year cycles”?
In states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, ruffed grouse appear to follow ten-year cycles when populations are surveyed over large geographic scales (statewide or intrastate regions). Population trends at smaller scales (town or county) may not conform so easily to such patterns. Scientists are still unclear on exactly what drives these cycles, but many think it involves a complex interaction of habitat quality (stem density, food distribution and abundance), predation on nests and broods, weather, and other factors. In some years, natural phenomena such as outbreaks of tree-defoliating tent caterpillars may impact population cycles. Are we seeing similar cycles in New York State? If we use statewide grouse harvest estimates as an index to grouse populations, over the past two decades there does not seem to be a 10-year cycle in New York. Whether this is because declining habitat quantity and quality have disrupted the cycle, or whether these habitat factors are “masking” a
