As those of us who hunt wild game birds watched the torrential downpours throughout the spring and summer, we all feared the worst for fall hunting season.
State biologists warned that the rain could drown many of the chicks leading to the worst grouse hunting season in many years. It was a logical conclusion, given the volume and relentless nature of the water that poured down.
The next fear was for our many sporting camps scattered around the state — some of which are more than 100 years old — that rely on hunters they attract from across the country. One sporting camp owner said more people than ever have called to confirm that there are birds before they travel to Maine.
As it turns out, Mother Nature has her ways of preservation. And so do Maine’s sporting camps. After contacting nearly a dozen of them Tuesday, I was happy to discover that it’s business as usual for them. Some couldn’t come to the phone because they were, well, busy.
A couple had a handful of dates open, but they were filling them up fast.
One said there didn’t seem to be quite as many grouse as usual, but the camp was in northern Maine’s vast woods where the birds are generally more plentiful anyway. Hunters are finding birds. They just have to hunt for them.
As one sporting camp owner pointed out, the birds are normal, it’s the rumors of “no birds” that are the problem.
That seems to be true in far northern Maine. Other areas of the state where the bird populations were naturally lower and more rain fell are not that fortunate, according to Kelsey Sullivan, the state’s game bird biologist, on Wednesday.
Hunters are reporting fewer birds in areas off usual hot spots such as the locally famous Golden Road, which normally has an abundance of grouse. But the worst area of the state is in Rangeley, where the woodcutting that creates ideal grouse habitat has been less regular in recent years, he said.
The midcoast was another area hit hard by the rain, he said.
Grouse, like other wildlife, have cycles of lower and higher populations. But this year, hunters anywhere outside of northern Maine are apt to find fewer birds, he said.
“The state has experienced two good grouse seasons, so some natural decline is expected,” Sullivan said.
It’s not all gloom for hunters outside of northern Maine. The populations will recover fairly quickly, as biologists learned from a similar decline in 2005, Sullivan said.
And as for this year’s upland season, Maine has game birds. You just have to hunt for them.
