Hi all, This past weekend, Nathan Pieplow and I made the trip to far NW Moffat County, hoping to investigate some promising looking habitat in the vicinity of Hoy Mountain. For those who don't know about that area, Hoy Mountain is the only place in Colorado from which Ruffed Grouse has been confirmed. It is also, to put it mildly, a bit difficult to get to. 15 years ago, Nathan and I, along with our friend Andy Boyce, scouted out a new grove of habitat on the mountain where we found the grouse, and in the subsequent few years I led several trips back to search for it. All in all, I've had good success there, finding the species on 4/5 visits.
However, accessing the mountain via that route requires obtaining permission from private landowners in the area. In recent years that has become more difficult for various reasons, so we wanted to see if there were other options available. Using satellite maps I identified an area a couple of ridges to the north of the "classic" locations on Hoy Mountain, conveniently accessed by a road through public land in Utah. I also identified a potential hiking route to the previously visited groves to the south that did not cross public land. For those who don't want to read the entirety of this email, I'll cut to the chase and say that we did NOT find any Ruffed Grouse. However, it is our hope that the details in this post will help others who may want to look for this species in Colorado. Marshall Draw: The first location we investigated was a patch of forest on the north slope of a ridge along the south side of Marshall Draw. This area is accessed by a rough road that heads east from the Crouse Canyon Road in Utah, and ends at the Colorado state line. It is a sizable grove of mostly Douglas fir, with a dense deciduous understory that includes serviceberry. A few small aspens are present. While not as ideal-looking as the groves where Ruffed Grouse have been found before (which contain a higher percentage of aspens), it still looks like a promising location to find the bird. We did find signs of Dusky Grouse (feathers and possible droppings), and saw one live Dusky Grouse just over the border into Utah. This grove would also be an ideal spot to attempt to access in the spring, and listen for drumming birds. It should be possible to stand in the sage below the grove and hear a drumming grouse from anywhere on the slope above, given how far that sound carries. I am unsure how accessible the area is during the prime April-mid May time frame, but hopefully some intrepid birder will find that out! The overland hike: Before I say anything else, I will say that this is NOT a hike to be taken lightly. While most of the hike is on relatively easy terrain, the crux of the route ascends a ridge that is covered in boulders, which are covered in very dense brushy growth, both of which are covered in bands of deadfall, all on a steep slope crowned by a band of rimrock that must be negotiated. That's not to say it's impossible; with some route finding and adequate preparation, the hike is quite doable. Unfortunately, we were not very well prepared, and ran out of water at the far end of the hike. That cut down on the time we had to search for the grouse at the location where it has been previously found. And made the hike back one of the less pleasant things I have done. However, for anyone wanting to look for Ruffed Grouse in Colorado and not able to get permission to cross the private land to access Hoy Mountain via the shorter route, this is one way to do so. To reiterate, though, do NOT attempt this unless you are confident in your ability to walk 10+ miles round trip in a very dry climate with absolutely no water available beyond what you bring with you. Be prepared to ascend ~700 vertical feet in very tough terrain that involves significant bushwhacking and class 3 maneuvers over boulders and deadfall. And make sure you are well prepared with good maps, a GPS, and some route-finding experience. If I haven't scared you all away with all that, and anyone would like more information, let me know. I can send detailed instructions on how to find the route and avoid private land inholdings on the way, GPS points for crucial locations to navigate towards, and more anecdotes of the pain and misery that hiking on Hoy Mountain often times rewards you with. Andrew Spencer Littleton, CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/bf8af594-7512-4f67-b5bb-5df7c5a20d88n%40googlegroups.com.
