Small game is nothing to grouse about

Here’s an obvious statement – hunting is popular in Alaska. I don’t think I’ll get too much argument with that.

All one needs to support that statement is to look at the numbers of drawing permit applications submitted each year. I don’t have the figures, but suspect well over 100,000 individual hunt number applications were processed this past application period. My wife and I submitted six for the antlerless moose hunts alone. Add to that the Tier I and Tier II subsistence applications, plus the federal subsistence permits. That’s all in addition to the tens of thousands of hunters who participate in the general season hunts. Folks hunt in Alaska!

Having said all that, notice the discussion above revolves exclusively around opportunities to hunt big game species: moose, caribou, elk, deer, brown and black bears, sheep, goats and musk ox. Most of us “Alaska transplants” grew up hunting small game in our earlier lives. As a kid in the Midwest, I cut my hunting teeth cottontail rabbits, pheasants and both gray and fox squirrels every season from the time my parents felt I was trustworthy enough to go. Hunting big game, like whitetail deer, was the dream. Small game was the reality and honed my hunting skills.

Hunting small game in Alaska is almost an afterthought for most residents. Some of us will maybe make a trip or two for waterfowl and will “pop” a grouse or snowshoe hare while moose hunting — if the shot won’t disturb the area. A few folks will chase ptarmigan or hares during the early spring season while snowmobiling, but that seems like the extent of things — or used to be.

I’ve noticed a growing trend where more folks are making fall hunting trips specifically for grouse and ptarmigan and are raising and training bird dogs for that purpose. Fish and Game’s introduction of ruffed grouse into the Valley several years ago was an effort to improve small game hunting opportunities here. Finally, last August, the department filled a statewide small game biologist position to specifically address small game issues for grouse, ptarmigan and snowshoe hares in Alaska.

Rick Merizon holds a master’s degree in biology from Portland State University, where he worked with marine seabirds in Puget Sound for his thesis. Rick was originally hired by Fish and Game 11 years ago and began working in the fisheries arena in Cordova (this is not unusual; there are generally more open positions available in fisheries than wildlife. I did the same when I began my career). He came to the Valley about six years ago as a fisheries research biologist to work on sockeye salmon research and continued on with some much-needed coho and chum salmon research. He is a lifelong passionate bird hunter and outdoorsman. He grew up duck and grouse hunting, and these are his primary hunting interests today.

I talked with Rick earlier this week and he explained some of the work he hopes to accomplish as the only biologist dedicated to small game management and research in the state. First, in order to manage a group of hunters, one needs to know who they are. In the next few months, Rick will initiate a road area survey of who, what, where, when and why folks hunt small game in Alaska. This information will indicate program needs and direction for the future. He’s also interested in developing a wing/tail collection for grouse and ptarmigan that will aid in public education and also begin to track various population parameters like age and sex composition of birds in any given area.

Rick stated that very little detailed information is known about most small game populations in the state and he is eager to start building data and knowledge for these populations. To accomplish that task over time will require not only department resources, but extensive public participation and support. One person trying to accomplish this statewide task is daunting and any help or information the public can offer will be greatly appreciated.

Rick would like to expand and further develop public education opportunities regarding small game, not only basic population information about the animals, but also how that grouse or hare interacts with its environment. When folks understand how a creature fits in its specific ecosystem and how the species contributes to the health of the environment, they tend to demand better management and research to maintain that healthy environmental system.

If you get a chance, stop by the Palmer Fish and Game office and speak with Rick. He’s a great guy who knows what he’s talking about.

On a related but different note, mark your calendars for April 7. The Ruffed Grouse Society’s (RGS) Southcentral chapter will be holding its 20th annual sportsmen’s banquet at the Hilton Hotel in Anchorage. This is a fund-raiserfor habitat and research work here in Alaska. For tickets or more information, visit ruffedgrousesocietyak.com.

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Leave a message by emailing sports@frontiersman.com.