The grouse population is up about 30 percent from last year, but the amount of public hunting land is drastically down.
When Minnesota's ruffed grouse hunters head to the woods for the season opener Saturday, they'll likely find more grouse.
The population is up about 30 percent from last year.
But some hunters also likely will encounter something they don't want to see: more "no trespassing" signs.
That's because the fragmentation of the state's forests continues as major industrial landowners continue to sell or lease lands, most of which used to be open to public hunting. Those lands total 1 million acres in northern Minnesota -- nearly the size of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
more...
http://www.startribune.com/outdoors/story/1409299.html
