If it was in the woods of central and northern Minnesota, it was probably a ruffed grouse ... In the winter, ruffed grouse have comb-like fringes on their toes that act like snowshoes ... The ruffed grouse also has a unique way to survive snowy winters.
TOWER—If you’ve spent any time in the woods of northern Minnesota in the spring and heard a soft, rapid beat in the distance and wondered what that could be, the answer is simple. It’s a ruffed grouse playing the drums ... .
Trying to predict ruffed grouse hunting prospects is an inexact science at best, but based on drumming counts, at least, Minnesota’s breeding population was down from last year ... Historically, ruffed ...