WhenToBird

Bonasa umbellus · Phasianidae

When Do Ruffed Grouse Arrive in Minnesota?

Adult male Ruffed Grouse
Photo: mrdace, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Ruffed Grouse arrive in Minnesota in early September, peak in late May (3.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 1-7early September
Common bySep 1-7early September
PeakMay 22-31late May
Most gone byJun 22-30late June

Best: late May. First arrivals early September; most are gone by late June. Peak: on about 3.0% of Minnesota checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 1.4% of 20628 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.6% of 14594 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.6% of 14238 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.5% of 20725 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.8% of 14484 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.6% of 15988 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.6% of 20718 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.3% of 15754 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.9% of 16125 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.8% of 19035 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.6% of 19586 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 30192 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.9% of 24262 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.2% of 30223 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.6% of 29085 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.8% of 43574 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.8% of 39300 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.5% of 45927 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.1% of 36632 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.4% of 43809 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.2% of 23418 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.3% of 20450 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.1% of 19470 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.8% of 23418 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.7% of 19104 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.6% of 16927 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.6% of 15635 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.3% of 22073 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.5% of 16255 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 16840 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.4% of 17475 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.6% of 26545 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.8% of 20750 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.9% of 18494 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.1% of 18215 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.5% of 24463 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.7% of 18252 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.4% of 19527 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.4% of 17098 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.4% of 24570 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.5% of 16744 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.1% of 13483 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 12525 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 17023 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 11645 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.1% of 11567 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.2% of 13343 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.6% of 19759 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Minnesota that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Minnesota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Clearwater CountyBest mid May · 229 checklists that week, 2,315 in all29%
  2. Koochiching CountyBest late October · 28 checklists that week, 2,281 in all25%
  3. Cook CountyBest the second week of May · 315 checklists that week, 14,913 in all21%
  4. Carlton CountyBest early May · 183 checklists that week, 8,150 in all21%
  5. Roseau CountyBest mid January · 17 checklists that week, 1,453 in all20%
  6. Aitkin CountyBest early May · 162 checklists that week, 4,943 in all19%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Oberg LakeCook County, best late May · 31 checklists that week, 275 in all58%
  2. Nichols LakeSt. Louis County, best late January · 27 checklists that week, 308 in all57%
  3. Big BogBeltrami County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 273 in all50%
  4. North Arm Lake ItascaClearwater County, best mid May · 31 checklists that week, 340 in all48%
  5. Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge (Rice Lake)Sherburne County, best the second week of May · 31 checklists that week, 290 in all37%
  6. Tamarack LakeClearwater County, best mid May · 20 checklists that week, 313 in all35%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Minnesota, the Ruffed Grouse is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.3% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (349) to judge1 am: too few checklists (331) to judge2 am: too few checklists (286) to judge3 am: too few checklists (364) to judge4 am: too few checklists (863) to judge5 am: too few checklists (7598) to judge6 am: 2.7% of 35775 checklists7 am: 2.1% of 90565 checklists8 am: 1.6% of 110612 checklists9 am: 1.5% of 106128 checklists10 am: 1.4% of 96131 checklists11 am: 1.2% of 83750 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 76254 checklists1 pm: 1.0% of 73480 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 73703 checklists3 pm: 1.1% of 75249 checklists4 pm: 1.3% of 68810 checklists5 pm: 1.2% of 51899 checklists6 pm: 1.1% of 38524 checklists7 pm: 1.1% of 25120 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (10568) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2420) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (748) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (420) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January1.4%1.6%1.6%1.5%
February1.8%1.6%1.6%1.3%
March0.9%0.8%0.6%0.7%
April0.9%1.2%1.6%1.8%
May1.8%2.5%3.1%3.4%
June2.2%1.3%1.1%0.8%
July0.7%0.6%0.6%0.3%
August0.5%0.4%0.4%0.6%
September0.8%0.9%1.1%1.5%
October1.7%1.4%1.4%1.4%
November1.5%1.1%1.0%1.0%
December0.8%1.1%1.2%1.6%

Neighboring states

  • Wisconsin: arrives the second week of September, 1 week later than Minnesota
  • Michigan: arrives early August, 4 weeks earlier than Minnesota
  • Wyoming: arrives late April, 17 weeks earlier than Minnesota
  • New York: arrives mid March, 22 weeks earlier than Minnesota

Common questions

When do Ruffed Grouse arrive in Minnesota?
Ruffed Grouse arrive in Minnesota in early September, peak in late May (3.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.
When do Ruffed Grouse leave Minnesota?
Most Ruffed Grouse have left Minnesota by late June, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Ruffed Grouse in Minnesota?
The Ruffed Grouse is reported most often in late May, on about 3.0% of Minnesota checklists.
Where in Minnesota are Ruffed Grouse seen most often?
By county, Clearwater County, Koochiching County, and Cook County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ruffed Grouse (counties with at least 200 checklists).