WhenToBird

Bonasa umbellus · Phasianidae

When Do Ruffed Grouse Arrive in Vermont?

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

Ruffed Grouse arrive in Vermont in mid March, peak in the second week of May (5.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 15-21mid March
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals mid March; most are gone by the second week of August. Peak: on about 5.5% of Vermont checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.1% of 12234 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.0% of 8293 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.7% of 7885 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 10534 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.7% of 7212 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.7% of 8144 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 10480 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.8% of 7932 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.5% of 8192 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.7% of 9383 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.0% of 10620 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.3% of 16257 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.4% of 12568 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.3% of 14677 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.8% of 14106 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.2% of 19617 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.3% of 18143 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.7% of 19626 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.5% of 17779 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.0% of 20310 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.1% of 11493 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.8% of 10215 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.0% of 9951 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.8% of 11050 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.7% of 8690 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.0% of 7679 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.0% of 7687 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.0% of 10712 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.0% of 7703 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.0% of 7743 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.8% of 8314 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.8% of 12428 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.0% of 9526 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.3% of 8493 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.7% of 8283 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.1% of 10352 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.1% of 8802 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.2% of 9088 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.2% of 7739 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.8% of 10907 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.5% of 7868 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.4% of 7223 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.4% of 7224 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.1% of 8375 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.2% of 6580 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.3% of 6800 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 8334 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.2% of 10579 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 Vermont 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.

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Where in Vermont

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Essex CountyBest late April · 265 checklists that week, 9,416 in all18%
  2. Washington CountyBest mid April · 985 checklists that week, 37,036 in all13%
  3. Caledonia CountyBest early May · 343 checklists that week, 10,534 in all11%
  4. Orleans CountyBest late April · 377 checklists that week, 11,785 in all11%
  5. Orange CountyBest late April · 662 checklists that week, 16,964 in all11%
  6. Rutland CountyBest mid April · 1162 checklists that week, 46,909 in all7.6%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Camels Hump State ForestChittenden County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 299 in all58%
  2. Hinesburg Town ForestChittenden County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 482 in all55%
  3. Danby PondRutland County, best the second week of April · 29 checklists that week, 551 in all52%
  4. Enosburg Town ForestFranklin County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 136 in all50%
  5. Union Village ReservoirOrange County, best late April · 27 checklists that week, 352 in all46%

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

Best time of day

In Vermont, the Ruffed Grouse is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (5.2% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (384) to judge1 am: too few checklists (418) to judge2 am: too few checklists (568) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3460) to judge5 am: 5.2% of 10340 checklists6 am: 5.2% of 30951 checklists7 am: 3.3% of 64150 checklists8 am: 2.6% of 70252 checklists9 am: 2.1% of 55280 checklists10 am: 1.6% of 47111 checklists11 am: 1.4% of 37615 checklists12 pm: 1.3% of 32195 checklists1 pm: 1.5% of 30185 checklists2 pm: 1.4% of 29679 checklists3 pm: 1.5% of 26483 checklists4 pm: 1.7% of 20110 checklists5 pm: 1.6% of 15993 checklists6 pm: 1.6% of 12110 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8203) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4425) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1829) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (597) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (309) 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
January1.1%1.0%0.7%0.8%
February0.7%0.7%0.7%0.8%
March0.5%0.7%1.0%1.3%
April2.4%4.3%5.8%5.2%
May5.3%5.7%5.5%4.0%
June2.1%1.8%2.0%1.8%
July1.7%1.0%1.0%1.0%
August1.0%1.0%0.8%0.8%
September1.0%1.3%1.7%2.1%
October2.1%2.2%2.2%1.8%
November1.5%1.4%1.4%1.1%
December1.2%1.3%1.1%1.2%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives mid March, in the same week than Vermont
  • Maine: arrives late August, 21 weeks later than Vermont
  • New York: arrives mid March, in the same week than Vermont
  • Michigan: arrives early August, 18 weeks later than Vermont

Common questions

When do Ruffed Grouse arrive in Vermont?
Ruffed Grouse arrive in Vermont in mid March, peak in the second week of May (5.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.
When do Ruffed Grouse leave Vermont?
Most Ruffed Grouse have left Vermont by the second week of August, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Ruffed Grouse in Vermont?
The Ruffed Grouse is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 5.5% of Vermont checklists.
Where in Vermont are Ruffed Grouse seen most often?
By county, Essex County, Washington County, and Caledonia County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ruffed Grouse (counties with at least 200 checklists).