CHAPTER 1 A FLURRY OF WINGBEATS The morning air is frosty You walk down a clover-filled lane through the trees You carry a shotgun at the ready Ahead a hunting dog works through the brush looking for birds Suddenly a grouse takes flight You swing the shotgun ahead of the speeding grouse and pull the trigger Sharp-tailed grouse can often be found in areas of short grass 5
American Indians were the first people to hunt upland birds in North America For thousands of years hunters used snares or traps Others shot birds with slingshots or bows and arrows When European settlers came they began hunting the birds too They also changed the birds habitats Some of these changes were helpful For example logging and small farms cleared some land The resulting young forest and edges helped ruffed grouse thrive Other changes were harmful On the prairies native grasses were replaced by fields of crops This hurt prairie chicken populations 6
A man and his dog hunt pheasants in the early In the governments started making new laws These laws helped provide the money needed to protect upland bird habitats Today hunters can pursue upland birds in all US states and every Canadian province 7
