There are many public land areas to hunt in the Cuyuna Range Area. Please check plat books for Crow Wing County for public lands and access points. Ruffed grouse numbers are up this fall and hunters are reporting fair success. Hunting is allowed in the Cuyuna Country State Recreaion Area. No target practice or trap shooting is allowed in the Rec Area.

Minnesota is the top ruffed grouse-producing state in the U.S. No other state harvests as many ruffed grouse each fall or provides as much public hunting land containing ruffed grouse.

Ruffed grouse are a native woodland bird about the size of a small chicken. The bird is noted for its fan-shaped tail marked by a broad, dark band. Some ruffed grouse--called red-phased birds--have chestnut-colored tails, and the gray-phased birds have gray or slate-colored tails. The bird also has a concealed neck ruff that the male puffs out during courtship displays.

Male ruffed grouse make a well-known drumming noise that sounds similar to a distant lawnmower engine. He drums by beating his wings in the air, starting slowly as a series of thumps, and then, as beating speeds up, the sound resembles a drum or engine. The drumming occurs on logs, boulders, tree roots, or other elevated sites known as "drumming logs."

More Information on Grouse Hunting | MN DNR

2006 Grouse Survey Report

Ruffed Grouse Drumming Counts - 1949 to 2006

Minnesota grouse report 2005

Minnesota grouse and hares report 2004

Whitetail Deer hunting

Deer hunting in Cuyuna Country is famous for number, size and public land availability on which to hunt. The Cuyuna State Recreation Area is also open for public deer hunting. Be advised that within the Rec Area, there are still private tracks of land, so take special care not to trespass posted land.