A displaying male ruffed grouse on his drumming log (Canon 60D homemade camera trap, no flash)

In spring, the male ruffed grouse chooses a “stage” from which he displays and “drums” to attract females. He is a great camera trap subject, because he displays repeatedly in the same place throughout the mating season. A well placed camera will get hundreds if not thousands of grouse images within just a few weeks, and among them there are bound to be a few winners.

Ruffed grouse at rest on his drumming log. Note that the log is surrounded by dense shrubbery. Thick cover is a key selection criterion for male grouse. Logs are usually at least 12 inches in diameter. (Canon 60D homemade camera trap, no flash)

All you need to do is find a male’s “stage”. The key features are elevation, so that female grouse can see and hear him, and cover, so that he will be safe from predators. A typical stage is a large diameter (usually at least 12 inches) log surrounded by a dense stand of tree saplings or tall shrubs. A stump, boulder, or stone wall may be used instead of a log but regardless of the type of stage, dense cover is a must. In fact, the cover makes it hard to find the stage, for often it is difficult to see even from a few yards away.

That’s why it comes in handy to know what a male grouse sounds like when drumming. It is reminiscent of a lawn mower starting up. Once you’re familiar with the sound and succeed in detecting it out in the field, you can follow it toward the log. You’ll probably flush the bird long before you find the log, but at least you’ll know the general area.

Once you find the log, you need to determine where to put the camera. Usually the bird has just one or two spots on the log where he always stands while drumming, and these will be indicated by piles of his droppings. If you don’t see grouse scat on the log, look on the ground beside it, because he sometimes stands close to the edge and his droppings roll off the log and down to the ground.

Ruffed grouse droppings found on a drumming log. There was a much larger pile on the ground beside the log.

Don’t deploy the camera unless you see a substantial accumulation of droppings on or beside the stage. I have found many logs that have a few turds and don’t accumulate more. Typically the cover is poor around these logs and I suspect a bird considered but ultimately rejected them for that reason.

You can station the camera a few feet away from the drumming spot by attaching it to a tree next to the log, if there is one that’s large enough, or to the log itself. Resist the temptation to clear vegetation to create a better set. You’ll want to do this because, as I said, the log will be surrounded by dense cover. But because such cover is a key selection criterion, the bird will probably go off in search of a new stage if you remove some of the cover. That is a waste of his time and energy, not to mention yours.

Male ruffed grouse at the start of a drumming sequence. He requires dense cover, so resist the temptation to clear vegetation to improve the set for photography. He may abandon the stage if cover is diminished. (Canon 60D homemade camera trap, no flash)

Ruffed grouse on his drumming log. Not in great focus, but a cute pose. (Canon 60D homemade camera trap, no flash)

And another pose. Again, the focus isn’t great but his face shows up well, and I love his little crest.

While male grouse may drum at any hour, day or night, they are most active during daylight so a white flash is not needed for color images. In fact, a standard trail camera with an IR flash can, depending on the model, do a respectable job of capturing a drumming grouse. The photo below was taken by a standard trail camera. These cameras aren’t designed for such small animals, so I was amazed mine did as well as it did, but of course the images don’t compare to what a DSLR camera trap can get.

This photo was captured by a standard trail camera, an Exodus Lift, that isn’t meant for photographing animals as small as a grouse. The photo is heavily cropped and still somewhat crisp. I was pleasantly surprised.