Not only do grouse use the thorny greenbrier vines for cover, they partake the somewhat leathery leaves, as well as the bluish pea-sized berries with the waxy surface. I remember a little tip that now-retired DNR grouse researcher Tom Allen gave me. He kept some subject grouse in captivity and stated that they wouldn't eat greenbrier berries until softened up a bit by multiple frosts.

That seems logical, as nature's way of not only assuring seed distribution through the partaking bird's digestive tract, but by rationing them and the other food sources in a sequential manner so as to prevent starvation. As one food source is gone, another becomes available. Another thing that Allen told me is that grouse loved fresh as in store-bought lettuce at all times.

And yes, don't underestimate that fact. Ardent grouser himself, Director Jezioro repeatedly tells of his grouse crops most always full or with some amount of "grouse lettuce" albeit the wild kind. I can loudly second that observation.

In addition to greenbrier leaves, grouse will consume the foliage of cross vine, multi-flora rose and a common forb of the forest floor called ragwort. It stays green all winter unlike many other long dormant species. Grouse savor beechnuts and white oak acorns, if you can find them near decent cover.

The mini-red rose hips of multi-flora rose are an excellent winter food source as well. Though listed as a noxious, exotic species where it can be quite invasive in old fields, when spotted here and there in the woods, it is a grouse hunter's favorite. Just like greenbrier, its leaves and fruit provide sustenance, while the thorny shrub provides cover. That, my friends, is like comfortably living in your own well-stocked kitchen. Another winter food and at least a good indicator of decent grouse cover is the sumac or "shumate" as many Mountaineers call it. The fruiting red heads or "candles" start to drop their individual fuzzy seeds a little at a time in fulfillment of that rationing mode.

You can sometimes follow grouse tracks in the snow to confirm their feeding on these seeds that literally pepper the snow. As for snow, it can be helpful to show some tracks or ground roosts. However, the lack of tracks with decent flushes or an abundance of tracks with nary a flush can surely bedazzle you.

No one ever said that grouse weren't enigmatic. Along those lines, you can see that grouse can be just about anywhere on the mountain from top to bottom. They also have that wide range of favorite foods, and we didn't even mention a host of twig ends and buds. That conveniently brings us to the next point.

There may not be many grouse, but they can be at many different places! You therefore must put plenty of miles in with dogs, pals or by your lonesome in the quest for flushes.

PUBLIC LAND OPTIONS
Now here are a few public grouse options to get your feet on the ground. These are kind of sleepers and shouldn't be too awfully crowded with other bird hunters.

Lincoln County's Big Ugly WMA has seen quite a bit of logging in the recent past. Some of its 6,000 acres should now be sporting a bird or two. It's accessible off state Route 7 near the town of Leet.

The 9,000-acre Morris Creek WMA in Kanawha and Clay counties is another option that should hold some grouse in its thicker portions. Both of these areas are part of District 5. New district biologist Gary Sharp is actually an old hand there. Call the district headquarters at (304) 675-0871.

More famous for its new lake of the same name, Wallback WMA has some grouse-holding pockets along its scattered holdings on both sides of Interstate 79 near exit 34. Look for the reverting farm portions, old road fill perimeters and the brushy highway edges that also sport some grape tangles. Call the district office at (304) 924-6211 for local conditions.

Grouse gunning is certainly not about weighty game bags and limits. It's most definitely one of classic sport for an even classier game bird. Take lightly from any given covert and you'll be amply rewarded at the next one. It's in finding that next new covert or explosive flush that's really the kicker. And we hope a Christmas grouse or two is under a tree out there waiting just for you!