Upland Game Bird Conservation: Ruffed Grouse Ruffed grouse occur in forested counties of eastern and southern Ohio. The preferred habitat of this popular game bird is young forest cover that regrows following logging, the reclamation of surface mines, and abandonment of pastures and farmland. Grouse numbers have declined considerably in Ohio since the early 1980s as forests have matured in the state, and roadside drumming counts and hunter flush rates in 2018 remain near historic lows. Unfortuna