| Window | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Season | 19 SEP 2026 – 03 JAN 2027 | 107d |
As publishedSept. 19, 2026 - Jan. 3, 2027
Statewide.Bag limit is combined with spruce grouse (5 daily / 10 possession combined, of which no more than 2 daily / 4 possession may be spruce grouse). Blaze orange/pink required above the waist.
Minnesota's spring drumming-count survey (established 1949, statewide since the 1980s) organizes ruffed grouse into 4 named survey regions defined by Ecological Classification System (ECS) sections. The Northeast region is the survey's largest by sample size and is the state's core forested grouse range; the Southeast region consistently records the lowest density for the species, reflecting the driftless area's marginal grouse habitat. Minnesota's population runs on a roughly 10-year cycle statewide, a structural pattern rather than a regional one.
Minnesota's 2026 spring drumming count came in at 1.7 drums/stop statewide, down slightly from 2025, consistent with the population moving into the declining side of its usual 8-11-year cycle after peaking in 2024. More important for this fall's actual hunting, though: the state's own wildlife biologists point to heavy June 2026 rainfall as a direct hit on nesting success and chick survival. The state is explicit that the spring drumming count alone doesn't predict how many birds you'll see this fall, and that this year's rain is the bigger factor. A cyclical downturn made worse by a real, named weather event this season, not just an expected dip.
Heavy June 2026 rainfall reducing nesting success and chick survival, layered on top of the population's expected cyclical decline, per Minnesota's own wildlife biologists.
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