Filming Ruffed Grouse in Virginia - A Story About Grouse in Appalachia

Time spent with a Ruffed Grouse is a gift. Whether that’s behind a bird dog or listening to one drum on a Spring morning, every experience with the King is a blessing. For me, the ability to observe and quietly share space with wildlife, no matter the species, has been the foundation of my wildlife and conservation journey. Ruffed Grouse have been woven into that journey since I was a little kid reading my dad's and grandfather’s old hunting journals almost 30 years ago. My passion for these birds has bubbled and boiled to the top over the last half decade when I flushed some grouse on a cold winter’s walk looking for a spiritual sign from God that led to my Dad and I buying the first piece of our family’s land. To me, a big part of stewardship is reciprocity. Ruffed Grouse have given me an enormous amount of purpose and passion, and in an effort to give back to the species, created The Give for Grouse Initiative to give grouse a voice, habitat, and a future. This film is to tell a little bit of my story with Ruffed Grouse. From reading about them in old hunting journals when I was a kid to chasing them around the Virginia mountains in the Spring with a camera, I have fallen in love with these beautiful, tough, quirky little birds, and I hope this film helps you connect with them as I have and inspires you to also give for grouse.