Will it get better there in this section of Minnesota in 2005? It should. There was ample snow over the winter that helped many of the grouse that were left there to make it into the nesting season. Some hunters thought the great grey owl migration from Canada that was at a never-seen-before level this winter might have an adverse affect on the number of grouse in the region south of the Canadian border, but Horton is optimistic on that front.

"On the positive side we had a lot of ideal roosting snow for grouse during the time when the owls were coming through the northern part of the country," said Horton. "Those great greys came through in December and early January, and we had great levels of snow where the owls were. It wasn't until early February when we had some melting and the snow crusted. By then the owls had moved farther south because the snow was too deep for them to be feeding efficiently. So most of the owls were down in that band of the state that crosses Aitkin, Pine and Crow Wing counties in those spruce bogs, and the grouse farther north didn't bear the brunt of their foraging. So I don't think those owls had too bad of an affect in the northern portion of Minnesota, at least that's what I'm hoping for."

There was also good snow cover in the north-central section of Minnesota that helped carry over more grouse. This section of our state had fair hunting in 2004 and should improve this season. Like most grouse hunters, they watch the cycle and hope for the best. I asked Horton how he views the grouse cycle and where we might be on that sliding scale.

"I've always said about the grouse cycle that it may never be fully understood," said Horton, "because there is no one thing that we can point to and say that it causes the grouse cycle. The cycle is a blending of several different factors, including the predator/prey relationship, winter weather, spring nesting conditions, habitat and many other situations that develop every year. It's a big picture and there are a lot of things going on at the same time."

As far as where we should be in 2005, Horton said, "The basic story with the grouse population is we hope this is the year it's going to turn. We're six years past the 1998/'99 peak so it's time for it to start turning around."

I made it a point to test some high-potential areas in the southeastern section of Minnesota in 2004 and was pleasantly surprised. There was a lack of snow there this past winter, but even if grouse numbers hold in this part of Minnesota, hunting should be good. I plan on getting back there this season, and with some luck I might hit the woodcock migration at the right time. I was about a week late last year, and asked Horton if it's possible to time that so you can get into a situation where you might hit both woodcock and grouse at a particular time.

"Woodcock seem to migrate with a north wind because they're not strong flyers and they fly low to the ground and need some help from that wind," said Horton. "So on those October days when you have one of those northwesterly winds blowing down, you know those woodcock are moving. If you get a sudden turn in the wind and it's coming from the south, it will hold them because they don't want to fly into the wind. That will make them stay put in one spot for awhile."

Horton described how this affected his woodcock hunting in a negative manner in 2002 and '03.