Grouse season opens Saturday

About 100,000 hunters will be out on Saturday for the opening of Pennsylvania's grouse season. The first part of the three-phase season runs through Nov. 24.

The season reopens Dec. 10- 22, and then again from Dec. 26 to Jan. 26.

According to the Game Commission, the Northwest Region unseated the Northcentral Region as Pennsylvania's top grouseflushing region in 2006, with a rate of 1.76 grouse per hour (1.36 in 2005). In the Northcentral, the rate was 1.65 (1.46 in '05);

Grouse hunters are reminded to wear at least 250 square inches of fluorescent orange clothing on the head, chest and back combined at all times; limit hunting parties to no more than six individuals; and plug shotguns to three-shell capacity (magazine and chamber combined).