Anyone Hunt Ruffed Grouse?

Just curious if anyone has ever hunted Ruffed Grouse before?
If so, where?
How was the experience?

Some Pictures from Minnesota Ruffed Grouse hunts

yes, up around Black Duck, great times.

No, but I want to. Are those pictures from Minnesota? Or somewhere else?

I'd say Minnesota.

Nice pics. I would love to hunt them.

Nice pics.

Yes, up north. One hunter and a dog work out very well. The dogs needs to retrieve if you want to find the bird. You want to hunt in hardwoods in low rolling hills with lots of creeks, etc. In October when all the fall colors are out- beautiful country, crisp cool weather-good sport. You need to shoot quick, almost snap shooting if the woods are thick. You'll never need more than 2 shots so a double is fine. I used a 16 but a 20 is probably most common. My 16 weighs as much as a 20 and shoots like a 12. I love the 16- too bad it is out of favor.
I've only eaten early season grouse when they are still eating seeds. White meat- like the drummette on a chicken wing, no gamey taste at all. I am told if you hunt late in the year the grouse start eating pine needles and don't taste as good.
Some guys who know the area will bounce around from spot to spot but if you are going in cold just stick to trails along hardwood creeks in low hilly country and you should do okay.

TexasDude28, Blackduck is a great area, although never hunted around there just fished mostly.

Yes, the pictures are from Minnesota and thanks for the complements guys.

Dave Scott, where at up north? Your spot on with your post.

I use to hunt grouse in Northern Michigian. Both the upper and lower peninsula. We would also get into some woodcock. Both were exciting to shoot. Also ran my dogs in a few field trials in the woods. Hoping to do some grouse hunting in Minnesota while up there pheasant hunting this year.

Yes, for a few seasons in Upstate NY when I lived there and then in western WA (olympic peninsula) when I live out there. Hands down my favorite thing to hunt. The closest place to Texas I have found that has grouse is North GA AND SE TN. I haven't hunted there but I have done some fly fishing in that area.

For those interested in learning about it, "Grouse Hunters Guide" by Dennis Walrod is a good book about grouse hunting...be careful though it might convince you that a proper bird hunter must have a side by side 20 ga...that can get expensive.

I have always wanted to do a fall cast and blast in Maine, Vt, or New Hampshire for trout & grouse....the more out in the boonies the better.

If anyone is interested I run weekend hunting camps late september - mid october. check out my website. http://mnhuntingadventures.com/ Bring the dogs and tents or campers and stay a week!

In normal years how many grouse do you move in a day

In normal years how many grouse do you move in a day.

I'd give up all other hunting for grouse.

I use these two for such things. Top is SKB 20ga IC/M. Lower is a BRNO 7x57R over 12ga I/C.

Why the scope?

I use it for deer/grouse combo hunting. It's a VXII 1x4, so I leave it on 1x. I may remove the scope in the future to try it that way.

I just wanted to clear that up. I've read about people shooting them out of trees.

I'll shoot them anyway I can. Flying, trees and/or on the ground are all included. In Northern Ontario, we used to hunt them with 22s for head shots. Just the way it is.

Blanked, the best day I had was about 3 or four years ago and we got up 40+ birds in one day it was a great hatch that year! But on averages you at least get the chance at your 5 bird limit. Minnesota harvests the most birds oany ther state.

I wish I still had the energy. How much for a full day hunt? How many can you handle on one hunt?

chased them for many years in Maine, lots of fun

Up in the Adirondack mountains in New York. Many years ago. As good eating a bird as they come. Still flush a few now and then when I'm up that way deer hunting. Tough targets weaving through the brush and saplings or in the spruce thickets with snow on the ground with snowshoes on. Best take an open choked gun with a load of high brass #6s. Tough birds to be sure and shooting through the leaves and limbs takes a little push to bring them down.

Jake do you hunt the beginning of the season. I heard the tics were crazy. Like 100 to 150 tics a day on a a dog.

Bill, I usually just take 1 person out behind my dog she is a very personal hunter and doesn't hunt well with crowds or other dogs. Most hunters do the camp hunt with their dogs and I show them where to camp and hunt for the weekend or week. This fee is $300. I participate in the spring drumming counts and sharp tail dancing grounds surveys so I know what the population will look like in different areas around the state. Otherwise a 1on1 guided hunt is $600. for the weekend.

Passthru, your right with the open choke, ic works best for me. and #6 works good! I generally use trap loads 1-1/8oz in my 12gauge. Works great!

Super, I do hunt in the beginning of the season mid September and Yes, there are a lot of ticks at times but I have a brittany and I keep her hair short so finding wood ticks are not hard plus I use Frontline on her 1 day before the hunt and she never has an issue with ticks. I took a guy out with his 2 springers and his dog got a lot on them but my dog didn't it was the frontline. Its mostly where you hunt too. If your hunting the edge of the swamps with heavy deer trails you do get more ticks. But again Frontline is amazing!

We hunt Blue Grouse in Colorado in the Fall. That's as close as I get to Ruffed Grouse. Boy, do they taste good.

I've hunt blues in Colorado as well. With my bow during archery elk hunts. Not quite as wary a bird as the ruffed but just as good eating imho.

I've hunted Ruffed Grouse In the North East Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky. They are hard to find, but when you do, they are pretty plentiful in numbers. I once killed a double which my dad had never seen done. One of the finest eating game birds in my opinion!

Hunted Northern Ontario for them in 1997, four days of one my hunts. Limited out (5) every day and saw or heard over 200 birds. Shooting a spanish made 28 gauge, SxS full and full. Shooting grouse is instinct shooting at its finest, you have from one to three seconds to pull it off and several times I blew pine needles to smithereens. Along with an Elk hunt, this might have been my most enjoyable hunt ever.
Scenery was beautiful and weather was perfect. Good dog work along with a great guide, an Indian kid who could hear better than any person I've ever known. He would hear and locate birds in a dense forest of trees that I would never have known was there, had it not been for him. Oh yeah !! We walked 8 or so miles a day.
Bad news there now for dog men because of the wolves, we saw tracks while we were there but no wolves, plenty of bears around also.

P.S. I missed a blue grouse on the ground at 10 feet ( twice ) and is a memory I won't forget. He wouldn't fly and as far as I know, he is still up there , so go get him. You won't be sorry.

They're not bright that's for sure. I use a .22 about a week before Elk season. But not in the same area.

Never hunted blues before but if I head out west I'll try them. Same with sage grouse! Dog would love it!

What your pup would really love is wild bobwhite quail. They're still my favorite.

I've hunt Bobwhites in Nebraska before about 3 years ago. I had a blast. As my dog was retrieved a pheasant she went on point with a rooster in her mouth. Unprepared and unsure I called for her and sure enough a large covey flew up out of the corn! Awesome site! This past year Pheasant hunting along the SD/MN boarder she went on point with a rooster in her mouth its always cool to see that. I never seen another dog do that before.

Has anyone had their dog point another bird while on a retrieve?

Numerous times, sometimes by sight and sometimes by scent. I had a GSP once, who was retrieving with two birds (quail) in her mouth and scent pointed a third. I killed it and she tried to retrieve it along with the other two, didn't get it done but she tried.

We never had bird dogs hunting grouse. We had beagles running hares and we would bust up the grouse while running bunnies a lot.

Hares, as in snowshoes? I used to run them too, pretty dam tough because they don't circle back like a cotton tail does!

Where at did you chase hares?

Txhogman, that's awesome!
Sounds like a great bird dog!

MNHuntingAdventures.com
1on1 weekend hunt is $600.
If you have your own dogs its $300. For the weekend or $500. For the week (if staying at our camping area). Check out the website -Jake

Westtex75 that's awesome!

Awesome Pic Westtex75

Thanks guys. I've posted that one here before. That was my first bird dog taken when I was a teenager back in the mid 70's. Wish I had taken more back then.