Hun & Grouse Opener

[Labs]

It was an educational hun & grouse opener. All the birds we found were in a standing soy bean field. Didn't flush a single bird of either species from adjoining cover. The hun coveys seem to have broken up. The biggest bunch we flushed was one covey of 4-5, all others were widely separated singles. The huns were running & flushing wild. We flushed a couple single grouse (we have very few grouse around here) from the bean field also. Got one young grouse Sat and his crop was stuffed with beans. Didn't get any huns so I couldn't say if they were feeding on beans, but we didn't flush even one around the wheat/barley stubble.

 

[Upland Farms]

Huns have a very strong covey instinct. When I see singles or pairs this time of year it's almost always going to be from coveys that were busted up by other hunters or they are adults that had a failed hatch. The fact that they were running and flushing wild in singles is most likely an indication of adult birds.

Single grouse are usually adult males. Hens are usually coveyed up with their chick's of the year or in small coveys with other hens if their hatch failed. Here in about a month they will combine together to form large groups. I've seen coveys of sharptails over 50 birds by mid October.

 

[Labs]

Huns have a very strong covey instinct. When I see singles or pairs this time of year it's almost always going to be from coveys that were busted up by other hunters or they are adults that had a failed hatch. The fact that they were running and flushing wild in singles is most likely an indication of adult birds.

Single grouse are usually adult males. Hens are usually coveyed up with their chick's of the year or in small coveys with other hens if their hatch failed. Here in about a month they will combine together to form large groups. I've seen coveys of sharptails over 50 birds by mid October.

We had several good-sized coveys of huns around my place all summer. No idea where they went, but they weren't in the area last weekend. My wife & I were the only hunters on my neighbor's land and it was opening weekend. Didn't see another person hunting on foot anywhere in the area, but I did see a couple road hunters on the country road Sunday morning. Good luck road hunting huns. We have very few sharps around my place as there is very little of the grassland cover they prefer. I've never flushed a group of more than 6-7 around here, and more often than not it is a single bird here & there.