2011 Ruffed Grouse

still_steamn

still_steamn

New member
I would like to hear anyone's results from ruffed grouse hunting. I plan to wait a couple weeks before heading out to give it a try.
 
I think your correct I would wait a couple weeks for the leaves to drop. I can't wait to get up north and stroll through the woods with a dog and a sandwich.
 
We hit Mille Lacs WMA today for about 3.5 hours. We moved 17-18 grouse that we seen. Maybe 7 or 8 more that weren't. My cousin and I were both having trouble with our dogs(flushers) running out on us a little. If they are 20 yards out, you will not get a shot on a flushing bird.

We only bagged 2 birds due to poor shooting. We should have realistically bagged about 7. There were a lot of grouse. I am looking forward to going to Baudette next weekend.

I ran my 18 month old red setter for about 45 minutes. His first time on wild birds and in the woods. Thank God for the Garmin Astro! He decided he would try to catch every bird in the county instead of pointing them. There is gonna be a learning curve for both of us.
 
Pointer guys: Is it more challenging to hunt ruffs with a pointer? Having only had flushing dogs (labs) I can't picture how pointers don't just get frustrated when those birds won't sit. I knew a guy who had a pointer with a collar that screeched like a hawk when his dog went on point but that seems a bit extreme.

Forgive me if this is a no-brainer. Just curious.
 
Ruffies are a bird that don't sit for a pointing dog very well. They can and do jump up into a tree, they will run and flush on most occasion's though. Very tough bird to shoot a full limit of in a day. I have hunted them all my life and live in very good Ruff Grouse country.

I took a short walk yesterday, only had a little time. Not in a big rush to really get after them. I can do it on any given day. Lots of cover still on. We did have a real hard freeze and a couple other light frost's last week. So the leaves will be coming down soon. Mid Oct. is Ruff Grouse hunting's Holy grail time of the year. Indian summer days spent with my dog in the brightly colored woods of northern Minnesota with my favorite bird gun.
 
I'm going the first still, sunny afternoon this coming week. I think the hard freeze will have some aspen leaves falling. I've hunted only with Labs don't know how a pointer would do? It would be fun to give it a try.:)
 
This will be my first season hunting them with a pointing dog, so hopefully I will be reporting back in a few weeks with some sucess. I do alot of grouse hunting north of Grand Rapids and have had good luck the past few years, so it should be fun.
 
Sneakin' out early Friday

I have to bring the boys to grandma's house outside Duluth on Friday evening. I hope to pick them up from school in the truck with the dogs already loaded and head north asap. Last year I rolled three in an hour of hunting behind their place.

It feels a little hurried but I will be darned if I am going that far without at least unlimbering the Benelli and running the pups.

I will report back with outrageous fabrications, shady details on locations and tales of my peerless shotgunnery.:rolleyes:
 
Just made a walk. It is VERY wet this morning. everything you touch it rains on you. Every time the wind rustles the leaves on the tree's it's raining on you. I jumped one bird, fired twice...I was right on him but he was flying straight away in thick cover. I had the 28ga I'm switching to a 20ga and heavy loads. You need enough oomph to blast through the cover. I'll take another walk or two today and report back.
 
Daisybuck said:
I will report back with outrageous fabrications, shady details on locations and tales of my peerless shotgunnery.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

My kind of Guy:D

Pointing dogs IMO are easier to hunt behind because even if the bird flushes fast you get a pause from the dog and sometimes that splint second is all you need. I have seen many times the birds will fly into a tree when they are pointed not fly away.

@Jeff when you come out this way I can help you with the steady to flush if I can find a good link i'll post it for you.
 
We are working on steady to flush right now. I have some homers. He will point and hold all day in the yard on the pigeons if he knows I can see him. Saturday was his first time in the woods and he was just a wild man.
 
They are on the greens and berry's. A waste of time to hunt fresh slashing's. Find a nice green logging trail(clover), a water source, maybe some Dog woods, Choke Cherries. Once the berry's and greens are gone, move to the fresh slashing's where they boarder the older growth and alders.
 
Onpoint - are you seeing the young ones still bunched up or did that hard frost break them up into singles?
 
Everything I have seen has been singles. Pretty poor hunting right now. We need to get some leaves off. Tough to find any amount of birds. Give it a little time and they will be all over the place. Too much cover and food right now. Better weather will help also. It's been raining most the weak. Nice sunning weather is on the way. that will help some.

Good Luck and good hunting, stay safe

Onpoint
 
Learn the boards for your steady trouble. Easiest way to do it. A guy that got a Odie pup reported by brainerd, that he flushed 12 and got 2. Sounds like plenty of birds out there. I plan on going this weekend.:thumbsup:
 
Thanks onpoint. I'm headed up to the Walker area and will be out for a bit with the pooch (one of Uncle BUCK'S pp's). Hope for the best but at least the dog will enjoy the run in the sun.
 
I'm 70 miles east of walker just off Hwy 200.

Walker always means a visit to Reeds and cost's me money...LOL

Good luck, should be a beautiful weekend. Enjoy yourself, drive safe. there's already a steady flow from the south on Hwy 65.
 
Aaaargh!

Mom's home sick and work is going to extra innings! :mad: My plans for a bit of hookey and a stroll through the N. Minnesota woods are shot. Keep the reports coming. That way at least I can bask in the heroic exploits of my more-fortunate colleagues. :thumbsup:

Keep `em coming and GPS nav coordinates to all your hotspots, please.
 
Daiseyduck sorry to hear that. I'll try and give you a visual fix and take some pics if the weekend goes well. They might have web feet though

Onpoint
 
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