Uplandhunter67
Active member
Hunting sage grouse is akin to finding a needle in a haystack. A great sea of sage lies before both man and dog. Sage grouse hunting is a matter of boot leather. You cover miles upon miles of desolate sage looking for a covey of birds and in a heartbeat it’s over.
We started just at daybreak. The sun began to light up the sage. We quickly gathered our gear and headed out for the first walk. We pushed through the sage weaving in and out between the clumps of heavy sage. The first walk proved to be just that a walk. The sage seemed to be barren even of sign. My hunting partner and I decide to split up to cover more ground. He took the high ground while I walked closer to the small stream bottom.
Again there was nothing to be found. The dogs worked hard. The temps began to rise quickly and the dogs hit the water bottles hard.
The hours and miles passed. The lack is sign was disconcerting. We walked sage pans and washes. At lunch we found a cedar tree that was maybe 6’ tall but it provided some shade for the dogs.
We continued on weaving in and out of the sage. More miles but still no birds.
Sage grouse need water and generally if you find a water source there is a chance to find birds. We found a small rivulet. We climbed along the ridge above the rivulet. The sign here was a bit fresher but nothing really new. We walked a couple of miles down the stream. We decided to turn back towards the truck. We decided to spread out and walk both sides of the stream. I was working up the the slope when my Springer got birdy. I started to turn when the first grouse exploded from the sage. I mounted the shotgun covered the bird with the barrels and slapped the trigger. It folded and crashed into the sage. Two more rise and I swing on the lead bird. It folds at the shot. Meanwhile four more slip out of the sage. They take a path over my hunting partner. He takes three quick shots and two more are down. My Springer retrieves both my birds. Our sage grouse is over. All finished in a heartbeat after 14 miles in the last few hours of the day.
I enjoy hunting sage grouse. There is nothing more exciting than a covey break of the monstrous birds with thundering wing beats as they take flight. They are a massive bird. To me they are worth the boot leather.
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We started just at daybreak. The sun began to light up the sage. We quickly gathered our gear and headed out for the first walk. We pushed through the sage weaving in and out between the clumps of heavy sage. The first walk proved to be just that a walk. The sage seemed to be barren even of sign. My hunting partner and I decide to split up to cover more ground. He took the high ground while I walked closer to the small stream bottom.
Again there was nothing to be found. The dogs worked hard. The temps began to rise quickly and the dogs hit the water bottles hard.
The hours and miles passed. The lack is sign was disconcerting. We walked sage pans and washes. At lunch we found a cedar tree that was maybe 6’ tall but it provided some shade for the dogs.
We continued on weaving in and out of the sage. More miles but still no birds.
Sage grouse need water and generally if you find a water source there is a chance to find birds. We found a small rivulet. We climbed along the ridge above the rivulet. The sign here was a bit fresher but nothing really new. We walked a couple of miles down the stream. We decided to turn back towards the truck. We decided to spread out and walk both sides of the stream. I was working up the the slope when my Springer got birdy. I started to turn when the first grouse exploded from the sage. I mounted the shotgun covered the bird with the barrels and slapped the trigger. It folded and crashed into the sage. Two more rise and I swing on the lead bird. It folds at the shot. Meanwhile four more slip out of the sage. They take a path over my hunting partner. He takes three quick shots and two more are down. My Springer retrieves both my birds. Our sage grouse is over. All finished in a heartbeat after 14 miles in the last few hours of the day.
I enjoy hunting sage grouse. There is nothing more exciting than a covey break of the monstrous birds with thundering wing beats as they take flight. They are a massive bird. To me they are worth the boot leather.
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