Blue Grouse with a Dog

[gsphunter23]

Hello All,

So i was interested in going grouse hunting for the first time this year with my GSP. I was going to try my luck in the Vail area and possibly near Vail Pass and Breckenridge. Are these the right spots to be hunting? Not trying to steal anyones honey hole (although a specific spot via a PM would be great) I will only be hunting a few days this season.

 

[retrvrman]

Ah, the elusive blue/dusky grouse in Colorado. Of which I have yet to see one in the wild (saw one at the Cheyenne Mt. zoo )

I went out last year opening day with my son and we hiked, and hiked and NOTHING!! Pretty demoralizing for a then 13yr old. So we drove to a SWA and shot at some dove.....:thumbsup:

I know some good guys on this forum who hit them hard and do good at, however I will reiterate to you what has been said on this forum before....scout, and put in the miles, not trying to be rude or anything, however there is a similiar post over on the Kansas side about a guy looking for spots for roosters.

Who knows, you might get a PM or two....but I wouldn't bank on it.

Greg

 

[Mountainfarmer]

Both Breck and Vail offer plenty of grouse, but for that matter any mountain town west of the divide will have blues around. More important is where in a given area the birds will be. Some helpful hints...... Know the difference between spruce trees and pines, way more likely to find them in Spruce/fir forest than lodge pole. They love all kinds of berry, in fact more than once I have been reaching down for a fresh raspberry only to kick out some birds(my first grouse came this way in fact). Grouse need water and gravel daily, and love openings in the trees. If you can put all these things together in close proximity your chances of finding birds goes up way higher.

 

[Bird-man]

Early Season

Finding Blue Grouse (I refuse to call them dusky...wth is that?) is the most difficult part of blue grouse hunting. And finding them will depend a great deal on when you hunt. If you are going out opening day or week, the birds will be at 7-8000 feet of elevation in the sage/aspen edges. And you can walk miles of sage/aspen edges without putting up a bird and then run into a covey of 8-10. These are females with their broods. They tend to stay at the lower elevations longer. Single males move up earlier and can be found in the aspen/coniferous forest area through late October. After October they all move up to 10,000 feet or so in the Douglas fir forests.

Look for grassy, sage flats near aspen groves around 8000 foe. Walk the edges letting your dog work his way in and out.

The area you suggest does hold birds, but not many. The further west and north you go, the more birds you will encounter. Pitkin county all the way north to Routt has the greatest density of birds. But unlike pheasant, grouse and quail states where the departments of wildlife do actual bird density counts based on mail carrier sitings, drummings, etc, the Colorado DOW doesn't do much in the way of studying blues. So, this info comes from knowledgable hunters who have put in years and years and miles and miles to aquire that knowledge.

My advice would be to go up towards Gore pass if you don't want to go further than the Vail area. Or work your way west towards Edwards and head north on any road that goes into national forest area. Check your colorado topo maps for access.

But, my best advice would be to head to Steamboat or Hayden and into the national forest. Like a previous poster noted, you will have to pay your dues.

One last thing. BRING LOTS OF WATER FOR YOUR DOG. Temps this year will be in the high 70's and that is deadly for a hard working hunting dog. For a hike of any duration bring 2-3 quarts of water and keep that dog hydrated.

Good luck!!

 

[retrvrman]

Bird-man,
Excellent advice and info.....as far as paying dues, I would hunt my old yellow lab when I was stationed up in Alaska on willow ptarmigan on sherpa snowshoes Conan, my lab, was fine, lots of water, and I had to keep an eye on his family jewels, afraid with the deep, deep snow they might freeze

The temps were always in the single digits or colder, but in Feb or March up there, to get rid of the cabin fever, had to go out and do something.

Greg

 

[conobirds]

Local forcast for Craig on Sunday is calling for a high of 89deg. that means in blue grouse country it will be a little above 80deg.
Lots of water and rest stops for the dogs!
Good luck and have fun,
Conobirds

 

[Bird-man]

Bird-man,
Excellent advice and info.....as far as paying dues, I would hunt my old yellow lab when I was stationed up in Alaska on willow ptarmigan on sherpa snowshoes Conan, my lab, was fine, lots of water, and I had to keep an eye on his family jewels, afraid with the deep, deep snow they might freeze

The temps were always in the single digits or colder, but in Feb or March up there, to get rid of the cabin fever, had to go out and do something.

Greg

Greg,

First of all, thank you for serving our country. And glad you like the work of hunting. I have never enjoyed game farms or pay to hunt places where you know there are going to be birds. There is a much deeper sense of satisfaction when you have worked your ass off and finally find the birds, make the shot, and get the retrieve. Nothing better in the bird hunting world.

 

[retrvrman]

Greg,

First of all, thank you for serving our country. And glad you like the work of hunting. I have never enjoyed game farms or pay to hunt places where you know there are going to be birds. There is a much deeper sense of satisfaction when you have worked your ass off and finally find the birds, make the shot, and get the retrieve. Nothing better in the bird hunting world.

You are welcome...I agree with you. I can remember back in the day, hauling a bag full of dekes, chair, gun, ammo, etc with Conan out to a duck blind or just a spot to pass shoot. Then driving around looking for someplace to stop and do some scouting....

Greg

 

[Bird-man]

Local forcast for Craig on Sunday is calling for a high of 89deg. that means in blue grouse country it will be a little above 80deg.
Lots of water and rest stops for the dogs!
Good luck and have fun,
Conobirds

Conobirds,

Wow, really? I hate that. Hard on the dog, and hard on the old fat guy following him around!

I usually hunt the sage flats early, and then head up higher into the mountains during the later part of the day. I find single males, or sometimes pairs up in the aspen/conifer areas.

Anyway, good luck to everyone. Nothing, and I mean nothing like blue grouse on the table!

 

[Mountainfarmer]

For what it's worth I wouldn't be afraid to hunt up high this early in the season given the really high temps forecast. Think about all the areas that are miles from anything under 9k feet. The grouse aren't moving twenty miles to get to a lower elevation for broods. They are just having chicks and hanging out in the drainages till the berry crop runs out, then moving up. I have never hunted much under 10k feet and get into birds from opening weekend on, including young broods even the first week of the season. In fact I have already seen plenty of birds in the last two weeks above 10k feet. Just thought I would put this alternative elevation thought out there as its what works for me and my gwp. Good luck out there everyone