Grouse hunting

quail hound

quail hound

Moderator
Alright guys, I'm thinking about making the trip up to the north woods to put my dogs on some grouse and woodcock. I think I can probably come out anytime in October and my question is, is there a time to not be in the woods with the dogs (deer rifle season maybe) during that time? How bad are porcupines up there? This is still just in the early planning stage so any info is appreciated. :cheers:
 
Deer rifle season starts Nov.4 so anytime before that. My best hunting is always the two weeks before it opens. I stay out of the woods for at least the first 10 days of deer opening. I see a couple porkies a year. PM me and I can give you my number if you want to talk. Nick
 
Hunted up there two years ago in the Grand Rapids area. Tons of land to hunt. Moved plenty of birds , just really really thick. Got into a few Woodcock too. My friends GSP took some quills to the face and we saw one more porcupine after that. Cool area though. Take a GPS for sure!!
 
Anytime before October is pointless (plenty of birds but too many leaves), but as stated before deer opener is November 4.

There are plenty of places to hunt if you have a plat map. State forests, wildlife management areas, and logging land are good options.

If I'm free I'd be willing to show you some spots that produce birds.
 
My old man just got a place near Hackensack. Super pumped about spending more time in the grouse woods, especially since my best pheasant ground in the Dakotas is in a bad way.

Check the MN DNR Lakefinder website. It's a good tool to find public land. I'm amazed at how much public ground is in northern Minnesota.
 
Like others I really like the time between Oct 15 & November 1st.

Can learn a lot about what type of habitat grouse prefer and are using during that time in the season by walking trails late in the day when the birds are moving and getting grit or tender greens. Also after I flush a bird off the trail I instantly make a deeper dive into the adjacent cover I think that the bird was using.

Earlier in the season I like hunting around alder swamps. Young birds often hang out in those areas even after the broods start to break up and disperse.

Probably been lucky but never saw a porcupine. Also don't ignore the ruffed grouse management areas. They get a lot of pressure but they do produce birds.
 
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Ok guys, I've been back and forth but I think I'm going to give it a go. I'm going to take the 3rd and 4th week of October off and come out there. So I have one more question. Since I'm an avid bass fisherman and Mil Lacs is arguably the best small mouth fishery in the world should I buy a fishing license also and bring a rod? I know most of the good bass fishing is off shore but what are the bank fishing prospects like?

Highvoltage, I haven't forgot about you, I'll be giving you a call soon.:cheers:
 
Robert: You might try contacting some of the resorts/bait shops and have a conversation with them; they have first-hand info on fishing this lake. There are several around the lake especially at Isle, MN. on the south end. I assume you know about the tournament that was recently held on the lake. Contacting one of the pro's or guides on the lake might be helpful, also.

Good Luck!
 
We live in between Grand Rapids and Bigfork MN. Our son in law and our Grandson were up for 3 days Partridge hunting and duck hunting. The duck hunting was fantastic!
The Partridge hunting in our area was very poor. It proves what I thought happened after the drumming counts were done in April. We had several cold rain days with 35 degree days. It really think that did a number on the chicks and mature birds.
We made the decision after talking to a few people about the Togo area. We went there for an afternoon hunt and we were really surprised at the amount of birds, there was a nice mix of mature birds and young birds. Our Springer was more than eager for the new cover and birds.
We went back to the Togo area this morning and had the same results. It's amazing how a 40-50 mile change in areas can work out.

The son in law and Grandson just left and as we waved goodbye he said this was the best weekend he ever had. I love seeing that kind of enthusiasm from a young hunter.

We are headed out to SD after our Deer season to visit our son and his family. We will hit some private ground that he has contacts with. We are not expecting much from the Pheasants.
Deer hunting out there is another story though. Love them big corn fed bucks!
 
Snow (now dumped across my primarily grouse spots) and impending deer season appear to be ending my grouse hunting a little early. I hunt grouse on occasion in the snow, but it does NOT have the same appeal anymore that regular October hunts offer.

It was a good season with ample opportunities and birds in the bag. Birds were certainly lower than last year especially in my spots close to the metro, but all across my grouse hunting range (both private land and public land).

Reports by RGS, Bemidji Pioneer Press and talk with some really die hard grouse hunters from Winnie to Wisconsin suggests I did better than many. The high drum counts did not materialize into more birds this fall ... well certainly not a peak or close to a peak.

Time to move focus to roosters. Still have 2+ months on that front.
 
quail hound said:
Ok guys, I've been back and forth but I think I'm going to give it a go. I'm going to take the 3rd and 4th week of October off and come out there. So I have one more question. Since I'm an avid bass fisherman and Mil Lacs is arguably the best small mouth fishery in the world should I buy a fishing license also and bring a rod? I know most of the good bass fishing is off shore but what are the bank fishing prospects like?

Highvoltage, I haven't forgot about you, I'll be giving you a call soon.:cheers:
Click to expand...

Actually Lake St Clair is probably the best small-mouth fishing. :)
 
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