Grouse

R

rubberduck

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What's going on with Ruffed Grouse? I've been in the woods a lot this spring and haven't heard one drumming yet. The fall outlook doesn't seem so good in the NW. Probably gonna bottom out this year.:mad:
 
I have drumming at my place in SE Ottertail County. I can't tell you if its less than last year but still appears OK. Just an FYI, I don't have a large population in general as I only have 40 acres of woods. I do have a good amount of Aspen at different ages.
 
Saw a female in the ditch of the ranch road, stopped the truck to look, a bunch of fuzzy young chicks scampered for the heavy cover. Ruff population is not great but seems to be some better this year, drumming etc.
 
mnmthunting said:
Saw a female in the ditch of the ranch road, stopped the truck to look, a bunch of fuzzy young chicks scampered for the heavy cover. Ruff population is not great but seems to be some better this year, drumming etc.
Click to expand...

That's great news! I'm looking forward to grouse hunting this fall.

Thanks for sharing.:thumbsup:

P.S.--that heavy cover those chicks ran into; was in ever burned? Sorry MNMT, I couldn't resist. --just having some fun brother:D:cheers::)
 
Having fun is a good thing.:thumbsup:

It's wild Hazel Nut, grows thick up here. You have to see it to understand. Burning? Only in my fireplace.:)
 
MNMT: Have you ever had any luck harvesting those? Some years it seems like they are pretty thick (the critters in Aitkin clean them up quick though). The husks are nasty to deal with but free hazel nuts is an intriguing prospect...
 
Excellent wildlife cover and food source. Some years very heavy with nuts. Deer brows during deep snow times.
Hazel nuts were a important food source for the natives and latter the settlers. My Mothers family used Hazelnuts quite a lot.
The wild ones are a lot of work, something like wild blueberries, so small compared to the domestic varieties.
Both the wild hazelnuts and wild blueberry picking was a big part of life. Don't know of anybody that does it anymore.
 
I hope those chicks survived the nasty rain in my hunting area! Brookston (near Duluth) flooded last week. Even in the worst years of hunting we manage to find birds. Hopefully this hold true this year!
 
Been getting in the woods more and more, walking skidder trails with the pups. Got on one of the neighbors property. several good size broods [numbers and size] just on a couple mile walk. Thick 15 year old Aspen/poplar trees.
Ruffs I believe had a good hatch.
 
THat's some good news. I know we have a good pheasant population down by my house in East/Central MN. Good number of chicks and adults.
 
Two things:

First thing:
Just read a report that Michigan and Wisconsin are reporting a decline from the banner years they have had recently. (Of course, they talk of a "10-year cycle," but it has been more like 20 years in between the hot days of yore, and the most recent population dramatic rise.)

Second thing:
Am working hard to get up to NW Wisconsin this year to visit a friend and hunt grouse. The most success I've had in hunting upland birds with with my favorite gun, a 20ga sxs, imp and mod, with 26 in barrel. I plan on taking that.

But I inherited an open choke 12 Mossberg, 18.5in, and am wondering if I would lose that much for such a fast-breaking, smaller, bird, like a grouse.
(sorry if #2 is a thread veer.) The Mossberg seems to me to be a house-gun, not a hunting tool, but...maybe?
 
I had a Mossberg Persuader that had an open choke 18.5 inch barrel and 8 shot tube. I shot grouse with it early in the season, but I don't recommend it. Anything past 25 yards gets tough to knock down. Even the birds at 20 yards cripple a lot more. If you do use it, use a heavy field load to add some more pellets to the wide spread.
 
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