My 2014 dusky grouse opener
- Thread starter ChocoLab
- Start date
Here's an experience that was "a new one".
I brought a new pup into the household last fall and have been working hard to get him ready for upland/duck seasons this year. I live in southern CO and spend at least one (if not both) weekend days each week in Sept up grouse hunting mornings and then working afterward to come back down with a cord of wood (keeps wifey happy). The Last Friday before youth duck opener I was up above 9500ft and working hard for them. I had missed a couple (people who say grouse hunting isn't difficult have to be shooting them on the ground or out of trees, hitting a grouse before it gets behind a tree after the flush gets harder every year) and had another in the vest when I decided to work the edge of one more large park on the way back to my chainsaw in the truck. The pup flushed a nice male, however it was on the "wrong side" of a couple of Spruces and sailed unmolested downhill and across the clearing. Working our way around to the general area where it landed without any more flushes, the pup suddenly went crazy birdy and completely ignored all commands. I watched him flush a couple of nice sized birds (once more with trees between us) and as I hurried to catch up, the grass to my immediate left exploded in feathers..... All of a sudden, the woods were alive with about 12 turkey's taking flight, most of them close to me were young of the year , small and dark, and I came oh so close to mistakingly dropping one (or more). Thankfully, good sense overrode instinct and I held off on pulling the trigger. I had never seen any sign, much less the birds themselves, of turkeys that high up and was completely dumbfounded (didn't have a fall license, nor was I in a unit open to hunting em'). I have to admit though that I got my turkey call out of the truck (left the gun behind) and played around with the flock as they started calling to each other and re gathering, awesome practice opportunity for the pup to sit quietly in the face of temptation and a lot of fun
Anyone else ever run into these birds while grouse hunting? I have flushed grouse while hunting Tom's in the spring but never the other way around. It was neat to see them extending their range as lack of birds in that unit is the reason it's closed to turkey hunting.
Very similar experience last year, also about 9500'. But my flock were all adults. Definitely scared it out of me! For the record, I've seen turkeys at over 10,000', near the top of Cordova Pass.