Anyone get Grouse last weekend

Did anyone have success last weekend on Grouse around here?

Up to this point I have been out almost every weekend in October and November less the deer season after Mr. Ruffy. Last weekend was my first total skunk out trip.

Reason I bring this up is last year I was riding gallery with a very experienced trial judge. We were watching a national qualifying pointer run a good brace but none of the dogs in the trail were producing any birds.

The judge made the comment we would have few finds today because there was a weather front that came thru, and working a dog less then three days after a major front comes thru is usually not worth the effort. Turns out he was right; the rest of the trial produced very few birds.

Fast forward to this season, most weeks the weather has been pretty mild and stable, I have been finding a pretty good amount of birds every weekend. Last week the weather took a major left hand turn. Less then three days later I am waddling around in the same woods, same proven dogs, and no birds to be found.

It could be that the birds were all tucked up in the trees safely away from my pointy dogs noses, but I made a good effort to change covers, grassy, swampy, hardwoods, poplar trees, still absolutely no birds.

Up till last year I have not bothered to pay attention to how many days prior to the weather changing in the woods. Now that I have been watching this for more than one season, seems like it might be pretty accurate.

I am wondering how everyone else did last weekend??

Renedy, Not sure where Hampton is but.. I have a bro-inlaw that is absolutely a grouse fanatic. That’s all he hunts. He goes every w-end around Grand Rapids area and he says once the snow shows up the grouse become much harder to find. Not sure if you had any snow? I’ve always wanted to join him but I’m always after my dream buck, Well after I filled my tag last week I told him I could finally go. Then he tells me he’s pretty much done being theres snow on the ground

Renedy, Not sure where Hampton is but.. I have a bro-inlaw that is absolutely a grouse fanatic. That’s all he hunts. He goes every w-end around Grand Rapids area and he says once the snow shows up the grouse become much harder to find. Not sure if you had any snow? I’ve always wanted to join him but I’m always after my dream buck, Well after I filled my tag last week I told him I could finally go. Then he tells me he’s pretty much done being theres snow on the ground

Hampton is south of St.Paul about the 1/4 of the way to Rochester on Hwy 52.

I was up in the McGregor / Askov / Sandstone area last weekend. There was just a light dusting of snow, but not enough down to cover the grass.

I agree that the true Grouse hunting with dogs on walking on foot gets harder. My theory has been if you look at what a grouse eats in the fall it is for the most part green grass and forest floor leafies. When the snow piles up they seem to go after the buds off the trees.

I think that Grouse spend more time off the ground than what is generally thought. That is more true the later you go into the season, with the snow and the wind.

But, then again, it could be my dogs have gotten tired of my swing and a miss shooting style even when they do their job and really pin ‘em down, so by the end of the season they are put ‘em up in the trees!

To me it is still a lot of fun to chase, so I pretty much chase grouse until my Christmas day hunt. Then it’s one last ditch parrot hunt in North Dakota, then a trialing we go…

Hampton is south of St.Paul about the 1/4 of the way to Rochester on Hwy 52.

I was up in the McGregor / Askov / Sandstone area last weekend. There was just a light dusting of snow, but not enough down to cover the grass.

I agree that the true Grouse hunting with dogs on walking on foot gets harder. My theory has been if you look at what a grouse eats in the fall it is for the most part green grass and forest floor leafies. When the snow piles up they seem to go after the buds off the trees.

I think that Grouse spend more time off the ground than what is generally thought. That is more true the later you go into the season, with the snow and the wind.

But, then again, it could be my dogs have gotten tired of my swing and a miss shooting style even when they do their job and really pin ‘em down, so by the end of the season they are put ‘em up in the trees!

To me it is still a lot of fun to chase, so I pretty much chase grouse until my Christmas day hunt. Then it’s one last ditch parrot hunt in North Dakota, then a trialing we go…

Good luck with the rest of your season!

Good luck with the rest of your season!

I have not been out in a few weeks, but I will offer this information. I found out a few years ago, while hunting my normal coverts that always produce birds, that these normal spots do not hold birds when the weather turns (most likely caused by cold and snow). I hunt the Finlayson area near my cabin, which in the good years is fantastic. I found a planting of pine trees several years ago during a late hunt, all I can say is unbelievable. I don’t know how the grouse find this specific piece of cover every year, but every single year it produces. Think about it, the woods get pretty thin during the winter…the grouse need some cover and protection from the elements. I have confidence if I went up there tomorrow, that there would indeed be birds there. I think we grouse hunters get so attuned to the same old coverts week after week, mainly because they have produced in the past and they hold a special place in our minds that we return to every year.

I have not been out in a few weeks, but I will offer this information. I found out a few years ago, while hunting my normal coverts that always produce birds, that these normal spots do not hold birds when the weather turns (most likely caused by cold and snow). I hunt the Finlayson area near my cabin, which in the good years is fantastic. I found a planting of pine trees several years ago during a late hunt, all I can say is unbelievable. I don’t know how the grouse find this specific piece of cover every year, but every single year it produces. Think about it, the woods get pretty thin during the winter…the grouse need some cover and protection from the elements. I have confidence if I went up there tomorrow, that there would indeed be birds there. I think we grouse hunters get so attuned to the same old coverts week after week, mainly because they have produced in the past and they hold a special place in our minds that we return to every year.

hey guys, I used to live up around the Aitking area and hunted alot of public land out around the kimberly township area, you will find alot of birds on the edges of swamps where the grass meets the tameracs. the red brush isn’t that far off from there as well. then you will find them, they usually flush out to hard land and then flush back to the swamp. give that a try first, walk the deeper harder edges on the swamp sides and it should work in your favor.

shane

hey guys, I used to live up around the Aitking area and hunted alot of public land out around the kimberly township area, you will find alot of birds on the edges of swamps where the grass meets the tameracs. the red brush isn’t that far off from there as well. then you will find them, they usually flush out to hard land and then flush back to the swamp. give that a try first, walk the deeper harder edges on the swamp sides and it should work in your favor.

shane