spruce grouse?

[badfisherman]

Anyone know where to find spruce grouse? I am working on a collection of stuffed grouse. I allready have a sharptail and a ruffed. I would like to get a spruce this year but I have no idea where to find one. obviosly I am not looking for anyones spot but looking for a generall region. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks guys

[Chef]

I've only seen them along the Gunflint Trail.

[NoWiser]

I shot a couple of them about 45 minutes NW of International Falls in Canada last fall. I would think just about anywhere just south of the border you would have a shot at them. Concentrate on areas with lots of spruce trees, I did not find them in the same areas as ruffed grouse. I would also like to get a nice one to take to the taxidermist, but unfortunately the couple I got were either younger birds or females. Tasty though...

[lichen fox]

We usually find alot of them in the Beltrami Island State forest area that lies between lake of the woods and Upper Red lake...they're not very scared of humans, and you should be able to pick-em off right on the trail..."if" they do fly it's usually only straight up into the tree....Good luck!

[Matt Breuer]

Beltrami Island is a great area, but you have to go up into the Northern tier of the forest. From Grygla to Wannaska has little-to-none. If you head up toward Baudette and come in from the North end you can find a few. Ely and East is good. The best I've heard of is in the NE tip of the state though.

I too am on the hunt for a nice male w/ good colors to mount.

As for taste, they're horrible....

[Harmonica Bear]

I was just going to add that. Our deer shack is just south of Wiliams and I have seen a bunch on the north end of Beltrami Island.

[Bear55]

I run into several Spruce Grouse every year in Northern Itasca County.

[Duffman]

Spruce Grouse? Isn't that what they make gin out of?

I've only seen them off the Gunflint Trail.

[lichen fox]

Matt, I agree, we find them most often in the area's from Norris Camp to Faunce tower....the Hogsback-Obrien trail is always a good one as it is "mostly" conifers....as for the "taste" ....I disagree...we always heard that too but had never actually tried to eat one...so, one day when we'd pounded about 4 of them we decided to give it a try...fillet the meat off the breasts, roll em in flour, dip in egg & milk mix....bread with your favorite shore lunch...deep fry....they turn out very moist and delishious...dark meat, very similar to sharpies and when prepared this way you can't tell the difference....

[Matt Breuer]

lichen, that's where we shot them when I was a youngster, near Norris... Haven't seen one in the Western area of Beltrami since I was 18.

I should add that every year I hear about good sprucie hunting near Red Lake, in the bog areas. Also in the Big Fork area.

I've eaten plenty of both sprucies and sharps, and they taste nothing like one another IMO. I think that's a diver vs. mallard comparison. Spruce hens have a spruce taste to them, like stated above, gin-like. Sharpies aren't the greatest either, but they taste fine w/ bacon on the grill.

[NoWiser]

Huh, the sprucies I shot must have been eating something different because they were absolutely excellent. In fact, my roommate and I are both big grouse hunters and neither had ever eaten a spruce grouse. We fried up 2 ruffs and two sprucies, and after hearing horror stories, we both cringed as we took a bites of the latter. We actually liked them as much, or more than the ruffed grouse. They were not strong tasting one bit. I would love to get a few more. I would also like to try to find some sharpies, but have no idea where to get started on them. Have to get up to NW MN and do some exploring some day.

[rowdyf]

Try from Ely east to Isabella and Finland areas. I have picked up quite a few in this area. As far as cooking them, I have used a flour/spice breading and they have been very good. A different taste than a ruffed grouse for sure.

[badfisherman]

thanks alot guys! I appreciate all your help. it sounds like I will be headed north and east. I will let you know if I get one.

[Musky Buck]

I'm not certain but think theres a few around central MN. I had 3 dumb grouse roosting in the rafters of my garage, for about a month, they weren't ruffed grouse or afraid of me, I would guess they were possibly all killed, found feathers from 1 for sure.

[Archerysniper]

Shot and saw alot around tofte lutsen area while moose hunting last year.

[CRAZYEYES]

I saw a sprucie last week between Little Fork and Ray. its the first one that I've seen in a couple of years this side of the border. The lasttime I saw one was northeast of Orr 5 or 6 years ago. As dumb as they are Its amazing they are not extinct. When I was litlle my cousin and I would chase them and catch them with fishing nets when we were camping in canada. You could catch them and let them go and then they would fly about 30 yards and then walk right up and net them again.

[Moonie]

We bagged one about 15 miles north of Duluth. I’ve also seen them in the BWCA. It’s true they are dumb… I've heard ppl call them “fools hens” They'll let you get pretty darn close. I was able to walk within 3 feet of one while in the BWCA. It just sat on a low branch and looked at me. Too bad they weren’t in season at the time. Could have grabbed it and had it mounted. neat bird.