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Grouse Hunting from ATVs


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Just curious if others have a take on this. When I drive on the USFS Chippewa N.F. roads I now see more ATV trailers than trucks with dog kennels. I still maintain that in spite of grouse being a creature of edge habitat, you are better off walking a couple miles into the woods to start your hunt. Most hunters, on an engine or not, don't bother to walk in very far or get off the trail. I've had more flushes in the thickest cover you can imagine than just off the trail. I'm reminded of a Field and Stream article this year from a hunter in the U.P. who has kept journals totaling his flushes and kills for over 40 years. He says "if you aren't breaking brush, you're not grouse hunting." He also had a lot to say about sorting through habitat types and finding active food sources, but the point remains...the best hunting is off the trail.

Hunting from ATVs a lousy trend

by Dennis Anderson, Star Tribune

SILVER BAY, MINN. — Not far offshore from this northern Minnesota town last weekend lay a beautiful sight: Lake Superior beneath blue skies, with nary a whitecap in sight. As a bonus, temperatures were in the mid-70s, ideal for a September drive up and down the North Shore, especially for those with no particular agenda save for stops at Split Rock State Park and other inspiring destinations.

Yet, grouse hunters in the region were perhaps less inspired, or at least those who hunted on foot were. By tradition these are uplanders who put dogs on the ground and head into forests deep and dark, compass or GPS in a pocket. For them, the weather last weekend was too warm and the foliage in this early season too thick.

I wonder anymore just how rare the foot-walking grouse hunter is in Minnesota, anyway. Frequent in recent years, this thought surfaced again last weekend when the state's ruffed grouse season opened. Then, as in recent autumns, most evident up north weren't dog men or women on foot, but four-wheeler riders astraddle their machines.

These "hunters" also were looking for grouse.

Some say hunters and anglers, no matter their differences, should stick together, knowing that no single activity -- walleye angling to dove shooting -- has universal appeal, even among sporting types. Live and let live, the thinking goes, lest hunters and anglers become divided among themselves, and everyone loses.

That said, count me out when the subject is "hunting" ruffed grouse by four-wheeler, a practice I find demeaning not only to the sport of upland hunting, but to ruffed grouse.

If four-wheeling for grouse, broadly defined, were not gaining popularity every year, or seemingly so, no harm would be done. North-central and northern Minnesota are big places, after all, and four-wheeler trails don't lead everywhere.

Or so you might think until, in those same forests dark and deep, you cross a trail and find it rutted with 'wheeler tracks.

The argument that there are "plenty of woods for everyone" might not be true anyway, at least when the subject is grouse hunting. Ruffed grouse are edge-loving birds that seem disproportionately drawn to trails and their margins, suggesting that four-wheeler hunters might harvest more birds more quickly over a broader landscape than even wildlife managers believe.

Travel up north on a coming weekend and I challenge you not to see how much things have changed. At gas stations, in rest areas and motel parking lots, and at forest entries, large trailers hooked to pickups and SUVs signal what is going on, or will soon go on, out of sight: ATV road hunters using their machines to chase 'Ol Ruff.

Which prompts a question: Why is four-wheeling for grouse so common up north and not at all seen in western and southwestern Minnesota among pheasant hunters?

I realize the cat's out of the bag in this deal and nothing's going to change substantially -- notwithstanding, as Sam Cook of the Duluth News Tribune reported Sunday, that portions of Cloquet State Forest that have long been open to ATVs, are now closed off.

"The reason we did it [closing some areas to ATV use] was to try to provide some balance," Rich Staffon, DNR area wildlife manager in Cloquet, told Cook. "We get a fair amount of people who call and are looking for a place to hunt where they don't have to deal with crowds and ATVs. This is an effort to provide that option."

Maybe so. But if ruffed grouse and their management are going to have a future in Minnesota, Staffon and others like him are going to have to get a lot more calls from a lot more foot-walking grouse hunters than is currently the case.

Barring that, Minnesota will raise still more generations of grouse "hunters" whose primary concern about the birds isn't their habitats and the purchase and maintenance thereof, but whether trails leading into grouse woods are open to ATVs.

This is no small deal. Hunters who pass enough time chasing grouse away from trails soon develop keen appreciations for aspen cuttings, willow thickets and alder lowlands. Wear out enough boot leather and you, too, over time might concern yourself with forest management and -- perhaps, even -- the politics tied thereto.

I own a four-wheeler and have for a long time. I use it to drag out deer, to haul hay to horses and other stuff.

But I leave it home when I hunt grouse. I wish other people did, too.

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I run 3 labs and very seldom ever see anyone walking anymore. That being said I have a hard time holding it against someone putzing down a trail trying to kill a partridge. Dennis Anderson spends to much time judging everyone, whats the difference between atving a partridge or a horseback elk hunt or one of his many guided hunts he writes about, seems to me these guided hunts are just as much cheating as putzing down a trail trying to get a chicken. Anyway it is nice to have these trails kept open so one has something to come out to and walk back the truck. Whine on Dennis.

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I tend to side with dogs on this one.

Although I no longer own an ATV, I still enjoy the time spent riding. As long as someone is traveling on the ATV legally and abiding by the laws set forth for grouse hunting, what's the issue?

There is no group in this country that is so elite that they should be able to dictate how a person reaches their destination as long as it's done lawfully.

Sometimes the critiquing of how to do everthing the right way becomes so overkill, that when the time comes a group needs to "Police Themselves", there becomes a division too great to overcome.

Leave it to the Strib to print another anti-ATV article. mad

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I am a grouse hunter. They are my upland bird of choice. Well, when it comes to shooting birds, they are the only one I will travel long distances and consider driving for 8 hours round trip in a day to hunt 4 blush but that is another story.

I will fully admit that I will shoot a "road bird" if one should happen to dart of the shoulder and my hat were to fall out the window as I drove past. In the past few years I have had my truck in some awfuly bad spots getting to were I was going. It has the scratches and dents to prove it. And I will admit that the thought of using a 4 wheeler to get there would save on the vehical. After all, get one of them stuck in the middle of an old logging road 10 or so miles from the nearest pavement is a lot easier to deal with than a halfton ford truck. But there is no place to put the dog on the wheeler.

Grouse hunting for me is all about the walk. Getting out there and seeing what is around. Getting my feet wet, busting brush, and getting tired are thing's I enjoy about it. On a 4 wheeler you will never get to look at your hunting partner, (who is laughing himself out of his boots) and say "I think I pee'd a little" while yourself laughing hard enough to bring tears to your eyes after a grouse explodes from under your left foot and you dump both barrels at a vapor trail. A guy on a 4-wheeler will never get to see his dog turn inside out when she sudenly finds herself standing in a still warm moose bed.

But I will say this. A 4-wheeler is a very valuable asset when you are scouting. Summer time scouting can be done much better on 4 small wheels than with a truck. But when late september and october comes, I will be on foot, with my dog. (even if she is the worst grouse dog in america) I do find myself wondering if all of the "grouse hunters" who just ride around on atv's are just atv riders who are taking a moment to bag a bird while they are out, just to justify a late fall ride?

btw, I have nothing against 4wheeler guys, just dont run me or my dog over on your way by 'k. wink

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First let me qualify myself by saying I am 64 and my 20 miles a day walking are far behind me. Wore out hips and arthritis is taking its toll but I still like to get out into the woods and hunt grouse. I normally use my ATV to cover the miles in between the trails that my dogs and I walk hunt. I also use the ATV to scout and find the areas that hold broods of grouse so that when I do walk hunt I am in a grousey area. Sorry I offend some people by the way I now hunt and I understand because when I was younger I felt the same way as you do about road hunters. Just some thing I have been saying to myself the last couple of years while out hunting “grouse in most areas don’t have to be worried about being shot they have to be worried about getting run over by all the ATV and 4 wheel drive hunters.” And now I am one of them?? Go figure??

Tink

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In general I'm not a fan of ATV's for hunting, especially if one is capable of walking for them. I've never had an ATV'r pass me on a trail while hunting but I've read about it becoming more commonplace and I'd be extremely unhappy if it happened to me.

I won't complain if someone gets to the trail first with their ATV I say fine, have at it. Just don't drive the trail when another person is already on it. I find that behavior absolutely obnoxious and highly unethical.

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I've hunted Grouse in MN since the early 70's. Back then, we would hunt the logging trails off the Gunflint Trail. Obviously, there were no ATV's back then, but there were plenty of trucks.

We either walked or rode our modified mountain bikes with our shotguns mounted on the handle bars to get way back into spots we hadn't been before.

I haven't hunted Grouse on the Gunflint for over 10 years, specifically due to the ATV "hunters" who have over-taken the trails and rudely bomb past you as you try to enjoy a walk in the MN fall woods. Now I encounter some of the same activity near my cabin around Longville. I grateful there are now foot traffic trails only so there's no chance of being passed by an ATV or truck.

Tink, You've earned the right to use your ATV as you described, God Bless You.

The rest of the lazy so-called hunters out there who ride and ground pound birds aren't worth the powder to blow them to...

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I live north of Brainerd and try to hunt county land north of whitefish lake. It almost impossible to walk the trail there now and not have a ATV whiz past with with a shotgun on it. I own a ATV and it is very useful for the the work I do and I enjoy riding it, but how lazy is this society becoming when it comes to hunting? What happened to the solitude of having your dog and you walking thru a beautiful autumn woods and experiencing the flush of a grouse. Now its roaring down the trail and jumping a grouse, do they even get off the ATV to shoot? Ive had them roar past me and several minutes later I hear a shotgun blast. Sure its legal to ride but I think ATVers have an image problem that could lead to more restrictions. Just my 2cents worth.

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Hunting grouse off an atv isn't hunting, it's shooting. It's a lazy mans sport. I was taught better, and I'll teach my son better. It's a shame what atv's are doing to the woods. It only takes one guy without ethics to mow down a new trail, and then the next 50 guys can rut it into the ground without even a twinge of guilt becaus they are following a 'path'. Places that were untouched, now all have numerous trails criss crossing them. It's getting harder and harder to get remote. It used to be you could go up north walk a mile, and imagine yourself transported back 200 years ago. Now when you are a mile back on a Saturday it sounds like you are at the Indy 500.

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I believe the DNR needs to step in and continue to create a balance on state land of trails open and trails closed to ATVs. Feds and Counties will have to act independently.

Sure some will drive around the barriers, but a little enforcement and compliance will quickly fall into place.

You could even open up the closed trails during deer season (operation only allowed within legal, posted hours) so people can get deer out.

By closing trails to ATVs you can also help indirectly the problem of building permanent stands on public land. Tougher to get materials out there.

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Have not done it for 3-4 years now, but driving ATV's and grouse hunting was very fun the 4-5 years I was invited.

Grouse sure do not congregate on the trails like chickens around a feed pile wink . It takes a keen eye to spot on while going 5mph. I found I just enjoyed the sites more than I was grouse hunting. If one is seen running into the side brush on the trail, you get off, unload guns, dogs and spread out. 20-30 minutes later (depending on how many flushed birds) you are back at the wheelers loading up again. I will say I did get more grouse walking one day where I did not want to spend the day on the wheeler and stayed back at camp. It is a fact (IMO) you have an advantage just being in nature seeing/hearing more grouse while walking. Should walking for grouse be considered an ethics concern? grin

For me it is just like how I do it at state land with my vehicle basically. I drive to the public parking, get out, unload guns, dogs and we spread out grin Walk in and depending on how my flushes we get, we are back at the truck loading up and going to the next public parking spot. wink

Either way you look at it, you are using a vehicle to put the odds in your favor.

That is very cool if you park at the entrance of some public land and walk 20 miles in a day. I just know on some of my long walks from the past, you can find your self in not so grouse(ie) areas for long periods of time. I love being out in the woods, but maybe not where I am spending a couple hours in total none grouse habitat, while my dog stares up at me wondering what is going on.

I have a hard time seeing an ethics issue with 4 wheelers being used, as long as it is in a legal manor. Same with pickup trucks and SUV's. smile

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Really enjoyed reading the comments about atv's having there place. Completely agree.

Love to hunt grouse and woodcock. Have shot a banded woodcock, ruffed, sharptail and blue grouse. Have been involved in the United States Department of the Interiors wing studies for woodcock to help determine age classes for the last 3 or 4 years. Have been working with the DNR on our property to help improve sharptail grouse habitat. Hunt Mille Lacs WMA mostly being less than an hour from my front door. Hunted it for 3 hours last Friday putting up 8 birds. Harvesting 2. One young of the year and an adult. Have even been hunting the Rum River State Forest the last few years. Very few times have I left one on these areas without a bird in hand. Have had very few bad encounters with hunters and none with ATV's. Hunt further north and have seen guys road hunting. Out west shooting blue grouse is done from the vehicle with no thought or care about its ethics. Have stopped and watched many guys over the years grab their guns from the racks. Load up and walk over and kill their 3 blues out of one flock. Most of the time they are 15-20 yards from their trucks when they shoot the birds. Have done it myself on big game trips and hold no remorse for doing it. They taste good and are in no short supply. Is the ethics of it questionable? For some may be. For others maybe not. Would never even think about hunting grouse in MN like that. But that's my choice. If someone wants to hunt off a wheeler in an area open for it have at her. If you don't like four wheelers hunt in areas where their access is limited. There are still plenty of areas to get away from atv's.

I see Dennis Anderson's attitude more troubling than I see four wheelers being a problem. Granted four wheelers have their issues and they are very concerning what they are doing to habitat. The DNR is already cracking down on them and their grip is only going to get tighter. Most riders know that.

Dennis and all the up snot grouse hunters out there should try hunting off a four wheeler. From their truck. Then with a good dog. Had a setter and a lab that hunting for ruffed grouse behind them almost seemed unfair to the birds. Once a dog gets good at woodcock and grouse it is never easy to hit the birds but if you're in good habitat you'll see a ton more birds behind a good dog than on a four wheeler or in the seat of a truck. If there's an unfair advantage IMO it goes to the guys with good dogs, myself included. Maybe we should get rid of hunting grouse with dogs instead of four wheelers? That's a joke. Not far off for people like Dennis Anderson. His attitude has become very elitist. Look at the damage horses can do to trails and mountain sides. But horses have an image of wealth and acceptance among royalty, I guess. Plus that is what he likes. His writing has become very cumbersome for me to read. Everything's bad and it's all some bodies fault. Things change. There are still areas to hunt grouse and woodcock in without the interference of an ATV. Do some home work Dennis and some scouting. Then start writing about positive things in the outdoor community. Instead of wining and gripping about how bad most of us red neck hunters are compared to you and your high and mighty ethical standars you think we should all adhere too.

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Sure, I will use my 4x4 truck to get back on logging roads. And sure, would I stop for a grouse on the side of the road yes. But.... 4-wheelers are 10 times as noisy and something doesn't seem right when I have to be worried about a group of 4-wheelers racing by and almost hitting me or my dog.

At least slow down.

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You know I never even read that article by Dennis A. I read the title and skipped it over.

I read bass's post and figured I better read it.

One thing that caught my eye about his article is, he really has no clue what he is venting/ranting about frown . I am not sure what the term is, but how can you write/comment about something, bring in opinionated claims and pretty much call them as fact, when you have no "first hand" clue about what you are commenting about?

Quote:
I own a four-wheeler and have for a long time. I use it to drag out deer, to haul hay to horses and other stuff.

But I leave it home when I hunt grouse. I wish other people did, too.

He has never even been on a grouse hunt with wheelers. He never even mentions he knows anyone who hunts on a four.

Man has outdoor journalism been hitting some knew lows the last year or two frown I think the line has been crossed for these "so called" journalists to leech publicity from writing negative article (about things they have no clue about) and hope to get hits like this on an internet chat forum. You never used to see this kind of writing in the past. frown

Stereotyping at its finest wink

The guys who invited me to go grousing hunting every year for a week where extremely responsible guys. No horse play, no speeding, abide by the law, have a great time, have a great attitude, display respect on the trail and you will be invited back next year. When hunting with these guys (dog and foot hunters also), you had that feeling of trying to impress them as you would if you had respect for your father. I had some of my best times going for miles at Idle on those trails.

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I have seen several studies that have been done from some groups that are what many would call grouse hunting elitists. They have expensive shotguns and are what mnany would probably call snobs. However these people feel you should only shoot grouse on the wing. Not from trees or on the ground. Just for the record I happen to agree with them. These groups keep very good records of flushes, shots, kills, etc. Mostly so they can track how well hunting areas are working for them. If I remember correctly the numbers look something like this:

For every 100 birds flushed (some use flushing dogs and some pointing) roughy 1/3 are actually shot at (33).

Of those 33 roughly 1/5 are killed (6.6). So for every 100 birds flushed around 7 are killed. Again nealry all of these people hunt with dogs but only shoot birds in flight.

If these numbers are right I don't know how much of an influence dogs are. This data comes from several hundred people so it's a fairly large group. Most of them hunt in the NE and the great lakes areas where bird numbers are best. Again I'm going off memory here. I think it was published by a hunting magazine, maybe pointing dog journal.

I'm sure the numbers are way better for those that use dogs and still shoot them off the ground or out of trees. These groups that provide the data don't hunt that way so there's no numbers on that technique. I think we can assume the numbers are better for ground pounders that use dogs since the birds are stationary.

As far as ATV's go I really don't like them either but as long as people are using them where they are allowed too and are respectful of others that are hunting then I don't care if people use them. It was very disappointing to see them all over the place in the Snake River SF on opener weekend despite all the signs stating no motorized vehicles.

I do hunt with some people that shoot them off the ground and that's fine it's just not something I agree with. I get fewer birds than them and that's Ok I don't do it to kill a lot of birds. Some people tell me I'm stupid for that but I could care less what they think. I know every bird I get I have earned.

It would be interesting to know how many of the ground pounders also shoot pheasants on the ground or duck off the water (assuming they weren't already hit), or doves off a wire? If you ground pound everything what are really doing? Would you really call that hunting? If you only ground pound grouse what does that tell you? Why is a grouse different than those other birds? I think it's because the numbers of kills would look like the numbers I shared earlier and most people aren't willing to go out and work for birds and only get 6 for every hundred flushed.

To this day my dad asks me every time I tell him I shot a bird or a bunny if it was moving or sitting still. He taught me that was the way you hunt. That was how he was taught and in turn taught me. He always told us that we do have an advantage by using guns and dogs so you should give the birds the respect of taking flight. Anyone can hit a stationary target it's the guys that can hit a moving target that earn their birds. Say what you want about it being hard to locate grouse while riding. I'm sure it does take some skill but how hard is it to ground pound something? If you are flushing every bird you locate and shooting them off the wing that's different. I suspect that's rare but I have no idea.

This all reminds me of a quote from I believe George Evans. I don't know the exact words but it goes something like this - "The difference between a fine sport and killing is how you do it." If an ATV is helping you get around and find areas that holds birds then by all means use them and good luck to you. I just hope you give them the respect of flight but that's your choice. It's not about Red necks and elitists it's about how you define hunting. I was taught something different than some, is my way right, I have no idea but I do believe it is much more sporting. Again how you hunt is your choice.

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Shooting a bird in the air is much more difficult than ground pounding or tree swatting one.

I completely respect it and admire it. Just as I do guys who will not shoot at birds from a broken point or wild flushes. Believe Gorege "Bird" Evans was of this opinion. So be it. It's a choice not an actual ethics decision in my book.

It just begs and raises the question for me, do you shoot at running deer to give them a more sporting chance? I would never teach my kids to shoot at running deer to give them a more sporting chance. Just as I wouldn't blame a young hunter or make him feel bad for ground pounding grouse that are sitting still leaving less chance for a wounded bird. Have seen more than my fair share of grouse, pheasants and ducks give little indication of being hit then finding them after following my gut.

So much of hunting is about choices and personal beliefs. Makes it very hard to seperate one's own beliefs and emotions from the actual ethics or letter of the law.

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Well put Tybo. I try to pretty much do the same. I do however, occasionally take the gift and pop one from the tree if the oppurtunity presents itself. Thats just me.

I was out at Snake River SF on Saturday morning for a short walk. I only had enough time to walk one trail and then work the brush back out to my truck. The 45 minutes I was on the trail I was passed by 9 ATV's. That being said, two were bow-hunting getting there stand to wherever it was they were going. And the other 7 were just doing some trail riding. None had any shotguns. All were respectful when they saw me with my dog at heel. They drove by slow and were very considerate. Didn't realy bother me a bit, especialy since they were not after the same thing as me. Of course if they had passed mnd then I heard a couple of shots a couple of minutes later, I probably would have turned around, thinking [PoorWordUsage]. laugh

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To each his own. I still am a traditionalist. I like walking in the woods with my dog chasin birds. As long as ATV's are legal for hunting go for it. I m sure will hear some stories about there use this fall. I have shot grouse and pheasants out of trees. However, one rule we do have is never shoot a bird on the ground. Reason, do you want to shoot your dog as he runs to the bird to flush it, or worse your fellow hunter who happens to move toward the bird. On one bird hunt we had to really chastise one young man for snap shooting only a few feet off the ground of a flushing bird just as the dog was about to jump for it.

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For practice do ATV hunters drop clay pigeons on the grass and then drive by at 5 mph shooting at them?

No matter how you slice it, driving around in a car or on an ATV in search of Grouse isn’t much of a hunt. ATV’s are to Grouse hunting as what jet skis are to fishing.

Ansderson’s article merely states what a lot of on foot hunters were already thinking.

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In regards to shooting running deer, no I do not recommend that. We weren't talking about deer we were talking about grouse. If you want to lump deer in then yes there is a difference. I don't think that a good comparison. Each species needs to be judged on it's own. As an example, I don't think doves should be shot off a wire but lots of people do it. I don't think that's very sporting, it's not hunting to me is it to you?

I didn't state shooting them on the wing is the only way to hunt. What I believe I stated was taking them on the wing is more sporting. I also search for any bird I feel I hit. That is an ethical thing to do. Is ground pounding less likely to injure of course it is. No arguement, same as shooting at a standing deer. However, grouse and deer are different, very different.

Again as far as ATV's go I think they're fine as long as people riding them respect hunters and others on the trails. Also, please only ride them where you are allowed to. There are rules for a reason and some people hunt areas specifically because people aren't supposed to be on ATV's there. I don't like restrictions as much as the next person. If you want to ground pound go right ahead, that's your choice. I don't think it's very sporting but it's an individual decision. I won't be doing it but that's my choice.

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