Grouse hunters Journal

[NoWiser]

10/16-10/18 St. Louis County

Got to spot in time to hunt the last hour or so on Friday. Dead calm, very slight drizzle, and damp woods. Perfect scenting conditions for the dog, who had multiple solid points. Unfortunately, our shooting just wasn't up to snuff and we ended up with one woodcock for the evening.

Saturday was beautiful! We only got time to hunt about 1/2 hour in the morning and another hour in the evening. People EVERYWHERE!! But, mostly just road hunters, which left the woods pretty quiet once you left the trails. The red mini-van cruising down the trail with both sliding doors open and two guys locked and loaded hanging out the sides took the cake for the weekend. We missed a couple grouse and an easy shot at a woodcock, ruining my streak of 8 straight doodle flushes, and hits.

Sunday was another nice day. My gimp knee didn't allow me to hunt more than 1/2 hour in the morning with one flush and no shot. Headed home early to beat traffic.

Overall the woods are looking great compared to two weeks ago. Leaves are dropping and the grouse are out!

[CRAZYEYES]

Hunted near Cook and Orr both Saturday and Sunday. With a little nice weather there were a ton of people in the woods. In 2 days we figure we saw somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 plus birds. They were hanging out in any stand of younger aspens. Lots of wild flushes and birds we never got a look at. 3 of us got 14 and could have shot a few woodcock but none of us really are that fond of them. We also think we flushed a sprucie but we did not get a real good look. Everybody we ran into seemed to have a bird or two and had seen quite a few.

[TylerS]

10/17-10/18 St. Louis County

First time out this year and probably the last. Kind of a bummer considering the NR license cost 85.50. Ouch! But it was worht it for another crack on some ruffies.

Went to my grandparents' place near Chisholm. Hunted some trails that only we know about. Took the wife along as an observer as she didn't want to hunt. Kicked up 8 grouse the first morning and nothing to show for it. Missed a gimme shot at about 5 feet off the trail. Was afraid of blowing him apart so aimed for his head and missed entirely. Oh well. That afternoon dad came up and we hit a public trail. Kicked up 10 and dad shot 1 while I got 2. Hard to take shots without a dog as finding birds becomes a problem. Have to be very selective on flushes.

Finally ended the day on a quick jaunt down a well-known path. Hit the Y in the road. Dad goes right, I go left. 50 feet down I kick up another grouse at that No. 3 for me.

Saturday just had time to hunt the morning. Not nearly as many birds. Got off a couple shots, but nothing to show for it. Oh well, there's always next year!

[uplander]

10/19

Mille Lacs County

overcast 50 breezy

Hunted three hours from 11 to 2 fluhed 10 birds..7 grouse and three woodcock. All the woodcock were pointed and bagged but those dang grouse refused to be table fare.. 4 grouse pointed only mannaged one desperation shot ..Found them in thick cover lots of ground cover rasberry vines and tangles all along the edges of sloughs. leaves are really coming down can't wait to get back out!!

[grousewoods]

Big red,

Yes, I didn't what to give to much away!!!

[Lunker]

10/8-10/19

Was in Itasca county for a couple of weeks. Hunted a few hours every day or every other day.

Flushed 3-10 birds an afternoon. When the weather was better, there were still a lot of leaves, and shooting was tough. Was flushing all single birds. Had a cold front come through with snow and temps in the teens. Before and after that I was flushing most out of the birds out of the young aspen. During the cold weather, wind and snow more of the birds were sticking close to or in the pines. As the leaves came down, it got a bit better, but not quite as many birds flushed. With the cold weather, the birds grouped up, and would do a lot more hunting before stumbling onto groups from 2-6 birds.

Did not do fantastic, but managed some birds. My best day was a day I only flushed 3, but got all 3 of them. Mostly hunted alone with the lab.

[rbjork]

has anyone been hunting around the Dalbo WMA and if so how did it turn out?

[SledNeck]

Hunted today in the rain then sleet then snow

put up 10 dropped 2

they were buzzin my head when I was grabbing a bird from my dog

I love hutning in this weather

[brittman]

Enough rain in October already. How about 2 days of sun in a row?

[Basseyes]

Enough rain in October already. How about 2 days of sun in a row?

What he said!

[castmaster]

Tyler,

Want to talk about OUCH!! Try paying $100 for NR license to hunt Pheasants thats only good for two 7 day periods, and then getting pinched another $100 (to hunt in either zone 1 or 2 for 7 days and then zone 3 for 7 days) or $125 (to hunt statewide for 2 7 day periods or 14 days straight) to hunt waterfowl on top of that. So if you want to do a 1 week combo trip it will set you back anywhere from $200-$225 in licenses, and isnt even good for a full season like MN NR license is good for!

And then a NR cant even hunt public land for the first week (or is it 2 weeks?) of the season!

I'd say for the outdoor opportunities MN presents our NR licenses are priced VERY fairly!

[Chef]

We need to have 1-1 reciprocity on license fees and date restrictions. If a State, like Iowa, charges 400 for a LOTTERY Deer Tag, then MN should do the same for NR Iowans who want to hunt in MN. That just might get this whole gouging issue put to rest.

[KOTTKE]

Just retruned from the range last weekend with the kids and what a blast, finally some birds, kids and wife were able to spread some shot but no birds, went out with my uncle and finshed w/4 birds on Sunday. Lots of hunters!!!

Sledneck,

which area you from. All my realtion are from Virgina and Mt. Iron.

[duckbuster]

you any relation to Steve Kottke?

[SledNeck]

I know who steve is

[duckbuster]

Is he still at the city working?

[KOTTKE]

Thats my uncle, we were just up at his place hunting last weekend. How do you know him? I see your also from Waconia.

[duckbuster]

I grew up 2 blocks from him in South Grove and I worked with him in the summer at the city.

[maros91]

Hunted Mille Lacs Co. with a buddy and flushed about a dozen birds from 1 till dark with 2 in the bag. They were in the thick stuff. No woodcock flushes. I love grouse hunting...I need to get out more.

[Fishpondc]

Hunted Beltrami State forest with a buddy, in two days we flushed 12 and got 4 ruffs and 1 spruce. Any ideas on how to get rid of "pine needle" taste of spruce grouse, I was told they taste terrible, but im going to give it a try with some cream of mushroom soup along with some pheasant.

[duckbuster]

We have marinated them in Italian dressing for a day then put them in a slow cooker for an ALL day soak/cook.

We have also tried soaking them in a pre-made Onion soup for a day then slow cooked them in a freshly made Onion soup.

[NoWiser]

I was told they tasted terrible as well. Last year I shot two and just breaded them in flour ans sauteed them with the ruffies I also shot. I thought they were as good, or better than the ruffs, so did my roommate.

[uplander]

10 25

Mille lacs county

weather was misting all day

The hunting was exceptional today. Hunted from 11 - 4 had had at least a dozen grouse pointed and probably 20 wood cock. The woodcock were giant migrators some of the biggest doodles i've ever seen and actually saw several of them running out from under the points only to flush way ahead...crazy stuff. The grouse cooperated nicely for the setter and we ended up with 6 in the bag. All poited. It was one of those days you want to log in the memory bank forever. The wettnes may have helped hold the birds tighter than normal. I actually put two grouse up in a young clear cut where i thought my dog was for sure on a woodcock. When the grouse came up over the wide open air it was to good to be true..I can already taste them. I can't wait to get back out!! All birds were taken off edges. Edge of a cut or a swamp but always an edge. It was one time that no matter how wet and cold I was it was worth it! And I was soaked!!! Only two weeks til the orange army invades! Get out while you can! Good luck all!

[TylerS]

Oct. 23, South West of Park Rapids.

Grandpa called me up from Fergus Falls and said he really wanted to go grouse hunting, so I obliged. Went to some spots off Hwy 34 east of DL he had hunted years ago in state forest only to find posted signs and houses. Pretty dicouraging (especially since it's state forest...guess Minn. decided to sell a bunch of it?!) Eventually walked a couple trails. Saw one bird on the road. It flushed into a person's yard. Walked another trail all the way to the end only to flush two birds deep in the woods right near our truck. Oh well, weather was beautiful and I got to spend a day hunting with my granpda, so I can't complain!

Tyler,

Want to talk about OUCH!! Try paying $100 for NR license to hunt Pheasants thats only good for two 7 day periods, and then getting pinched another $100 (to hunt in either zone 1 or 2 for 7 days and then zone 3 for 7 days) or $125 (to hunt statewide for 2 7 day periods or 14 days straight) to hunt waterfowl on top of that. So if you want to do a 1 week combo trip it will set you back anywhere from $200-$225 in licenses, and isnt even good for a full season like MN NR license is good for!

And then a NR cant even hunt public land for the first week (or is it 2 weeks?) of the season!

I'd say for the outdoor opportunities MN presents our NR licenses are priced VERY fairly!

I didn't post here to start a pi$$ing match, but apparently I struck a nerve.

I never said it wasn't fair, just that it was expensive. I hunt grouse in Minnesota because I have family there and I know where to go. Not many ruffs in N.D. And you're right, North Dakota NR licenses are expenive. I know because I was a NR for a period of time until they passed the resiprocity law for students. Now THAT was sweet, especially for a former poor college student such as myself.

As far as the waterfowl license, you're comparing apples and grapefruits. You don't see many NRs heading to Minnesota to hunt ducks whereas they come to N.D. in droves. We have the waterfowl numbers, the habitat and lots of land (plus, if it's not posted you can hunt it without permission...which doesn't fly in Minnesota).

Let me ask you this: if you had more than the two allotted weeks to hunt pheasants or waterfowl, how often would you come here? Every couple weeks? Every weekend? A whole month? I doubt it, unless you work at a very flexible job and have gobs of money to spend on gas and lodging (and a revenous appetite for whatever you're hunting as your posession limit only is twice the daily limit and if you're here for 14 days, that's a heckuva lot of ducks or pheasants to eat if you hunt every day...)

I'd say for the outdoor opportunites ND presents our NR licenses are priced VERY fairly, too!

I apologize for muddying this thread with non-journal entries. If anyone wants to discuss this further you can start another topic.

[Matt Breuer]

I could care less, there are basically no ruffies in ND...

I hunted the Bemidji area on Thurs. for 2 hours, again on Sat. for 3 hours, and 1 hour on Sunday. Put up 21 birds total, bagged 6. Weather varied from mist to sunshine at times. The best hunting was Thursday morning when the sun peeked out for the first time in 4 days....