Anybody seeing grouse out there

[setterguy]

You can do either, just move slow and stop once in awhile. The stopping makes the birds nervous and you'll hear them shuffling or beeping, or they'll flush. Some days going dogless is more productive than with a dog...

What? Thats like saying sometimes ice fishing is better without a flasher. I can't ever remember a time when not having a dog would have produced more birds. Maybe I'm doing it wrong. I have to know what you mean.

[tacklejunkie]

More leaves are blowing off the trees and the number of birds I'm seeing have been increasing. My kid got two this AM at Canosia and I got one yesterday near the house.

From what I'm hearing and seeing, not a lot of young birds being shot this year. I think we will start to see a downturn next year

[fishuhalik]

i usually shoot more birds w/o a dog cuz i'd rather groundpound 'em! i know its herasy to some, but i grouse hunt for meat. if i wanna practice my wingshooting there's always pheasants and ducks!

[JMO555555]

ha this is a age old battle in my family my brothers and dad hunt dogless and and I run setters. In my opion dogless hunters shoot alot higher percentage of birds they see my dad does the numbers and they see about a third of the birds i see. seven years running my dogs and I have shot more birds than my brothers and dad (since I started hunting with dogs) My dad has kept track and dogless hunters shoot 33% of birds seen and me (with dogs) is around 25%. for me whats the fun without watching the dogs do what they were born to do.

[laker1]

Was out the other day and walked 12 miles and seen 12 birds,all adults and all singles. heard other people talk and saying seeing very few young ones.

[401TE]

Was out the other day and walked 12 miles and seen 12 birds,all adults and all singles. heard other people talk and saying seeing very few young ones.

Funny, young birds constitute the vast majority of what I'm seeing and shooting north of Duluth.

Lots of leaves fell yesterday after the hard frost we had Friday night. Saw 22 degrees on the way to the trails.

[Pinusbanksiana]

Everyone needs to remember that when you say you are seeing tons of birds at xyz, that a lot of people read this and next week, xyz will be full of hunters. You can brag all you want about the number of grouse you are shooting, but don't go all out and show everyone your spots.

[djlong]

I went out the last two weekends and my experience has been that there are just as many birds this year as last. Most of my birds have been young so I guess I have just been lucky to hit some good spots. Having a dog really helps me get ready when my dog gets birdy but with all the cover still up, I have only been able to get a shot off about 30% of the time. Then take into consideration that I cannot shoot worth a darn and most are still in the woods. I do have one question. I have a pointer and while pheasants hold really tight, does everyone else have the same problem of grouse only holding for a second or longer when you get a strong point? My dog is not busting them but I have yet to have a bird where I have to kick around to get a flush.

[life=outdoors92]

From what I'm hearing and seeing, not a lot of young birds being shot this year. I think we will start to see a downturn next year

From the 15-20 birds i have shot/seen shot with buddies north of rapids so far this year, only 2 have been what they would call "adults." everything else has been last years crop with 1 or 2 being this year. lots of short tail fans this year so far

[dave12341234]

Northwest wisconsin- I have been out almost every other day since opener usually toward the evening for a few hours, walking no more than 2 miles. I usually see 1-3 birds per outing. All were on the the ground by a logging rd, but not directly on the rd kinda off to the side in the weeds so its been tough, flying away to early. only saw a few coveys this year, most are single.

Where I hunt,its usually driven down 1-2 times a days, but its impossible to know what time they drove down there last? Id hate to walk a logging rd thats already been disturbed 15 minutes before i got there. I was thinking of setting up a post at the begining of the trail with a notepad and paper where you can write down the last time you walked the trail. Maybe a good idea? This trial is sponsered by the ruffed grouse society so i know its heavily used.

[Harmonica Bear]

We were out Saturday morning for a couple hours (north of Mille Lacs). Seen 10, bagged 0. The shooting woes continue....

[Riverratpete]

South of Mille Lacs yesterday, boosted 2, got 1, still pretty thick but getting better, birds were down in the nastiest stuff you could find ie Alder swamps.

[Pinusbanksiana]

I went out the last two weekends and my experience has been that there are just as many birds this year as last. Most of my birds have been young so I guess I have just been lucky to hit some good spots. Having a dog really helps me get ready when my dog gets birdy but with all the cover still up, I have only been able to get a shot off about 30% of the time. Then take into consideration that I cannot shoot worth a darn and most are still in the woods. I do have one question. I have a pointer and while pheasants hold really tight, does everyone else have the same problem of grouse only holding for a second or longer when you get a strong point? My dog is not busting them but I have yet to have a bird where I have to kick around to get a flush.

Grouse are much different than pheasants. To get a pheasant to hold tight, a dog must crowd them hard and fast to stop them from running. Now if that same dog tries to pin a grouse, he will crowd him too much, resulting in an early flush. Your dog may learn the difference, some do. But this is why the saying goes that you can ruin a grouse hunting dog taking it pheasant hunting. Takes lots of birds to train a dog.

[JMO555555]

the other thing I do is when the dog goes on point I circle twenty to thirty yards in front of the dog and work back towards the dog this has really helped for me.

[TylerS]

Birds are around! We hunted Thursday evening through Sunday morning in the Iron Range and averaged around 10-12 birds moved a day. Bagged 7 for all that work (4 of which came from one trail). Also missed a legitimate double; dog pointed two birds and they flushed soon after like a pair of clay pigeons across a clearcut. Missed the first bird with the first shot, but hit the trailing grouse with the second shot. Oh well, it was neat! I will say this: water is key. High-and-dry trails were virtually devoid of birds. Also flushed two woodcocks...first doodles I've seen in more than a decade. Wish I could have hit 'em

[djlong]

I will try that this weekend. Looks as though the weather will be warm again. I have been running into more Wood Cock the last few times I was out. They are fun but boy do they taste bad. Any suggestions on how to cook them up. I have been letting them fly but if there are some good ways of cooking them, I will give it a shot...

[TylerS]

I will try that this weekend. Looks as though the weather will be warm again. I have been running into more Wood Cock the last few times I was out. They are fun but boy do they taste bad. Any suggestions on how to cook them up. I have been letting them fly but if there are some good ways of cooking them, I will give it a shot...

Google "hunter angler gardener cook." Guy's name is Hank Shaw. He's got a blog that is a wealth of wild game recipes (if you get the chance, make is Venison Steak Dianne...absolutely incredible!) I know I've seen a couple doodle recipes on there.

[Freddy1]

Stir fry pieces quick, use a little red wine then a touch of sour cream at the end. Pour over noodles and you have timber doodle stroganoff. Eat ASAP as the texture changes the longer it sits.

[Matt Breuer]

Still haven't shot or seen a juvenile bird shot this year... We're up over 120 encounters with over 15 bagged birds. Where are the young ones?

setter, I meant exactly what someone else said earlier. When you walk without a dog early season, you'll shoot more birds than you will with, because you're going to get those trail birds sitting there waiting to be shot. You'll also get more walkers that can be ground-pounded. Flushing birds are tough to hit early season... I'd still rather watch a point 9 days out of 10!

[lispeej]

we were out this past weekend. we were about 30 minutes south of duluth at some hunter walking trails. didn't see a darn bird. i think we were at the wrong spot. what do you guys think? over 4000 acres.....not a single bird.

[Matt Breuer]

I will try that this weekend. Looks as though the weather will be warm again. I have been running into more Wood Cock the last few times I was out. They are fun but boy do they taste bad. Any suggestions on how to cook them up. I have been letting them fly but if there are some good ways of cooking them, I will give it a shot...

Wrap in bacon, dust with Lawry's, toss on the grill! Otherwise I cut them into strips and make them with our sharptail fajitas...

[certified jumbo]

cut a jalepeno in half, fill with cream chesse, lay one breast on woodcock on top, sprinkle some shredded cheese on that, cook at 375 degrees for 20 mins. awesome!!!

[R. Miller]

I must be weird bc I enjoy them plain, pan fried with a little olive oil. Maybe a light seasoning or a little salt. I think with any dark meat (woodcock, doves, ducks) they key is to never overcook them. I usually like my woodcock cooked medium.

[Jmnhunter]

was in hubbard county this past weekend, flushed 2 woodcock, and heard one flush of a grouse; its been pretty slow up there this year from us and others we've talked to...

[KidMoe]

We moved three grouse Saturday on 1 walking trail. The trail is supposed to be closed to ATV's but once we got passed by about a dozen of them in three different groups we didn't flush a bird after. It was a little frustrating that we only saw three birds as we went quite a ways north. Although, the colors were in full swing where we were compared to down here. Still a lot of leaves and underbrush to come down.