Grouse Hunting with a Flusher?

[J Rookie K]

When grouse hunting with a flusher, is it better to have him at heel or finding and flushing them?

Im asking because next week Ill be in Detroit Lakes on vacation and I want to try grouse hunting.

[LuciandTim]

If your dog is at heel what good would he be? (except for retrieving)

When it comes to grouse the only dogs I have hunted behind were Brittany's. Not much of a grouse hunter although I loved it everytime I went. Just rather shoot pheasants.

[J Rookie K]

If the dog is at heel then yes, retrieving is what he is for. I have heard of people hunting that way. But I dont have any idea how to hunt these birds or how they act, thats why I asked.

Hey Tim, if you cant help answer my question, maybe you should KEEP YOUR FINGERS OFF THE KEY BOARD!

[woodview]

Have you ever had this dog in the woods with you? As long as it doesn't get out to far let it run - he/she puts em up you put em down .

Most of the ones I've hunted with will work at fairly close range - if yours is going to be 100 yards in front, out of sight and flushing them you may want to keep her heeled or ... take something for your nerves

Otherwise, if you're just heading out for one weekend let it run and see what happens. It's a blast but can be a lot of work. My best success with grouse tends to be when I'm busting through some really dense stuff. Plus the woodcock should be flying yet for a week or two in that area.

What breed?

[mwal]

I have hunted with both flushers and pointers. I currently have a pointer. You can be succesfull with both. Due to the terrain and lack of visibility your flusher must be a close working dog. If it is not I would keep it at heel and use it as a retriever. I would suggest you try using it as a flusher and see how it ranges. If it stays to far then heel it. But in any case take the dog they live to hunt and be with you. Good luck and enjoy your trip.

Mwal

[J Rookie K]

My dog is a Chessie. I like him to work about 20 yards from me when hunting roosters. With the collar, I can keep him closer and stop him from chasing deer and rabbits. We havent hunted the big north woods, but we have been through some of the small patches south of the metro. 2 seasons ago he flushed a Woodcock from a thick tree line near Jordan, MN. I shot it and he went for the retrieve. When he picked the little bugger up, he must not have liked the taste and dropped it. After a few words with the dog, I decided to quit wasting hunting time and get it my self.

Thanks for the advice guys. I knew that I would have to try both to see what works best for me. Just looking for a bit of insight from someone with experience.

[ccarlson]

One trick I use if I'm walking a trail is to keep the dog at a heel when going in and then let the dog range to the sides when coming back on the same trail later.

For grouse I keep the dogs directly to the sides more than in front of me.

Generally compared to pheasant, a grouse will flush or bump more easily than a pheasant will. Conditions and hunting pressure will dictate how tight a grouse might hold.

Generally you want a slower working more methodical style than you do for pheasant hunting. If your dog is a fast mover and covers a lot of ground you may bump grouse out of range so you'd want to keep it at a heel. In this case he would be used for more than just retrieving as the dog will catch a scent and get birdy if you had one sneak off as it heard you approach. At that time, I let him go and find the bird.

On a side note, I had some good luck finding some grouse last weekend up north. The older, bigger birds flushed pretty wild but the young ones let us get pretty close even with two dogs one of which is a new pup.

ccarlson

[Beeber]

I used to do quite a bit of grouse hunting on our property near Cook MN with a Lab. He generally stayed pretty close and as stated above I tried to keep him working on either side of the trail. It work great especially when the leaves where still on the trees. I found that the birds would generally go vertical out of the thick cover which gave me a good shot. I would give your dog a try but keep it close and to your side. There were times that even though I could not see the bird when it flushed you could listen to where it went then go after it in the woods with good success.

Take care and good luck

[duckbuster]

If you are going into the woods to hunt then let him hunt. I would disagree with anyone who is going to walk in the woods for grouse and have the dog at heel. If that's the case leave him at home. I can only think of 2 reasons while hunting upland you would want your dog at heel. The first would be that you are posting while pheasant hunting and the 2nd, the dog has been naughty and you are punishing him.

Let him roam from side to side or up & down the trail and keep a close eye on him. When he gets birdy stop, watch and listen. When he goes deep into the woods on the side of you listen carefully. If he bumps a bird now it's your turn to help the dog. Working with your friend is a partnership, he helps you now it's your turn to reward him. Generally speaking a grouse that is bumped will give a churp when he lands in a tree. One other thing they will never go as far as you think, if you think they flew 100 yards start looking in the trees around 25 yards.

GOOD LUCK & BE SAFE!!!

[D-ROCK]

as long as duckbuster is agreeing to disagree with anybody. I'll throw my 2 cents in! Keep the dog close at heel. Grouse I understand aren't the smartest game birds, but why flush em and give them an opportunity to run? You will run across some spruce grouse that will fly up in a tree a foot away and stay put, however most grouse will bolt and hit the ground running. I personally don't like upland dogs for grouse at all. Thats just me! I enjoy a slow walk and watching birds make the first move, others will disagree but that is what I like. Now that said I never hunt pheasant without a dog and I say cutem loose within reason. Either way enjoy your hunt and learn from it as that is why we all are out there!

[J Rookie K]

When you guys say "trails", are you talking about logging roads? What kind of trails should I look for?

Im thinking about hunting in the Smoky Hills State Forest. So if anyone has some tips or knowledge of this land, and they dont mind sharing, Im all ears. Tamarac is another option.

I will be up there for 4 days and I wish all those days were spent hunting. But they wont because my wife and kids will be there. Maybe if my boy gets one on the first day, he wont want to spend too much time in the pool.

Thanks again.

[woodview]

Logging roads will work if they're fairly small without a lot of pressure, but you're really best off looking for fairly young aspens and then finding a small trail leading in or just busting in (especially on public lands) - pay attention to where the sun is because once you're in there it's easy to get turned around. It's thick stuff but on a low year in their cycle like this it's where you'll find em.

Grouse will hold better for a dog than a person so 20yards or closer is where you'll want them. Woodcock will hold until the dog or you are right on top of them a lot of the time. I got into 20-30 of them last Sunday and a couple got up within 10 feet. Most dogs don't really like the taste - my wirehair doesn't seem to mind but most dogs are pretty reluctant retrievers on them.

As stated chasing down a flushed bird can be productive and often you'll actually see them go back down.

duckbuster what's meant by "The first would be that you are 'posting' while pheasant hunting"

[duckbuster]

D-Rock, based on your 1st comment it sounds like you don't do alot of grouse hunting. " Grouse I understand aren't the smartest game bird". The person who started the thread has a flusher for a dog, that's what he does. Let him flush. Keeping the dog within 15 yards is good enough.

You can't hunt grouse and continue to pay attention to whether your dog is at heel. You will get handcuffed all day long.