Spruce Grouse...

[Matt Breuer]

Fool's Hen, Spruce Hen, Fool's Grouse.... Whatever you want to call them.

I haven't shot a spruce since the early '90's, and want to get a few in this year before the snow hits and they start eating a lot of pine needles.

Does anybody know of an area that holds good numbers without traveling over the border??

[wrshog]

Matt,

We were in the Superior Nat Forest last weekend. East of Crescent Lake and bagged a couple. The most I've seen in quite a while. Funny thing is all of the birds we bagged 6 total, 4 ruffed - 2 spruce, were full of pine needles. It was pretty busy up that way, especially west of where we were.

[protrapper]

Grand marais area has quite a few. My brother got 3 one day.

[tearin' lips]

Pine Island State Forest and the Big Falls area has quite a few spruce grouse.

[monstermoose78]

I would look in jack pines for spruce grouse i got a few during the week i was up north MOOSE LOOP on the echo trail has almost always giving me a spruce grouse or the chance to take one if i wanted to shoot it. I did get a wonderful male spruce grouse that is going to the taxidermist next week. During the week I was up around ely my friend and i did very well on grouse. I wish i would have brought my bow but we did not have any where to store a deer if i got one. Sounded to me that the moose hunters had there hands full trying to find a moose. For spruce grouse there is a the Crazy bird man the reports on wely radio station and is also a teacher at VCC he is worth talking too about spruce grouse or any other kind of bird.

[Matt Breuer]

tearin' lips,

Do you hunt the SE quadrant at all? Near Margie? I drove the ridge roads around there last year, and only saw one ruffie, no spruce. I also tried the SW quadrant near Waskish one day to no avail.

I'm looking for a nice male to put on the wall next to my ruffies, and maybe a female or two for a meal. We used to shoot a lot of them, but the numbers in the area we hunted are gone!

wrshog, the ruffies had pine needles in them too?? Odd!

Looks like I may have to head up the NE part of the state...

Thanks for all of the info guys! As well as any continued info!

[wrshog]

Yep even the ruffies were eating pine needles. First time I have ever seen it. I'm headed to the Grand Rapids area in a week. I think that's the same time that the ruffed grouse society hunts up there. Should be quite a zoo on the roads around town.

[tearin' lips]

Matt,

No I have never gone quite that far down the road. In fact I don't think I have been hunting farther than big falls in six or better years, but my dad can remember when they used to shoot lots of sprucies over that way...

I saw one sprucie last year and only a few the year before, so I don't know...

Take Care and Good Luck Hunting!!

[monstermoose78]

Nam and I got 4 nice sprucies on are week long trip and i know we could have take a few more but i was looking for a nice one for the wall and I got double and one was flying. Now my cousin does not do birds nor does my buddy and does anyone have a good bird guy.

[eyes']

Wha????

[monstermoose78]

Namikanwalleye and I took to trip to ely and shot 4 spruce grouse. Granted it was a week long trip which allowed us time to find some spruce grouse. The first two i shot i messed them up to bad so we ate them. Then next two I saw were together and i got one off the ground and the other was flying. Which for spruce is not normal. Normally I have my cousin do my taxidermy work but i also have a good friend that is a taxidermist too but either of these two do birds they send them out. So I am looking for a taxidermist who does upland game birds well.

[Matt Breuer]

Chris Kunze is the does the best grouse mounts I've ever seen. I will use him for all of my future mounts! chris_kunze at hotmail (Contact Us Please)

[tearin' lips]

Pine Island State Forest. Saw all kinds of them there this weekend.

[Matt Breuer]

tearin' lips,

Thanks, I'm thinking of heading to Pine Island tomorrow afternoon. The problem with Pine Island is that it's so large. The map I have of the State Forest extends from South of Gemmel all the way up nearly to Rainy. Any tips on where to start??? I was planning on starting near Big Falls and working my way back. Thanks again for the tips! Shoot me an e-mail, maybe we can hook up for a day of hunting sometime! mjbreuer at charter dot net

[tearin' lips]

Matt, sorry I didn't get around to relying to your post earlier, I have been busy at gander and with school. Anyhow, I would go in on the black river road and go from there to big falls, or come in at big falls, and go to loman. Walk the trails and whatnot. All the sprucies I have shot have been in the spruce swamps and full of needles. Might not be able to get out together for a few weeks now(deer season does have a priority) but I wouln't mind sneekin' out around the thanksgiving time or something. I can be contacted through [email protected]

Good Luck Huntin'