jbowlby

We are heading to Colorado this fall to visit two of our daughters. I'm retired and don't have a time limit to our visit.

I would really like to explore the grouse hunting while we are in the area.
I have a 5-year-old Britt with Michigan grouse experience and I'm sure it will be a challenge for both of us!

Any suggestions on walk-in areas?

CalHunter

I don't have any Colorado advice but a Brittany is a great dog. You should have a lot of fun.

Champlain Islander

I have elk hunted south central Colorado numerous times and the grouse I ran into were known as blue grouse. They reminded me of the north country spruce grouse due to their docile nature as opposed to the explosiveness of ruffed grouse we have here in New England. Most of the grouse I saw just walked away rather than fly.

flags

In CO you have several types of grouse. The bird they used to call the blue grouse had been renamed the spruce grouse by the DOW and are the most common. You can find them just about anywhere there are pines, aspens and water. I always pop a few when I go back elk and deer hunting. A good place for them is on Gore Pass outside of Kremmling.

CO also has ptarmigan but you have to hunt high above timberline to find them and they are spread thin. Quanella Pass and Loveland Pass above tree line are pretty good areas.

CO has some good hunting for sage grouse north of Craig in the sagebrush draws. Biggest native grouse in the USA with adult males weighing up to 8 lbs. But these things taste terrible when grown. If shooting them for the table don't bust the biggest birds in the flock.

There are mountain sharptails in the area around Yampa and Oak Creek. They are far and few between but are legal game if you can find them.

All the above areas have a lot of public land.

Lastly CO has Prairie Chickens out east but you can only hunt them in a few areas and only on private land. I grew up in CO and even I don't have a place where I can shoot one and my family originally hails from Yuma County which has the biggest number of them. Most ranchers like having them around and don't want them shot.

Oldtimr

I would have thought CO would have Hungarian Partridge as well.

flags

Only on shooting preserves. I don't know anywhere you can get them on public land. We do have a few chuckers in the rough canyon country in the western part of the state as well as several species of quail. Good pheasant hunting in the state as well as snipe and some rails. But I didn't talk about those since to OP asked about grouse.

jbowlby

First of all, thank you for your service!

And also for the great information!