Ruffled Grouse
03-11-2004, 07:01 PM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Pirate on the river Saskatchewan
Posts: 2,167
RE: Ruffled Grouse
personally i just walk bush trails or logged out areas....they also seem to hang out around field edges alot for feeding purposes. I don't use a dog so for me the most important thing is to keep my ears and eyes attentive. Lots of times you can walk right by them and they won't budge. Also wherever there is one bird there is probably another close by, just something that i tend to encounter...this is just how i hunt them, i know alot of guys use dogs and flush them out but maybe this will still give you a tip or 2..
04-10-2004, 06:35 PM
#4
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 18
RE: Ruffled Grouse
I don't have a dog either, but still manage to flush a bunch of birds, look for the thick patches of woods, grapevine patches, low growth evergreens, anyplace that's thick!! when you get into a place that looks birdy, walk at a steady pace until you come to a spot open enough to swing the shotgun, then stop, I've found that lots of times the birds won't flush until you stop walking, sometimes you need to stand there for a minute or so, when you stop I think it makes them nervous, and instead of holding tight, they'll fly. just be ready, and bring lots of shells
04-10-2004, 08:33 PM
#5
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location:
Posts: 33
RE: Ruffled Grouse
i hunt with dogs, but have hunted them without (those tough pre-dog years
). with a dog, i let the dog do the work and walk along trails mostly. when we get into a thick area, usually dense popples or along the undergrowth near pines and other trees, i get off the trail and get into the cover. the birds do hold very tight, so you need to work slow. when one flushes, you usually don't have long to shoot. they are a tough target but quite a tasty one
.
without a dog, i walk in the brush off the trail, usually not to far off if i don't know the terrain well to avoid getting lost. i have gotten lost a few time when i get way off the trail following the dogs. i have also had dogs get lost in the woods. every sound echoes in the thick woods and every tree looks the same, so it is easy to get lost. walk slow with frequent stops and listen for distant flushes. keep an eye out for birds in the trees roosting. frequently birds that have flushed before you get to them will fly a short distance and land high in a tree.
either way bring plenty of shells and check your pride at the truck because you are going to miss some birds. have fun with it. ruffy hunting is truely about being out in the woods and enjoying nature. some days you walk forever without seeing a bird, other you see them every few steps. the grouse woods are a sacred thing to many of us uplander.
just my 2 cents.
good luck!!!![8D]
). with a dog, i let the dog do the work and walk along trails mostly. when we get into a thick area, usually dense popples or along the undergrowth near pines and other trees, i get off the trail and get into the cover. the birds do hold very tight, so you need to work slow. when one flushes, you usually don't have long to shoot. they are a tough target but quite a tasty one.without a dog, i walk in the brush off the trail, usually not to far off if i don't know the terrain well to avoid getting lost. i have gotten lost a few time when i get way off the trail following the dogs. i have also had dogs get lost in the woods. every sound echoes in the thick woods and every tree looks the same, so it is easy to get lost. walk slow with frequent stops and listen for distant flushes. keep an eye out for birds in the trees roosting. frequently birds that have flushed before you get to them will fly a short distance and land high in a tree.
either way bring plenty of shells and check your pride at the truck because you are going to miss some birds. have fun with it. ruffy hunting is truely about being out in the woods and enjoying nature. some days you walk forever without seeing a bird, other you see them every few steps. the grouse woods are a sacred thing to many of us uplander.
just my 2 cents.
good luck!!!![8D]
