RUFFED GROUSE HUNTING TIPS

Описание: I have hunted grouse since 1967 and am still learning and refining my style..
I went through the golden years when I was in my late teens. I got my old car, a '64 Ford and could drive to my favorite spots north and east of Toronto.I would go on Saturdays and sometimes for a couple of hours after work. I got into Ruffed and Grouse and also a lot of Woodcock. I read all the great books, "Grouse and Grouse Hunting" by Frank Woolner and the "Grouse Feathers" and "More Grouse Feathers" series by Burton Spiller. My Uncle Ed gave me Robert Ruarks " The Old Man and the Boy.".....so I had a good start on upland bird hunting.

GROUSE HUNTING TIPS

I move SLOWLY, and not because of my age...Walk and pause....You see and hear more and you enjoy more. If you want to relentlessly push out a trail, then do ride an ATV. You will miss seeing birds, guaranteed. I was passed by two vehicles today and on their return trip, after they had gone to the end of the road and were on the way back, one man said, "Sorry 'bout that"..Actually, it is an inconvenience to pause and let them go by and they think, Hah that guy isn't going to get anything. There were no birds on the road. Better think twice about that comment.

My feeling is, have a nice day boys cuz you just shook up the bush and got birds moving. Sure, they may get the odd bird that is out on the trail, but they do not get birds that are just off to the side of the trail and resting or quietly feeding. These ones often do not flush as they are used to the sound of a vehicle going by...

Actually I didn't see or flush a grouse today. ..I thought I would, especially since I picked up a couple of drink cans at the side of the road and then I always have good luck. Same as in trout fishing, I carry a creel more to pick up trash than to keep fish cool...And while we are on the subject of trash, why do drivers toss cans and packages out of their cars ? Cuz they don't like the mess. Then tell me why they toss the mess out into the environment, THEIR environment and be satisfied that it is there and out of sight and out of mind. Well it is in MY sight and drives me nuts...

Back to the subject at hand. Walk with me and look into the woods, side to side. Check under hummocks and roots, check beside stumps and check, well , check everything. Look ahead and back on an angle because you are seeing the background from a different angle. One angle did not reveal a bird but the alternate angle is from a different perspective and shows, lo and behold, there IS a bird standing there.

Did you look back behind? No?...Don't forget...Do you know I carry small binos, Bushnell Custom Compacts to check ahead on the road when I see a dark spot. These binos are not heavy to carry and have revealed that that spot up ahead is a log or just a darker piece of goldenrod that LOOKS like a bird. Or a rock or a limb...Approach carefully if you are not sure cuz it may just start to move...

I find that partridge are sometimes near small songbirds, sparrow, chickadees or redstarts and juncoes that are feeding at the side of the road. They hang out together. Or vice versa, anyways if I hear little peeps, I check that spot even more carefully cuz there may be a partridge there. I believe they tend to attract each other...

USE YOUR EARS.
Pause from time to time to listen for grouse. They will putt or purr. You can hear them. I carry a bottle of water and sometimes the slopping of the water sounds like a bird, makes my heart race, and then I realize...it's the water...You can hear grouse shuffling leaves, or running through the leaves. Pause to try to spot them and then take a few steps and look again, FROM A NEW ANGLE..Maybe you will see that bird.....Watch for it strutting or flipping its tail. When grouse are upset, they flip their tail, that is quite detectable.
But If a bird put his head down like a pheasant and takes off form the roadside, good luck with trying to get that one. Sometimes, they will stop maybe a few yards into the cover and strut around, disturbed, or they just straightline deeper into the woods. They are deciding whether to get out of the way of the danger, or they want a better look at just what was that danger. They are deciding...Don't hesitate to shoo.....when you get a bead on the head, shoot cuz if you wait, the opportunity will disappear.
I get most of my birds after I have disturbed them and they run into cover form the road. It is hard to retrieve them and HAVE TO UNLOAD and put the gun down to get thru the thick cover. Hah., one time I shot a bird, put the gun down, and climbed up some rocks and stumps to get it. When I got to the top, there was the partridge just strutting..It took off, leaving me flabbergasted. I had shot over its head...Shades of Hawkeye.

Thanks for reading and have a safe and successful season in the field, and on the trail...