Where did the grouse go?

[BigGoonTuna]

i didn't even make it out for them this season.  woods were closed until late october, and by then my free time gets split between fishing and duck hunting.

i've seen some while fishing this winter, and jumped a couple while deer scouting back in september.

wish i could get back into what i call "grouse alley".  it's owned by rayonier, and since i've lived here it's gone from green dot all winter until spring, to being closed after modern firearm deer season, to being just red dotted.  i don't mind road closures but i'm not gonna walk in 5 miles for grouse!

[fethrduster]

These guys are in the Midwest so the terrain is a little different, but ask yourself if the areas you're hunting have vegetation like this. I remember seeing something similar here back in the 80's, but how often do you see early successional forest like this anymore? For that matter, how much food (berries etc) do you see where you hunt them? If you're just road hunting you probably won't know, but if not, look around.

Ruffed Grouse Hunting

I don't think I've ever seen this kind of habitat here in WA.  That kind of flat land grouse hunting looks easy compared to the hilly, thick cover we have here in western WA.

[Stilly bay]

if you take the up and down out of the equation there are some spots in western Wa that look similar, they are few and far between... although nothing that would go on for miles.

[AspenBud]

As I said, we have aging public forests here and timber companies favor a monoculture of trees on their tree farms. If people are seeing fewer grouse they can blame some of it on that and some of it on not looking for new spots.

[gamekeeper]

i am from england and worked for years as a upland moor keeper with red grouse , i know the grouse you have are differant but grouse are grouse and the biggest factor that produced low numbers was wet springs and a worm called strongloses the build up of these worms leads to poor condiotion and becoming easy prey for predators

[Stilly bay]

i am from england and worked for years as a upland moor keeper with red grouse

my dream job... someday I will make it over there and get a couple driven red grouse or do some rough shooting.

interesting about the worms, I think I remember hearing something about the intestinal worms being affected by the aspen buds ( which have a toxicity) which works into the famous cycle.

I know west of the cascades there are scant few aspens and pneumonia plays a big part in mortality since it never dries up over here.

[singleshot12]

Grouse are a sensitive fowl. seems to never be an extra surplus of them that require hunting to thin the herd. I love grouse hunting but haven't killed one in 20 years

[joe_dumy]

I don't know about the wet spring theory as I saw plenty during the August bear hunt only to find the land  vacant during grouse season. I love Wetside grouse hunting for the challenge, wetside grouse hunting is no way to put meat on the table year after year. They live in the most in hospitable cover imaginable. If I don't come home with a spranged ankle and a few weird scratches on my face I blame myself for not hunting hard enough. My two grouse came to me hard this year and one of them happened to be when I got up from tripping up on what ever that t vine thing is that seams to cling on you like Velcro and drag your butt to the ground. I was happy to say I got that one. I even double tap it 's butt as I didn't want it to get away.

I hunt without a dog and grouse hunting can be a crazy challenge to say the least and easy as pie when you slip out of the truck and shoot it on the ground. I have grown out of the whole meat theory and into the love of the hunt. But I cant pass up a grouse on the road. I walk up to it and flush it only to take the easy shot once it has lifted off.  I am not especially proud of these birds but they happen and they kinda make up for the 30 blind flushes I will have in a day. I was so happy when I finally had a theory work as I worked a forest to the edge and I saw two grouse run across the road and continued to push and a prefect away and across shot happened and I downed my first grouse using this tech. I tried the rest of the day to no use. My theory was blown and I am back to the drawing board.

I enjoy the challenge and look forward to fishing for wild steelhead and drumming in the distance. It has to be one of my favorite times on earth.  I cant wait.

[madcow41]

All of my spots are still abundantly stocked...

A big trick to find them is to find areas that you have to hike to that arent easy to get to by vehicle.

[raydog]

All of my spots are still abundantly stocked...

A big trick to find them is to find areas that you have to hike to that arent easy to get to by vehicle.

ihave noticed that as well

[splitshot]

  too many people and too many people hunting them.  mike w

[whitey]

I think alot has to do with the fact that the animals that prey on grouse (Bobcats, raccoons,wessels and the likes) have exploided. There are no means of keeping these populations in check. The ban on trapping has let the carrying capacity go over the top and become out of balance. Trapping was a tool that was used to keep things in order.
The tree hugging, bunny loving a$$cap wearing freaks think its all wonderful, but they dont understand.
Just my  .
Having worked in the nuisance wildlife control business Ive seen this first hand.

[Skyvalhunter]

Past few winters have been tough and long wet cold springs affect the chicks survival. Thats why you see alot of single birds instead of goups of birds. Harder to hunt one bird here and there than a group of birds. 

[Fl0und3rz]

i am from england and worked for years as a upland moor keeper with red grouse , i know the grouse you have are differant but grouse are grouse and the biggest factor that produced low numbers was wet springs and a worm called strongloses the build up of these worms leads to poor condiotion and becoming easy prey for predators

In english, please!  Just kidding, of course.


I never fail to get busted by a few grouse while out hunting big game.  They are typically along edges (clear cuts, roads, trails) and typically within a short distance of the grit that they use on roads or trails or rock outcroppings.  This is all on national forest land and hiking distances vary, but it always involves some elevation change.

[madcow41]

If you look at the most recent reports the wdfw says that the number of hunters is down.