Why cant i shoot a grouse?!

[Tiger1358]

Great, thanks for the advice

You might have better luck hunting grouse off Hwy 2 than off I 90, especially if you don't wanna drive far. During off season, I go hiking very often and have not seen many grouse off I 90.

[Nemo]

I had the same issue in the same area last year. I think there's a few issues. One is that, from what I've seen, grouse are almost everywhere but never very many of them. People say they're easy to hunt but what they mean is they're easy to shoot, the ones they encounter when hunting big game. That's true to a point, but they're never easy to find when I'm looking for them.  They also get shy around a lot of traffic- most places near snoqualmie are pretty heavily walked or driven, especially on the west side.

 Are you using a dog? Grouse flush very readily for dogs which in some ways can actually make it harder because you may not be in range. On the other hand, the dogs will find or flush birds that you will walk right past. They rely on being inconspicuous and when they're roosting they're invisible and silent.  A quiet, close working dog with a sharp nose will make your jaw drop with the birds he finds right in front of you.

I actually have shot a fair amount lately just before dark. They haven't been as specific to dawn as some other birds.  They do tend to like these twilight times much more than midday, but again a dog will help you find lazy ones.

Let me know if you need some more help. I might have some better suggestions.

[dmv9]

They can hold really tight. I can't remember how many times I have walked passed them. Then I backtrack and they flush behind me.

[heronblu]

I generally see at least one when Im driving the logging roads, but connecting with one is another issue. Don't let anyone fool you into thinking that hunting grouse is easy. Dont get me wrong, you will come across the odd situation where a grouse is in the middle of the trail and you could almost pick it up, but in my experience those are rare especially the later in the season you get. If you aren't hunting with a dog its all about walking slow and when/if you flush one try and see exactly where it goes so you can sneak up and get a shot. Keep at it, and you'll get one.

[seth30]

I see more on my bike than another way and often when I stop my bike they stop and stand still.  It seems when I am bombing down a logging road they don't have time to react while walking (unless I'm bear hunting) they are no where to be seen.  They love to get in front of the truck as well.  For the internet police when I say bike I mean bicycle!

[Nemo]

I Don't let anyone fool you into thinking that hunting grouse is easy. Dont get me wrong, you will come across the odd situation where a grouse is in the middle of the trail and you could almost pick it up, but in my experience those are rare especially the later in the season you get. If you aren't hunting with a dog its all about walking slow and when/if you flush one try and see exactly where it goes so you can sneak up and get a shot. K

+1.  My understanding is that early season the birds are still interested in mating displays and full of hormones, making them approach anything, even humans, in an attempt to face off and defend their turf.  You can see this in videos all over the internet where they're called either crazy, stupid or playful, but like most things that wild native animals do there's a good explanation for it.  This late in the season, however, they're done with all that, the foliage that makes up their cover has thinned dramatically, and they've been getting shot at and walk over for a couple months.  I haven't seen so much as a pair since a couple weeks ago.  They tend to hold tight around people because they rely on being inconspicuous, which works anywhere except on a road.  Like I said, it's amazing when you see a group of birds hiding right under your nose suddenly flush when a dog runs by- my experience has been that they do NOT hold tight for dogs most times.  Because of this behavior shooting them off a road or out of a tree is sometimes easy but shooting them on the wing, or just finding them to begin with, can be real tough.