Small Game Hunt Report, More Q's

[Spearo]

Hey Everybody,


I was asking the other day about snowshoe, looking for advice on spots and any other tips, and considering I got some helpful information I figured I would give a report on my first outing!

We parked the car at around 1500' on a logging road and set out on foot. This was the first time hunting for both me and my buddy, so my expectation of success was about 30%. I had seen both grouse and hares in the area incidentally, but never with a gun, and finding something is often times much harder when you're looking for it (as Im sure you all know). We walked along the roads, cutting into the bush when we saw an area that looked promising, and eventually, we flushed a bird. My buddy got a better look at it than I did and his description fit the profile of a ruffed grouse, but Im not entirely convinced, it was long gone before we got close enough to take a  shot. We found sets of rabbit, deer and elk tracks, but I wasn't confident enough in my abilities to identify any of the other small game tracks we saw.  Overall we were walking for around 5 hours and came home empty-handed, but it was an absolute blast. I've definitely caught the bug, and I can't wait to get out next week.

As I said in my last post, I really do not mind coming home without any birds or rabbits, but I want to know that we are looking in the right type of area. I took the advice of those who were kind enough to respond to my last thread, and we were on trail just a few minutes after dawn. Outside of that, I am not super knowledgeable about where these birds like to reside. Next time we plan on staying off the logging roads and using a GPS to walk along creeks at lower elevation (1300' or so), thinking maybe we will have better luck in that sort of terrain.

If anyone has any tips, tricks, or suggestions, they would be very much appreciated. Neither me nor my buddy come from hunting families, so we dont have a direct line for this sort of advice/information and are working this all out on our own (which has so far been very rewarding). I'm not asking anyone to divulge there secret spot, just any basic beginner tips on grouse hunting western WA for newbies like us!

Thanks so much!

[kellama2001]

It sounds like you're off to a good start, just being willing to be out there and put on some miles. I can't offer any small game specific tactics, except to just keep at it and have fun. Persistence will pay off in the long run and when you are successful it will be hard earned and that, in my opinion, makes the success sweeter. Good luck! 

[Spearo]

Cheers man!

Thanks for the reply. I have been hiking and backpacking my entire life, so just getting out there is 80% of the fun. Really all I wanted to know was if I was far off base. Im gonna keep heading out there every week, and eventually Im sure Ill have secrets of my own 

Thanks again!