THE CLOCK IS TICKING, THE GROUSE CALENDAR IS COUNTING DOWN

[Fishmaker57]

Again, prime example of too many WDFW Biologists with nothing to do except make up new sub-species! Soon you will need to go to a class so you can distinguish between a Sooty, Dusky, and Blue......your tax dollars hard at work!

[Jpmiller]

I can never tell, so my limit is 3.  I don't even know a blue from a sooty from a dusky

Good thing grouse hunters aren't like waterfowlers or I'd take some heat right about now.

You mean we haven't been talking ducks this whole time?!?!?!

I'm in the same boat. My old man used to show me all the difference between them and all I ever saw was a grouse. I think one of them has a colored eyebrow? Couldn't tell you which one though. Honestly I don't think I've ever even looked for a third or fourth grouse because me hands get too full to shoot lol.

[Boss .300 winmag]

I can never tell, so my limit is 3.  I don't even know a blue from a sooty from a dusky

Good thing grouse hunters aren't like waterfowlers or I'd take some heat right about now.

You mean we haven't been talking ducks this whole time?!?!?!

I'm in the same boat. My old man used to show me all the difference between them and all I ever saw was a grouse. I think one of them has a colored eyebrow? Couldn't tell you which one though. Honestly I don't think I've ever even looked for a third or fourth grouse because me hands get too full to shoot lol.

Blues are big, ruffs are smaller. Blues have colored eyebrows, and are darker in color. Ruffs have a pretty band on thier tail, plus usually don’t sit long when they see you, blues will hold tight thinking you don’t see them. 🤣

[jackelope]

Didn’t he say he was out for the weekend? IE 2 days?

How is this relevant?


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I was just thinking maybe he could have 2 days worth of birds in the pic rather than it being a game violation like everyone else who apparently didn’t know how to identify them was trying to point out.

[Jonathan_S]

  Looks like the self-deputized grouse police could undergo some grouse identification training.

If you're not sure what sub-species - just flush em up.  No mistaking the sound of a blue when he takes off underfoot 

[b0bbyg]

Looks like the self-deputized grouse police could undergo some grouse identification training.

If you're not sure what sub-species - just flush em up.  No mistaking the sound of a blue when he takes off underfoot 

Based on that description I saw several blues last year. Things scared me to death exploding under my feet.

[Alpine Mojo]

self-deputized grouse police

Welcome to the internet.  Some people need to turn off the computer and go outside once in a while.

[hunter399]

Happens all the time .

[Boss .300 winmag]

Looks like the self-deputized grouse police could undergo some grouse identification training.

If you're not sure what sub-species - just flush em up.  No mistaking the sound of a blue when he takes off underfoot 

I think they hold tighter then ruffs do, the other day I was almost stepping on them.
Based on that description I saw several blues last year. Things scared me to death exploding under my feet.

[3nails]

 The rain really made a difference today. My son and I got our limits.

[3nails]

.

[jackelope]

The rain really made a difference today. My son and I got our limits.

We’re hoping that holds true for tomorrow.

[CougHunter]

Do you usually find grouse in clearings like that? Why does the rain help?

[3nails]

Do you usually find grouse in clearings like that? Why does the rain help?

Yes but only the Blues. They will hold up in the trees while raining and feed/gravel right after it stops. I find a lot of Blues hunkered down under the trees on the edge of the cuts during the rain.

[ducksoup]

Just a question, and nobody needs to answer this, but how many out there have missed shoulda-been-easy shots on grouse over the years?  It's happened to me more times than I care to remember..(Yes, Virginia, even an old dead-eye fart like me who writes about this stuff can miss occasionally!) but it goes with the game I guess.
 
Never be too embarrassed about missing a shot. It happens to all of us on occasion.

My problem was I wanted to noggin-shoot a blue with my 10/22 for a photo. (I've head-shot grouse with rimfires before, including a Ruger All-American .22 that made for a helluva story illustration a few years ago in GUN WORLD, but you know how us writers are...we need fresh images  )

I'm a fellow Wilson Ram, class of '71
Several years ago I was bowhunting out of Sequim and slowly walking a game trail when I noticed a ton of black dots in the lower branches of several conifers about 12 to 15 yards ahead. I couldn't figure out what those black dots were but I was certain conifers didn't have berries! I brought my binoculars up and focused on at least 12 or 15 grouse just sitting there! I pulled a judo head out of my quiver, nocked it and took careful aim. Now I'd been shooting a lot of target archery and stump shooting over the years and I knew exactly where that arrow was going to hit, but just as I released the arrow, the bird I was aiming at moved and I shot over his head. None of the birds moved so I nocked a broadhead and rushed the shot and missed it too! Long story short, I used all 6 arrows and had nothing to show for it ! I was completely flustered! The birds.........they continued sitting there like statues!! All I could do was laugh!

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