Hunting Washington Forum

Other Hunting => Upland Birds => Topic started by: Cab on August 20, 2018, 11:59:43 AM

Title: Tips on locating/find birds
Post by: Cab on August 20, 2018, 11:59:43 AM: So this is my 2nd year in WA hunting grouse. I am obsessed with bird hunting but struggled a great deal finding grouse in the Yacolt burn/Gifford Pinchot area. I would drive and hike trails in the morning for hours to often maybe jump 1 bird. any tips would be great. My general game plan is what I used back in Maine which is to hammer logging roads with fine gravel and good cover on the sides early morning, then later in the morning walk skidder trails looking for where there is a blend of thick and open cover together(pines with birch type locations). I am very much hoping to try some quail and chukker hunting this year as well which seems like hardwork but very fun.
Title: Re: Tips on locating/find birds
Post by: tlbradford on August 20, 2018, 12:10:00 PM: Add a water source to what you are already doing and you have a great starting point for grouse.

Water source is my number one need for locating chukar. It can be a spring, river, creek etc, with steep cover and it is a possibility to hold chukar. Hit those water sources in early morning or evening and listen. they are very vocal birds.

Quail are easy to find, so I don't think you need any tips for those.
Title: Re: Tips on locating/find birds
Post by: T-Bone on August 20, 2018, 02:50:17 PM: X2 on everything tlbradford mentioned; I would only add that CA quail love brushy escape cover.

This new publication from WDFW might help you:

https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01805/
Title: Re: Tips on locating/find birds
Post by: Alpine Mojo on August 21, 2018, 05:49:24 PM: If you find birch, aspen and water all together...you are in a good place.
Title: Re: Tips on locating/find birds
Post by: Cab on August 22, 2018, 08:34:55 AM: thanks guys these are fantastic tips!
Title: Re: Tips on locating/find birds
Post by: Tiger1358 on September 01, 2018, 05:09:05 PM: Don't know much about your area, but what I've noticed in the past years was I tend to find grouse more often in mixed tree forests.

Water source, berries, mixed trees (not just evergreen), gravel, & logging roads. These are the things whenever I'm looking for them.

In the evening they like to hang out at gravel roads, so watch out for grouse on the edge of the roads. Hope this helps.
Title: Re: Tips on locating/find birds
Post by: onmygame on September 02, 2018, 08:59:07 AM: On the west side, ruffed grouse seem to be thickest where alder meets doug fir and there is standing water in pockets of the alder patch.

You'll rarely see them road side during a hard rain (which is often in the fall), but that doesn't mean you can't find them.

Grouse are nervous birds (and rightly so). Hiking through the woods, making a little bit of noise along the way and stopping every 20 yards or so will make a holding bird flush nearly every time as they will think you've stopped because you've found them. You'll hear them before you see them and they won't go far usually 20 - 30 yards tops and will often land in a tree and put themselves on the other side of the trunk. Watch for his head to crank around either side looking at you to see what your up to.

Also be on the ready for more than one bird, particularly early in the season before the current year's broods begin to break up. In Sept it is common to see 3, 4, 5 birds together. By mid Oct you're lucky to come across a pair, and as winter sets in most surviving grouse have been separated from the others and are found solo. There are exceptions however.
Title: Re: Tips on locating/find birds
Post by: Cab on September 04, 2018, 09:59:59 AM: Awesome advise guys! I actually just found a spot that i'm going to be elk hunting and it seems loaded with grouse! biggest difference in this area from the others I've looked.....2 natural springs right by. lets hope this becomes a little honey hole for grouse for me.