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Upland birds

Bowtie747

Bowtie747

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2021
Messages
1,809
Location
Ohio
Hey guys, yes ik this is a saddle site. This forum is full of good people so I stick to talking here other than venturing out to other more focused forums.
So I’ve been wanting to do a upland bird hunt this fall. Really leaning towards Grouse. I love the fact their like little turkeys. Never hunted them before and know zero about them. I’m from Ohio and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one here or if they are even here at all.
Anyone from their home state see them or hunt them? Mind to lend a helpful pointer to a online friend. Not looking to take anyones spots. Maybe you hunt deer and don’t hunt grouse but want to offer some guidance up. Also thought we could just make this a upland bird forum for anyone who likes talking it or has questions. Thanks.
The inspiration for this hunt is I’m kinda tired of the stigmas that come with big game hunting. The fact it’s mostly about who has the most money. If it ain’t big it ain’t cool kinda thing. I like the fact a grouse is a grouse. Beautiful either way. I want to do a backcountry style camp/hunt for them.
 
Never shot grouse, but I have shot maybe 2-3 dozen pheasants (mostly placed birds but some wild ones out west too). Upland bird hunting is a lot of fun. Have you thought about going to a game farm at all? IMO it is a great way to get a feel for the rhythm of bird hunting, especially if you have never done it before
 
I used to hunt grouse in Eastern KY. They are primarily east of I75. The Daniel Boone national forest used to have some good hunting. But grouse need thick cover. As the forest has matured, no logging or clear cutting, I think the population has dropped.
You could call the KY fish and wildlife for more details.
If you go, expect steep ruff country. A good dog that works close is a big help.
A dog that dosent stay close will drive you nuts, been their.
 
I used to hunt grouse a lot in Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. A dog is a huge help, pointers are better than flushers, close working flushers much better than no dog. Grouse tend to prefer very thick cover, like 3-7 year-old aspen clearcuts. If you have a hard time swinging your shotgun without hitting a tree, you're in the right spot. Be prepared to shoot as you won't have much time.

Another option, but not as good is to walk old logging roads through aspen/pine mix woods.

Good luck and have fun.
 
Grouse are thick in Northern Lower Mich & the Upper Peninsula. Not the brightest bird or hardest to hunt. If you miss they usually only 20-40yrds & you flush them again, if they move at all. We had Bobwhite as recent as 15yrs ago but they've vanished. Although I have been hearing/seeing many ringneck pheasants here in the thumb. Been pretty thin last 20yrs where I live. Hunters have done some good work taking out the egg eating predators around these parts.
 
We used to have a few in SW Va. when I was younger. Sadly very rare to bump one now. I would say that would be my third favorite hunt, behind deer and Spring Gobbler, if we had more around here.

Takes a bit to not startle when the helicopter take off sound happens, but after tasting a few oven roasted birds you get over that pretty quick.
 
Now I’d the time to get out a scout likely looking territory. While you’re listening for gobbled also listen for the quickening bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, ba,ba, bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb, ba, ba, bum bum sound of them drumming in the spring. Mark it and move on. Come back in the fall with the crimson and golden leaves and have a blast. I’m no expert and never hunted them over dogs but I shot a few and they like mid successional growth interspersed with pines or hemlocks often near or next to beaver ponds or water. Old grown over apple orchards have been excellent.
 
Many years ago on the first day of firearms deer season I was posted on a point that jutted out into an overgrown gas pipeline where deer often filtered through. The point was littered with staghorn sumac and some poplars and a few old apple trees. Back then we couldn’t use rifles so we all hunted with shotguns. I forgot to throw a few upland rounds into my jacket that morning and wouldn’t you know, just as first shooting light developed a grouse flew up and landed in a small pine about 6 yards from me and about 12 feet up in the air. I could see its head tuft perfectly and I slowly started feeling for my game loads in my one pocket. I cursed myself for not bringing any….. but then I realized I had rifled sights on my 870 and I was so close I put the sight right on the base of the grouse’s head. Later my Dad pushed toward me and when he got to me he said to me “Did you shoot earlier?” I held up the grouse. He was so proud. First and last deer slug grouse!!
 
They're pretty plentiful here in northern Michigan (both northern LP and UP). They say the population numbers are cyclic but the last few years locally there have been decent numbers.

In the early season they tend to be congregated together in larger coveys. The issue with hunting them early in the season (Sept./Oct.) is that they inhabit the thickest, 5-10 year old clear cuts you can find and most often you'll hear them flush but will never see them. After leaves drop in late October the hunting is better but the downside is they can see you coming (and have been educated a bit) and will flush further away. They also seem to be more dispersed at that time. My favorite time to hunt them anymore is in early Dec. Much like deer they're concentrating in the remaining food sources and are in bigger coveys again.

IMO there's not much better eating than grouse, very white/tender breast meat. Absolutely one of my favorite game fares.
 
I wish they were more plentiful here. NY has a drumming survey for Turkey hunters if you hear them drumming in the spring. They give you a downloadable form to fill out and send in. On the private I hunt we’ve noticed more woodcock lately than grouse but we don’t have high numbers of either of the species here unfortunately.
 
I like shooting them with an IC choked 16 gauge loaded with 71/2 shot upland loads.
 
woodsdog2 said:
I wish they were more plentiful here. NY has a drumming survey for Turkey hunters if you hear them drumming in the spring. They give you a downloadable form to fill out and send in. On the private I hunt we’ve noticed more woodcock lately than grouse but we don’t have high numbers of either of the species here unfortunately.
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We have a pretty significant woodcock population too and they inhabit the same cover as grouse but I don't shoot those anymore. They're a pretty dark meat and not really to my liking although I had buddies who enjoyed them. In my younger days though I used to enjoy standing along an opening in the clear cuts and pass shooting them right at sunset while they migrated. Its probably similar to dove hunting I imagine (never participated in that) except they fly a completely random path. Picture shooting at bats as they fly by. You could easily go through a box of shells to get your limit.
 
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Nutterbuster said:
It's all relative. They're upland compared to the ducks I usually shoot.;)
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Exactly why I asked. All the snipe I see around here are usually around the water edges in the duck fields and all the woodcock I have seen or shot here were around sloughs in the river bottoms.
 
I take an upland bird trip every 3 years or so ever since college. We have a group of guys usually and a handful of dogs or just myself and a good friend. Sometimes we stay in cheap, dog-friendly hotels catered to bird hunters, other times we camp. We have done N. Dakota and S. Dakota for pheasant, and the northern lower peninsula in Michigan for grouse and woodcock. Having dogs definitely helps with finding birds, before and after the shot. Some of the slews in the Dakotas are so thick and the pheasants hearty, they will bury themselves in the cattails and you will not find them if they aren't killed outright. Michigan was fun for woodcock and grouse. We probably averaged 6 grouse flushes a day and twice that in woodcock flushes. Once you find the right stem count and tree size (aspen groves) your flush rate will improve. We used onX a lot with the filters to find the right age cutovers. Grouse are not easy at all so don't expect a limit all the time. It's mostly snap shooting and it's uncanny how you are almost always stepping over a log or some terrible position when they flush. I think woodcock taste like worms, but there legs are delicious little morsels. Grouse are awesome table fare. Like you, I'm drawn to the more relaxed nature of bird hunting. Some guys are numbers driven, but generally most guys just like watching the dogs work or getting some wingshooting in. Definitely take a trip sometime.
 
NY actually has a season for snipe, rails and gallinules.... they're all shorebirds I believe and although you have to use non toxic shot you do not need the Federal Migratory Bird Stamp for them. All under the auspices of migratory game birds. Woodcock and Crows too but you do not need to use non-toxic shot nor the fed duck stamp either. HIP Registration is required for all except Crow.
 
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