Ruffed Grouse ~ Oct. 2015

 The Ruffed Grouse.....

Grouse Hunt Pic ~ Montana 9/5/15

 Blue Grouse......

Michael & Dan

Grouse Hunt in Montana 10/15/15

It was a beautiful fall day to go for a mountain drive. We took Sport and crossed Fatman Mountain. Only one bird though, today.

Sport had a nice point but the bird flushed into a thicket and Dan won't shoot, what he can't see. That's a good thing, since I am usually lurking around somewhere trying to get a picture. 

 

Nice Point Sport!

We're having a wonderful fall here in Montana and it's been nice to see the grouse population doing well again. It's getting dark earlier now and cutting in to hunting time. The grouse don't seem to mind. Although there are optimum times to increase your odds of seeing a bird, you can also find one at almost any time of the day. Funny little bird.

2016 Opening Day of Grouse Season in Montana

After 3 years of wet springs and poor grouse populations, the Ruffed Grouse is making a come back. Spring was dry and very warm and when summer kicked in, it was really hot. Perfect weather for healthy grouse chicks. We've been seeing them along the roads, as well as up the mountain. Numbers look good. There is one clutch of about 6 birds that is hanging around our place driving the dogs crazy.

Dan went out on opening day morning. He only saw 3 birds and no birds were shot.
In the afternoon, I joined him for a drive up Fat Man mountain. In spite of all the fires, the sky was fairly clear and it was a beautiful day.

We came across a bird in the road. We waited for it to leave the road then put Sport out first. He hit scent where the birds had been, but had left. Then he managed to get turned around and on a point.  One flushed and Dan got it. Several others came out, but no good shot could be made.

A little encouragement to bring in that bird.

Got it! Good Boy Sport!

Next, we let Mickey out on a grouse that was standing between a row of bushes and the road. She worked the area, then went on point. There must have been eight or nine birds in that clutch flying out in different directions. Dan got one. All of the rest flushed back over the bushes, over Mickey,  and into the woods. A safe shot was not available.

See the grouse?

In all, we kicked up 5 separate clutches, and about 26 birds. We were happy to see so many grouse in one afternoon. It was a good opening day of Grouse Season in Montana!

2011 Opening Day Grouse Season in Montana

Today was opening day of grouse season in Montana. Our friend Michael came last night and he and Dan headed out this morning with all the dogs. Well, almost all the dogs. Below is Dan's grouse report.

September 1, 2011 Grouse Report for Opening Day ~

It has been very hot and dry for six weeks. Yesterday afternoon we had a light shower and I was sure it would help scenting conditions and cool things off. Late in the evening a thunder storm rolled through and my hunting partner, Michael , and I hit the woods early to find everything soaking wet.

We put Blackie out on Fatman Mtn. and he hit a point not 100 yds. from the van. He worked the area but we never put up the bird. Grouse tricks. He hit another point right in front of us and a bird flushed in a direction that didn't allow a shot. Another flushed into a tree in front of Michael. It was a young Spruce Grouse. We don't see but a few of these each year. It too flew where Michael couldn't shoot and I wasn't ready. We saw another beside the road and stopped to put Gus out. The bird either flushed while we were gearing up, or outran us. We never put it up. We ran Gus and Sugar down several side roads and got nothing but wetter.

After lunch and a nap we headed up Elk Creek and spotted a pair of birds alongside the road. It was in a no shooting area but I take advantage of every opportunity to put a dog on a grouse. We put Mickey out for a few photos and went on up the canyon. We Ran Mickey and Sport but never found another bird.

See the grouse? Right side of road at grass line, just in front of the trees.

Sure Thing Sweet Mickey pointing the grouse above.

Okay, so my husband needs a few photo lessons in which end to photograph, but I am thankful that he is at least taking his camera and bringing me pictures!

I was not disappointed with only seeing five birds.  After last years poor hatch, bitter cold, and horribly wet spring, I didn't expect to see any.

We are hitting a big Aspen grove in the morning then the Bull River area. It should be dry and cool so off we go again with high hopes and happy dogs. Dan....DWT

Grouse Season Ends, Numbers Not Good

Grouse season officially ended yesterday but in reality it was over before it began.  Last spring was the 3rd coldest and wettest in history and the chick mortality was nearly 100%. There were no babies and not many adult carry over birds. I looked back through nearly thirty years of my journal and other than the year I had shoulder surgery and the year I got shot opening day, my worst year until now was 164 flushes. I noticed many years with over 600 birds  and there was 1997 with 988 flushes during the season. I noted a day I flushed 70 birds in one day and 60 the next. There was the morning Norm Sorby, Ted and I,  put "Aspen" on the ground at 9:30 a.m. and before noon we flushed 50 birds and had 9 in the game bags. Aspen had 17 solid points. What A morning!!!

This year I spent many hunts without seeing a dog even get "birdy" There were no birds in covers that in years before had produced 30. Blackie and Mickey had a few points and I could have pulled a trigger, but if I had accidentally killed a bird, I would have felt terrible. 
Ready for a final flush count for this season?............31.  That's right....... Thirty One. 1/5th of my worst year ever!     ..........What happens if next spring is like the last?  


  Posted by DWT

Art And Erin Hunting in Maryland

Grouse hunting this year has been really bad. My husband hasn't even killed a grouse this year. We've not seen a grouse on any of our drives. The few that he has seen in the field have been young, small birds. He has chosen not to kill those.

ArtOC, one of my faithful readers took the time to send me pictures of his recent camping and bird hunting trip with his Gordon Setter, Erin, back in Maryland. Since things are pretty dull around here, I thought you guys might be interested in reading about Arts trip. What beautiful woods!

Art and his Gordon Setter, Erin

 Just got back from my trip to Western Maryland.  I didn't go as far west and decided to check out Green Ridge State Forest.  It's in Allegany County and consists of 46,000 acres of mostly oak-hickory forest.  Erin and I set up camp on Wednesday afternoon and spent some time talking to the staff at the ranger station.  They were kind enough to provide a map with some highlighted areas frequented by grouse.

The next morning found us in a mature oak forest with a lot of grape vines that can hold birds if the grapes were productive that summer.  We hunted for about two hours when I noticed Erin was getting pretty tired.  She's like a perpetual motion machine when she is out but her age is obviously starting to catch up with her.  We went back to camp and she took a nice long nap on her rug.

 We spent the afternoon checking out some other areas but I thought they had too much heavy briers for her to safely navigate so we just enjoyed the rest of the afternoon riding around and checking some other likely areas.  Needless to say, Erin was dog tired when we got back to camp and just took another long nap in the leaves as I started cooking and enjoying the sunset.

The following morning found us back in the grapevines but we didn't put up any birds.  I ran into some bow hunters that had been there during the week and they told me that they had indeed put up a few grouse while they were hunting so the birds are there.  Unfortunately, they had not seen a deer all week and the speculation was the heavy snow last winter took a pretty heavy toll on the deer.

 Anyway, we had a good time but old age is definitely catching up with Erin (and me).  She just turned 10 and I think its time for her to slow down a little and take it easy.  The mountain terrain and heavy cover is a little too much for her to handle for very long.  I know I certainly feel it and she covers 10 steps for every step I take.   I'll get her out on some easier hunts but I'll have to keep and eye on her because she doesn't know when to quit.  Hopefully, I should be getting a new pup or two in the next year so those birds had better watch out.  I added a few photos but it was tough handling the gun, the dog and the camera all at the same time so a lot of pictures were out of focus, too dark to use or by the time I put down the gun got out the camera the opportunity was gone.  Anyway the woods were pretty and the weather was great.  Too bad I have to go back to work instead of hunting all the time.

One More Than The Last Hunt!

Off on another hunt! It's a beautiful day here in Montana. The sun is shining and the birds are chirping. The grouse must be out too! We decided to go to Martin Creek because it's one of my favorite places to take the dogs. They love the shallow edge of the water and the scenery is always lush and green. It's over an hours drive to get there. Over a mountain and along the river on a back country road. Surely, we thought, we'd see some grouse along the way.

We arrived at Martin Creek an hour and twenty minutes later. Never saw a grouse.
So we let Sport out for a little romp. We played fetch in the water and he took a little swim. Boy did he enjoy that!

"Ahhh.....Nothing better than getting dirty after my bath"

We took a nice break and let the dogs thoroughly enjoy the water. Headed back down the road with hopes of seeing something on the way home. We spotted a grouse on the left side of the road. I got out and walked toward it until it went off the side of the road. Do you see it? This is an excellent opportunity to allow Sport to work a bird and gain experience. We always wait until the bird is way off the road, before we let the dog out. We don't want the dog to SEE the bird. We want him to SMELL the bird out.

This years young grouse

 Sport is young and has very little experience. He missed the bird. He simply ran past the scent. He came back, and searched and searched. But he did lose the bird and it flushed out way ahead of him. Time and experience will change that. The grouse was so young and puny we were willing to let it get away. So many times, Dan will not shoot the bird because of low populations. But for a young dog in training, if he points and holds the bird, and then it flushes, you have to shoot it for the dog. It's part of the partnership you share with your bird dog. What bird hunter hasn't received a dirty look from his dog upon missing the shot, after a great find by the dog?

We loaded up and headed back down the road again. We spotted something on the side of the road. Doesn't look like a grouse. No.....to fat and low to the ground. Don't remember it being there when we came by the first time.  We'll just drive slowly and sneak up on it.  It's a ......no......it's a ......no..........

What the?!..........



it's a pair of BOOTS??

Yep, someone left them neatly sitting together on the side of the road. Looks like Gorilla Glue holding the toes together. Maybe this will be an excuse to get a new pair. We left them sitting there all alone waiting for their owner to return. Hope he made it before the rain.


As for our grouse hunt, well, you've seen it. That was the only grouse we saw. I guess I should be grateful. That's one more than the last hunt!

Another Grouse Hunt With No Grouse

Looking out over the Clark Fork River and Valley, and part of Lake Ponderay

So we headed out for a drive the other day, hoping to find some grouse and give the dogs a nice run. We took Mickey, our 3 year old female and Sport, our guest dog, with us. Both were anxious to wet their nose with some grouse scent.  As cool as it's been, this was a nice day with sun shinning through the trees. My kind of day!
We started out on the Idaho side of the border. We live only 3 miles from the Idaho/Montana border. I had been wanting to take a drive to that side for a while now to explore the photography opportunities. We don't hunt in Idaho, since we do not buy a licenses for that state.

So we headed up  Johnson Creed Road behind Clark Fork, Id. Drove the road for a bit and took a few scenic shots of the Clark Fork valley. Scenery was beautiful, but we never saw a bird.

We headed back toward Montana to look for some grouse. The dogs were chomping at the bit to get out of the van and run. We stopped and let Mickey out. She's such a pretty girl to watch. Some of her tan feathering is over 10 inches long! She worked her nose like a pro, to no avail. Never found a bird!

Sure Thing Sweet Mickey

 A little ways down the trail we let sport out to give it a try. He sniffed and sniffed every bush, tree, ditch,  hill and hole, with no luck at all. 

"Sport" on the dock at Johnson Creek, Clark Fork, Idaho

Seems this season's days have either been too cold and nasty, even for the grouse, or it's been too hot, even for the grouse. Numbers are scarce this year as well. The wet spring we had really took a toll on the grouse chicks.
We finished the day with no points on birds, no pictures of birds and no birds in the bag..... Bummer!! I did get a few nice scenic pictures and a few nice ones of Mickey.  Hope you enjoy those!