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.

Opening Day of Grouse Season - Montana 2012

Opening day today. We have had three cold wet springs in a row and the Grouse population is as low as I have ever seen. I have not shot a bird for two years and probably won't shoot any this season either. It's that bad.
 
We did go up Elk Creek this afternoon and found a bird in the road. Mickey had fun and enjoyed a bit of bird scent in the nostrils.

Surething Sweet Mickey on point

Grouse

 I ran Blackie  at the upper end of the canyon and he never even got birdie. Not even a hot spot. We had a grouse streak across the road in front of the van and put Mick out again to get a little experience. I ran her downhill from the spring area and she never found a thing.

We did see a flock of turkeys on the way home. The weather does not seem to effect the turkey hatch like it hurts the grouse. We often see hen turkeys with 3 different sized chicks. I'll get Sport out over on Fat Man Mountain tomorrow. He needs some work and I can always use the exercise.

Wild Turkeys we saw coming home.

                      Hope you all had a better day than us! DWT

Second Day of Grouse Season in Montana

My favorite Aspen grove on the Clark Fork River.

 Day 2 of Grouse Season, by Dan:

Michael and I woke up early and had dogs and gear at the local cafe/store for breakfast when they opened. After a quick breakfast and cup of coffee, we were at the Aspen Grove just as the sun came up over Government Mtn. I put Michael and his dogs, Sugar and Gus, out at the top of the hill so they could hunt a strip of timber down to the grove. I drove on down the hill and enjoyed the beautiful morning and a cheap cigar.

Dan and "Blackie"

 Sugar and Gus showed up a minute before Michael and when he gets to me I am told he put up 2 birds 10 seconds after I left. We ran Blackie through the grove and found nothing. Not even a hot spot.
 

As we were heading up towards the area where Michael flushed the birds he noticed the fore end of his shotgun was missing. It must have got caught on some brush and pulled loose. We looked all around the area and back tracked into chest deep Bracken Fern with slim hopes of locating the tiny splinter fore end. Michael hung his hat where he noticed it missing and after about a 45 minute search he spotted a glint of light reflecting off a piece of metal and actually found it.  Great relief!!! Where do you find a splinter fore end for a 1909 L.C. Smith in 16 ga? In the woods of course!

We had a sandwich made at the local Deli and moved up Bull River.  Sugar and Gus worked the brush and thickets and turned up nothing in covers that had never failed us. The historic ranger station has a brand new deluxe government out house and I thought I'd give them back a little of what they've been giving me!

Michael took his dogs down the brushy edge of a small creek. I was just settling in when I heard a shot. A minute later I heard Gus doing his "treed" bark and seconds later another shot. When I caught up to Michael his grin told me he had connected. two young birds were in the game bag.

Michael with Gus (the Gordon) & Sugar (the lab)

Two for the game bag! Way to go, Mikey!

Cabinet Wilderness Area from Bull River.

We cruised over Snake Creek Pass in search of a Blue Grouse and went up Dry Creek in search of Ruffed but never found another bird all day. Micheal found 2 bird seconds after I dropped him off and the 2 others literally caught me with my pants down.  4 grouse flushed by Michael and his dogs and 2 in his game bag.

I never saw a bird all day but a day in the woods with Michael is always soooo much fun.  DWT

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

Grouse Hunting In Scenic Montana

 

There was a bit of an overcast, so we headed out for a drive and hunt. Overcast skies can make for really good lighting for photography. I'm still looking for the day I catch a big male Grouse in the sun, strutting as they do, with their tail feathers spread out, big black neck puffed up. I have a few pics, but have yet to get the one I really want. 

There were signs of fall all around...

And signs of summer still lingering on......

We decided to go up Elk Creek.  It's a narrow canyon so we drive the road along the creek. We drove upwards for a little while then ran into a grouse in the road. We waited for it to leave the road then I started creeping up to get a picture.

Dan got Sport out for a little training.  But before he could release him, the bird flushed.  The hills are so steep here, that a lot of the times, the bird will choose to fly instead of run. So we let Sport run around for a few minutes just in case there were more birds. There were no more birds. ):

So we headed out again. In no time, we came across another one. This one headed of the road before I could get out. I got a few shots before she took off running and then flushed out and headed 40 miles South! Well, maybe it wasn't really 40 miles, it just seemed that way and it may as well been 40 miles because it was way to far for the dog to follow down hill.

Again, we headed out with no bird. Not in the game bag anyway. I think my gentlemanly grouse hunting husband is starting to lose his patience.

From here out it was : Repeat steps 1, 2, and 3.....3 more times and there you have it. An entire afternoon of that was enough. Oh, and it seems that most of the birds we found were along the creek bed, as expected,  and at about the same elevation.

 We did see some interesting stuff though.......

These are Eastern Comma Butterflies. Did you know that butterflies don't eat? But they have to have water. That is why they are all over this dung, for the moisture content. Lovely, right? Beauty and the Yuck!

Mushrooms, of some sort. No expert here. 

Maybe Casey knows what they are!

A friendly little Garter snake looking for some sunshine.......

And scenery that explains why I live here. 

 

 And at the end, the best part? This is the way home.

 

No Grouse For The Grouse Report!

Michael & Dan With Sugar and Gus

 

Michael & I took Sport, Sugar & Gus up to Bull River Ranger Station this morning. The weather was nice and we hoped for a good day. We put Gus & Sugar out first and both dogs worked very well. Gus is hitting the brush like a pro this season but no grouse were found. We were going to run Sport down along the river but the Ranger cabin was rented out and the people had dogs running loose. We caught a  grouse in the road and put Sport out for some fun. It was a small stub tailed baby so we left the guns cased.
We moved to my favorite Aspen grove and put all three dogs on the ground. This is a very beautiful area and has put out 35 birds in an hour on good years. The only thing we saw was a skunk! On the way out I caught some motion to the right and a young bird flushed. We headed that direction when another jumped into a tree. It was another baby. The Mama bird flushed way ahead of us and Michael hit both triggers of his L.C.Smith as the bird hit the edge of the woods. We followed up the shot and Sugar got real birdy but we never found the hen.
We went back to the house for lunch and the  temp. climbed to 82 deg.  We spent the afternoon planting pigeons for Gus & Sport then took Karen out for dinner. Thanks for all the cooking and cleaning you do for us Honey!! Bow season starts Sat. the 4th so I'll be doing chores around home tomorrow and leaving the woods to them.

Bringing Gus in on a planted bird

Good job Gus!!

I hope the other grouse hunters are doing better. Anyone out there have a great grouse hunt to tell us about??

Grouse Season in Montana ~ 2010 - Day 2

Fog and 34 Degrees 8:00am

Michael & I headed up river this morning. Private property that is ideal grouse habitat. It has been a favorite spot for many years and we had high hopes of improving on yesterdays poor results. We ran Blackie, Mickey and Sport for several miles up a broad and very flat creek bottom. It was overcast and everything was still wet from yesterdays rain. The dogs all performed well and busted brush all morning without finding a bird.

We came home for lunch at 2:00 and Karen told us  3 or 4 grouse had just left  the yard and walked into the woods. We put Sport out and he found them and had a good lesson in dealing with grouse.
After lunch we headed over to Fatman and walked 2 side roads and found nothing.

We never saw a bird except for the 3 in the yard. One flushed into a tree above us and it was the first young bird I have seen all summer. There are no baby grouse this year and it looks like I may be doing a lot of fishing this fall.  DWT