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Joined: 04 Aug 2007 Posts: 54 Location: Minnesota

Looking for some insight. As soon as the cold and snow hit the grouse disappear. My normal fall haunts are working the edges of the swamp where the apsen, dogwood, and buck brush meet the swamp grass. In the fall I typically get 2.5 flushes per hour, but as soon as it gets cold and snow flies the grouse disappear, so where do they go? I was out today and hunted the same covey for 4 hours and had 1 flush. For next season I need to find a winter covey, so what type of cover have you guys had success with in Nov/Dec?

Member Joined: 27 Nov 2005 Posts: 258 Location: Nordern MN

If that is the cover you are hunting, I'd say you need younger and thicker stands of aspen.

However, I have the best luck in areas like you described - edges of creeks, beaver flowages, etc with the same combination of species.

I did manage to flush a covey of 4 today in some mature aspen I was cruising for harvest, but grouse in mature aspen is fairly uncommon by my observations.

Seems like they are eating a lot of hazel and alder catkins right now.

Do you hit the same coverts all the time? I rarely hunt the same place twice. Northern MN has a ton of prime grouse habitat, so I always look for new spots.

A lot of birds that were alive on Labor Day have perished, so try to find spots that folks haven't hunted, or haven't hunted recently . . . off the beaten paths!

PM me if you want to talk more specifics

NR

Joined: 04 Aug 2007 Posts: 54 Location: Minnesota

Yes this is cover I hunt, I stepped in the frozen marsh and snapped a couple shots of the next stand over. Good Point, I need to locate younger stands of trees. Yes I usually hunt the same 500 acres every weekend, just because I always see birds (woodcock and grouse), but that ends when the snow flies, probably like you said need to find thicker younger trees. M97 it must be nice to live so close to good grouse habitat, thanks for the input.

Member Joined: 02 Oct 2007 Posts: 1975

I hunt right out my back door just about every day. Dog was laid up for two weeks though. He's back to hunting agaain now. I'll go over to the spots I allways hunt when there is snow on the ground. Hopefully this storm won't hit here to hard. I'll look for birds on the side hills above water. Be it old growth or young. Also look for spruce and fir trees in the same areas. The birds will look for cover under the low hanging boughs. Also look for downed fir, spruce or even pine trees. Last year had good luck after the snow fell in a woods where there was about a dozen big pines that had blown over. I'll be heding to that spot tomorrow.

Member Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Posts: 592 Location: Minnesota

I would agree with Mod97 those pics don't look like the right type of woods. Some good advise so far. What county are you hunting?

It took me several years to find a late season grouse (see my earlier post about December hunting: http://www.16ga.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8709) so don't feel bad. I hunted every known type of cover you could imagine before finding birds.

One thing I would recommend is to look for a 'dirty' woods with lots of blow-downs. The birds I did find this season were holding in heavy blow-downs on the edge of 3 year and 10 year growth. There was a small patch of spruce trees not far away but I didn't find any birds using them. I assume the mix of tree growth in combination with heavy blow-downs and spruce trees gave them a variety of cover options in a relatively close area and therefore held multiple birds.

The pics you posted look like woods that are past prime age growth for grouse habitat. I'm surprised you were finding them there but I guess birds are where birds are and you sometimes find them where you wouldn't think they should be. Either way it sounds like some late season research is necessary and although that is not exciting to drive around looking you might find some new early season locations in the process.

Just my 2 cents.

Our birds in Pa and Ny seem to move to evergreen stands for most of the day. They seem to feed on Birch,alder and aspen late in the afternoon and early in the morning. The thick dogwood covers I hunt early don't hold birds but you don't have to go too far to find them. I find them sitting up in the pines and cedars when the snow isn't too deep. Also as mentioned logged area's with tops look for the one's that still have leaves on them. Any place you see where they can have a quick meal and good thermal cover close by birds should be in the area. Once the snow is deeper than 8" they will be in sight of mature aspen or birch in the snow atleast in our area. they can be very reluctant to fly in cold weather they will sit in the evergreens and let you walk right under them. I have hunted area's and not seen a bird, come back through later in the day and birds everywhere. Late season grouse are a puzzle that's why it is so fun. Also when they are in the trees and under the snow the dogs can't smell them very well. keep hunting the birds are in the woods.

Joined: 06 Aug 2009 Posts: 960

My experiences in CT are very close to pudelpointers' in PA. Early in the season young birch trees, in clear cuts or selective cut areas, seem to be the draw for grouse.

The grouse season used to extend until the 2nd Saturday in January and the birds would find cover in dense mountain laurel stands or evergreen stands. A few times in snow over 12" deep, I have had points in the snow and had the birds explode out from under a light fluffy snow drift. Pretty exciting stuff. Too bad the grouse populations are on the downward slide here in CT.

At my place in Northern NY our grouse season is open till Feb. 28th.

Joined: 08 Feb 2009 Posts: 1319 Location: Western WA

First look for food. Berries, thornapples, aspen buds, wintergreen, etc. I bagged a grouse recently whose crop was filled with a broadleaf evergreen ground cover.

They are most active at daybreak. On quiet days you can hear them flapping around the aspen stands.

They like thick mixed cover in the winter, but they need to be able to fly in it. Look for 5-10 year old clear cut aspen stands with some conifers mixed in. They also like spruce and fir stands nearby. Blowdowns are good.

The trees in your picture are too tall and mature, not enough understory.

Good luck, winter is a great time to hunt grouse!

Joined: 08 Feb 2009 Posts: 1319 Location: Western WA

One more thing...hunt quietly, especially in winter. Use hand signals to your dog, don't yell or whistle. Stop often, but don't crawl along. Keep a good pace, as they will evade you if they hear you coming and you give them time. They will hide behind stumps, in thick conifers, and even burrow into the snow if given the chance.

Member Joined: 06 Oct 2007 Posts: 2357 Location: West MI

Good stuff so far. I think about what the birds don't want to tangle with; hawks & owls over head and yotes & cats on the ground. I look for cover that shields them from these preditors; thick overhead roosting cover = thick evergreen & super-thick grape, multiflora rose & blackberry tangles on tera firma. Do you use a dog? If so send it in/through the thick stuff. If not bust right through the ground cover; it's good exercise and keeps me warm, the down side, my legs look like I abuse needles. Also look for clumps of anything with seeds & buds on it within quick reach of cover....ANYTHING...they seem to have a preference, but, as they move down through the menu of favorites; no bud or seed is safe.

FEB 28th?!!! Shocked

Lucky dog, Grouse closes on Jan 1st up here.

Good luck, Mike

Joined: 04 Aug 2007 Posts: 54 Location: Minnesota

now

and in the fall

yes I have a 6yr old wirehair point named Lou, our last successful trip where we discovered birds was just after the first snow Dec 4th, Lou had 2 solid points in the 4 hrs we hunted, first yielded 4 ruffs, to which i gave a proper 2 barrel salute, the next point 20min later offered 6 ruffs exploding and i managed to actually not flock shoot, this time, and downed a bird (it was a true pair followed by a single that i got and then as i walked to get the down bird 3 more got up at the same time and scared the hell out of me, yeah the dog was a statue of a pointer until the last 3 broke, read the dog dummy, but I was so amazed I got the one I got, live and learn, apparently when you find one in the winter you find a few, have you guys noticed that as well?)

. Since then I have hit this spot 5 more times (yes i mark every flush via a gps) and I have only had a single flush since the first weekend of Dec. This year was my most successful season ever as far as birds bagged (7) goes. As you guys most wisely pointed out i need to find some furs and thicker cover as well as some younger stands. I will need to spend some time with the maps and driving around. I typically never hunt grouse in Nov/Dec as the ditch parrots are a lot closer to home than the thunder chickens are, but this year the pheasants (there are still unpicked corn and bean fields) are hard to come by and the grouse are up, unfortunately I will not be able to get back out again this year as I am now tied to the pager for the next 2 weeks, anyway as asked I hunt just north of Pine City, MN on state land for grouse. PartickB the pictures you posted look a lot like the ground I cover, except there are no pines and once the leaves drop the ground does go barren. In early Sept of this year I thought there were a bunch of guys hunting by me as I keep hearing ATVs starting up and stopping... as I walked toward one of those ATV (thinking i was heading to the 2-track) we flushed one of those ATVs, the first time it dawned on me it was grouse drumming, every year I learn something new. Great insights and knowledge I really appreciate all the feedback. thanks guys Brewster mentioned no noise, I run my dog with a bell all the time, do you guys run your dogs with bells in early season and then go bell-less when the leaves drop?

Member Joined: 27 Nov 2005 Posts: 258 Location: Nordern MN

I haven't used a bell - I haven't had any problem keeping my dog close. But then I hunt a lab, so I need to keep her w/in shooting range. I've considered it early in the season when the leaves are on.

And yes, they covey up around deer season / thanksgiving.

NR

Joined: 06 Aug 2009 Posts: 960

For my hunting, No bells, for hunting grouse or any other type of game bird.

Maybe a beeper collar on point mode only, in real thick stuff.........maybe.

Not really a fan of making any extra man made noises.

Member Joined: 02 Oct 2007 Posts: 1975

I've used bells for years and don't think the bell effects the birds at all. It's my heavy feet as I come walking up. The cover I hunt in, I sometimes can't see the dog even thogh he's only 25 or 30 feet away.