16ga.com Forum Index
Author Message
<  16ga. General Discussion  ~  Ruff Grouse in Iowa
dragoonpoint
PostPosted: Fri Nov 02, 2018 11:48 pm  Reply with quote
Member
Member


Joined: 02 Oct 2008
Posts: 92

I'm going to be in Iowa in early December. and thought I'd try Ruffed Grouse hunting. Not looking for secret spots just a general area where I might be able to find one. They also mention Grey Partridge I assume they mean Huns. I'll be around the town of Atlantic but will have extra time and can travel. Ideas would be appreciated.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Chicago
PostPosted: Sat Nov 03, 2018 8:34 am  Reply with quote
Member
Member


Joined: 12 Aug 2007
Posts: 1376
Location: Northern Illinois

Northeast Iowa, primarily Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette and Winneshiek counties. Pheasant might be a better bet. Not sure, but I don’t think Iowa has an abundance of private land.

Good Hunting,
Mike
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
dragoonpoint
PostPosted: Sat Nov 03, 2018 8:53 pm  Reply with quote
Member
Member


Joined: 02 Oct 2008
Posts: 92

Thanks I'll check in to those counties and see what public areas there are and if there are any guides that operate in the area. I've hunted pheasant for years and just wanted to give Ruffed Grouse a try. I will carry a 16 ga and I'd even wear a tie just in keeping with tradition.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
makintrax73
PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2018 7:08 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 27 Oct 2017
Posts: 80
Location: Joliet, IL

I'm not familiar with NE Iowa, but from what I've seen in most of SW Wi and NW IL it wouldn't be worth your time. To my knowledge it is all the "Driftless" region and similar topography. There used to be grouse in the area but they're rarely if ever seen these days. WI does a grouse drumming count, and IIRC the numbers in SW WI driftless region were near zero.

If I were in NE IA and really wanting to try grouse I'd probably try a few hours drive into WI or MN.

I can tell you that last time I was in Black River Falls WI the guy at the head of our ATV pack (not a hunter) reported flushing several "pheasant" from the ATV trails. We were by no means in pheasant country at the time of these sightings (middle of the woods) so I suspect there are a few grouse around there. Might be worth looking up some reports and seeing what guys are saying.

I can tell you that there is no lack of State Forest and County Forest in the area. Look up Fflight mapping at the WI Dnr site and it shows public land and locations of prime age aspen stands. Very helpful. ETA:
https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/lands/fflight.html


Grouse season was shortened in Wi this year due to a sudden decline in numbers. My experience in N Wi bears this out - bird numbers way down. But we did see and kill a couple birds on public land so if you're willing to drive a little it might be worth a try. A good dog and being willing to get into some thicker cover seemed to be the key, but it does make them harder to shoot!

No experience in MN so can't make any suggestions there.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
fourtown
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 2018 8:44 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 25 Jan 2014
Posts: 223
Location: MN

I didn't want to be a downer, but there are extremely few ruffed grouse left in NE Iowa. My family owned hunting land in Allamakee County for 40 years, we sold it this spring. There were many grouse in the early '80s, a few in the '90s, basically none in the last ten years.

http://www.amestrib.com/article/20140911/Sports/309119952

The 2014 article says a few hundred people hunt grouse each year in Iowa, I would say more like five. I never saw a grouse hunter in 40 years.

If you want to hunt grouse with some hope of success, you need to go at least 60 to 80 miles north of the Twin Cities in MN. The farther north the better this year according to reports. Pine County, northern Kanabec and Aitkin Counties are the south edge of the good grouse hunting in MN.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
kgb
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 2018 10:53 am  Reply with quote
Member
Member


Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 1256
Location: Nebraska

I hunted grouse up around Waukon at the French Creek WMA back in the 1990s. Flushed one grouse and missed with both barrels of a 20ga. Should have had a 16.

_________________
Bore, n. Shotgun enthusiast's synonym for "gauge" ; everybody else's synonym for "shotgun enthusiast." - Ed Zern
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Pine Creek/Dave
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 2018 2:37 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 17 Mar 2017
Posts: 2787
Location: Endless Mountains of Pa

kgb,

Kirk have not seen you post for a while, hope all is well in your neck of the country and your LeFever guns are still in good working order.

Grouse season here in Potter/Tioga has been excellent this season.

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

[URL=http://www.jpgbox.com/page/55426_800x600/] [/URL]

_________________
"L.C. Smith America's Best" - John Houchins

Pine Creek Grouse Dog Trainers
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
kgb
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 2018 5:02 pm  Reply with quote
Member
Member


Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 1256
Location: Nebraska

All good, Dave, did Ken make it up this year? Have to admit I've been using a 20ga Ithaca M37 and a Beretta 303 20ga, the latter was my Skeet league gun this past summer. Been a poor carrier of the 16ga banner since the shoot in St Paul!

_________________
Bore, n. Shotgun enthusiast's synonym for "gauge" ; everybody else's synonym for "shotgun enthusiast." - Ed Zern
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Pine Creek/Dave
PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2018 12:25 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 17 Mar 2017
Posts: 2787
Location: Endless Mountains of Pa

kgb,

Kirk glad to hear all is well, Ken has not come over as of yet. I needed to do some major clean up, I was not at the log cabin for an entire year, my wife had some major medical problems, that kept me in Murrysville. Expecting Ken and Kurt some time after Thanksgiving.

We will miss ya buddy! You know you are always welcome when you can make it back.

Snowed here last night in Potter/Tioga county, Pa, about 3/4 of an inch, just beautful in the woods right now!


Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

_________________
"L.C. Smith America's Best" - John Houchins

Pine Creek Grouse Dog Trainers
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
dragoonpoint
PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2018 8:04 pm  Reply with quote
Member
Member


Joined: 02 Oct 2008
Posts: 92

Thanks for all the info you seem to have saved me a lot of time and frustration.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
hiplainsdrifter
PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 3:24 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 09 Jan 2017
Posts: 50

I wonder what the likelihood of a successful reintroduction would be. Native birds are being pretty well hammered everywhere it seems.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
tramroad28
PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 4:45 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 20 Jul 2011
Posts: 625
Location: Ohio..where ruffed grouse were

hiplainsdrifter wrote:
I wonder what the likelihood of a successful reintroduction would be. Native birds are being pretty well hammered everywhere it seems.


No such thing as a successful "reintroduction" of ruffed grouse is possible....on any appreciable scale beyond postage stamp any way....especially in NE Iowa.

Which, oddly enough, is a good thing, as being able to manipulate that particular bird to that extent would be to remove it's appeal and it's beauty and would reduce it to yet another name on a Preserve's menu. How sad that listing would be!

One can improve cover and if birds remain in viable numbers then the population may increase......however, more negatives than habitat face the ruffed grouse today in too many areas.
Habitat...simply ain't all IT.
That....is reality.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Ruff Hunter
PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 5:05 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 15 Dec 2011
Posts: 156

tramroad28 wrote:


One can improve cover and if birds remain in viable numbers then the population may increase......however, more negatives than habitat face the ruffed grouse today in too many areas.
Habitat...simply ain't all IT.
That....is reality.


I'm not so sure about this. Where I use to live there are huge (READ HUGE) tracks of land that were clear cut and left alone to regrow. It grew thick and deep and those areas typically hold well more Grouse than areas of the State that were more developed. The same "other negatives" that contribute to grouse depletion were present in all areas of the State, but the land that had the best cover and largest tracks of it always has good numbers of birds. Clear cut the land and leave it alone and the Grouse will come.

_________________
Thats right, I'm an armed liberal (SORT OF) and I like to shoot furry little critters.... and I kill 'em with:
12Ga LC Smith
16Ga Fox Sterlingworth
16Ga BRNO
20Ga LC Smith
20Ga Miroku x2 (Model F & Model 500)
28Ga AYA 4/53 (bucket list item #6)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
tramroad28
PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2018 11:14 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 20 Jul 2011
Posts: 625
Location: Ohio..where ruffed grouse were

Ruff Hunter wrote:
tramroad28 wrote:


One can improve cover and if birds remain in viable numbers then the population may increase......however, more negatives than habitat face the ruffed grouse today in too many areas.
Habitat...simply ain't all IT.
That....is reality.


I'm not so sure about this. Where I use to live there are huge (READ HUGE) tracks of land that were clear cut and left alone to regrow. It grew thick and deep and those areas typically hold well more Grouse than areas of the State that were more developed. The same "other negatives" that contribute to grouse depletion were present in all areas of the State, but the land that had the best cover and largest tracks of it always has good numbers of birds. Clear cut the land and leave it alone and the Grouse will come.


Yes...if the birds are present in viable numbers then increasing the age class they require can help....epecially adding the "huge" angle.

W/o grouse...habitat is meaningless..they will not spontaneously generate.They will fill in from grouse "sinks" holding birds waiting for better days.

Besides that, Ruffed grouse simply do not respond in any appreciable way via R&R or T&T. As before, I am glad that is the case as I would hate to ever hear...."Sure, I can put out10 grouse for you in Field 'A'."

I do understand the advantages delivered by diverse age classes of timber and in volume...for Bonasa U and many other species.
I also understand that is not in the cards for many areas of the range outside the sweet spot of the UGLs....certainly not in NE Iowa.
There...the other negative factors gain in importance, one small step after each small downward step.
Seen it...lived it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
pudelpointer
PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2018 1:57 pm  Reply with quote
Member
Member


Joined: 14 Jan 2006
Posts: 1007
Location: Lancaster county, Pa

Tramroad is right habitat after the fact is useless. Creating and working on habitat when the populations are good is the key. Like anything you have to stay ahead of the curve. If you have birds now is the time to cut and improve habitat quality. Stay vigilant and make sure your state is continually creating early successional habitat. Once there gone they are not coming back.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Display posts from previous:   
All times are GMT - 7 Hours

View next topic
View previous topic
Page 1 of 2
Goto page 1, 2  Next
16ga.com Forum Index  ~  16ga. General Discussion

Post new topic   Reply to topic


 
Jump to:  

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum




Powered by phpBB and NoseBleed v1.09