Ruffed Grouse Hunt Hibbing MN 10.3.23

 

 

We got out early before the wind and heat hit again today.  We went north of Hibbing MN.  I haven’t had a chance to hunt this area in two years.  I was a little bit surprised to have trucks parked in the first two spots that we went to.  I guess the reports of good bird numbers are bringing out the hunters even on hot weekdays.

I put the 11 year old Tasha down at the first spot that we could hunt at.  It is a little bit older than what I would think of as prime but within a 100 yards of starting she went on point and I was able to take the bird with one shot.  It was in thinner cover than what we have been moving birds out of.  After another 1/2 hour we were ready to turn around and head back to the truck and she started to work scent and this one held for a moment before flushing close to the trail.  I was able to also take this one.  On the way back we had a bumped bird and I did not connect on it.

Tasha got in just over an hour at 70 degrees and we moved 3 birds and took two.

The second spot was Val’s and this one looked better.  Unfortunately we had a tailwind to start and had two bumped birds on the way out.  We turned around at the 45 minute mark.  I wasn’t too optimistic that we would see anything since we had just hunted the trail.  Val ended up working wider than on the way out and got a point within 10 minutes.  She was 70 yards off the trail and I was a little surprised that the bird was still holding for her.  I was able to take her on the flush and Val made the retrieve.  We got a second point about 200 yards short of the truck and it was also near the trail and I had another day shot.

We ended the day as it was creeping into the high 70s and the wind was also picking up.  We didn’t move any woodcock today, but on the plus side most of the shots were the easiest that we’ve had so far this season.
 

 

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Bob Paucek On Bird Dogs - Grouse Dogs, Training, and Trialing - Video

Bird Dogs Afield visits Bob Paucek the dean of New England bird dog trainers. This is Bob Paucek uncensored.

Deer River Mn Ruffed Grouse and Woodcock Hunt 10/21/2015

Tasha and Tina with a limit of Ruffed Grouse and a bonus Woodcock

I’ve been slacking off on keeping the blog up to date but we had such a good day hunting that I thought today would be the right time to get it all rolling again.

We drove from St. Paul up to the Deer River area this morning.  It was gray and kind of gross looking when we started at 2 pm.  I wasn’t too hopeful. 

I put the 13 yr old setter Tina down first.  We started down the first trail and she was working scent pretty quickly.  She made a nice point on a woodcock but I couldn’t connect.

The trail comes to a T and we usually go to the left but Tina decided to go to the right and locked up within 15 yards.  I walked in and could see the grouse holding tight by a pine tree.  Three steps in and it jumped up and with one shot it came down.  As we doubled back down the trail we worked for a good period of time.  We had a tailwind and Tina was working hard but wasn’t having much luck until we hit an area that is a bit wetter and Tina swung to a stop after she had passed by the area.  I walked in and the bird went straight away and I was able to bring it down.  100 yards later it looked like the situation was about to repeat itself but as I walked in for the flush I only managed to shoot a tree in half…  We made it to the end of the trail and turned around and worked our way back.  Towards the end of the trail Tina went into the woods a little bit farther than usual.  I heard her beeper go off and I started to walk towards where I thought she was on point.  I couldn’t see her but I thought I was getting close.  I was about to activate the beeper again to get a better idea of where she was when I heard a leaf make a crunchy noise and the grouse came up and I was able to snap off a shot and bring it down.  When I picked up the bird I could tell that I had just hit the wing.  Covering the last bit back to the truck I missed on a wild flush.

After loading Tina into the truck and swapping out the 12ga for a 20ga Tasha and I started back into the woods.  The first spot that we hit was an area that had been cut over 4 or 5 years ago.  We haven’t moved many birds out of this area yet but it doesn’t take to long to hit it.  A short walk into it Tasha pointed and then relocated.  When I walked in a woodcock went up and I took an off balance shot and was lucky enough to connect.  Tasha went right over to where it went down so we didn’t lose this one.  She has been getting better about going to where the bird has gone down.  We finished up this area and hit a spot that usually holds a few woodcock.  She had a nice point but it flushed low and straight away from her so I didn’t get a shot off.  We continued to work the area and at the very end of the cover she locked up again and the grouse came up and offered me a straight away shot and I was able to hit it on the 2nd shot.  We doubled back and started to work part of the area that we don’t hit too often.  It is a bit older growth but we have been seen birds in this type of cover in other areas that we have hunted this year.  We hunted this area for quite awhile but didn’t get any action.  We worked our way back towards the area that I had hit with Tina in the hope that more birds had moved in.  Just a few minutes down the trail and I got a nice point and I brought down grouse number 5.  We hunted for a bit more trying to get Tasha some more woodcock points but didn’t move any more.  About 50 yards from the truck Tasha busted a grouse. Oh well, it wouldn’t be a hunt without one busted flush.

I checked my hunting log and the last time that we had filled out on grouse was 4 years and 1 day earlier and it was in the same spot.

 

Deer River and Cass Lake MN Ruffed Grouse and Woodcock Hunt Oct 17-19 2014

Sunday's Harvest - Ruffed Grouse and Woodcock - Deer River MN

Friday Oct 17th 2014  Deer River MN.

My friend Mark and his 15 yr old son Martin drove up from SE Iowa to join us for a few days of grouse hunting.  We got to the woods at about 4.  I put both dogs on the ground since we’d only have about 2 hours to hunt.

About 20 minutes into the hunt Tasha went on point about 20 yards off the trail.  As I bobbed and weaved my way in the grouse ended up busting out another 15 yards ahead of her, I didn’t get off a shot.  200 hundred yards up the trail the same scenario repeated with Tina.

We came up to the edge of the field and Tasha locked up tight.  We sent Martin as the cover was pretty thick and we figured his young legs could handle it.  One step into the woods and the bird took off.  On the far edge of the field Tasha got another point and the result was pretty much the same.  One step in and 2 yards out a bird flushed and no shot was taken.

Tina got two nice points towards the end of the trail and I at least got my gun up both times but it was the old “it flushed behind the one pine tree in the area” trick.

We didn’t move any birds on the way back.  We moved a total of 6 birds in the first hour, took no shots and didn’t move anything on the way back.  It would have been nice if Martin had been able to at least take a shot but he did get to see some nice dog work and see that hunting isn’t always like they show it on TV.

Sat Oct 18th - Cass Lake MN.

The team was in full force as our friend Tony arrived with his two GSPs.

After a meal of homemade breakfast burritos we headed north of Cass Lake.  Tony was running both of his dogs and I stated with Tasha.  Within 15 minutes all three dogs started to work the same area and with a couple of flash points the grouse got up.  Three of us took a total of four shots and the bird was done.  We all could claim that we hit it so it was a win all around.  Tony was especially excited as his 2 yr old Beau Jack made a nice retrieve to hand.  Until this bird he would find the downed bird but then just stand over it and not retrieve it.  After another 15 minutes on the trail Tasha went on point about 10 yards off of the trail.  I was able to work my way in and the grouse gave me a straight away snap shot and I was able to connect.  At the time I thought I had barely hit the bird but when I was cleaning it I found that I hit it better than I thought.  Tasha made a nice retrieve to the trail and when she dropped it one of Tony’s dogs picked up and made a nice delivery to hand.

We split into 2 groups with Tony and Martin hunting together so that he could see how someone else hunts and Mark stayed with me.  About 15 minutes into this stretch I saw a grouse flush when Tasha over ran it.  She didn’t see it flush and continued to work the area.  She went on point about 10 yards farther up the trail.  I was hoping that there was another bird.  There wasn’t.  She moved another 20 yards to an small area of ferns and went on point again.  I figured it was still scent from the bird that got up but found out otherwise as I took a step into the cover a bird got up, shot miss, a second bird got up, shot miss, three more birds got up. I kept pulling the trigger on the over under but nothing.  I reloaded and walked in a step or two more and another bird got up, shot miss.  By this time Mark moved in and as I was telling him what happened another bird got up and we both missed.  7 birds and no hits.

We walked down 2 more branches of the trail towards a section of lower elevation.  We saw a grouse run across the trail so I guided Tasha towards the area.  She locked up solid and as I moved towards where the bird should be two other grouse flushed from the other side of the trail.  As I turned to try to get a shot off the original bird got up behind my now turned back.

On the way back to the car we had one more nice point but the bird got up just a little too far out.

After moving to another trail I put Tina out and she got 2 nice points but they were in areas that were so thick I couldn’t even get my gun up.

We moved 15 birds and put 2 in the bag.  We walked about 4 hours and our birds moved per hour was pretty decent but almost all of them came in two batched.

Tony had a couple of homemade soft tacos and drove back to the Twin Cities.  He had to get up at 4ish the next morning to run the Mankato Marathon.

Sunday Oct 19th 2014 Deer River

We only had a couple of hours to hunt in the morning before Mark and Martin had to head home so we went to my favorite spot as it is close by.  The was a pickup with a dog trailer ( never a good sign ) in the spot that we wanted to hunt so we went to the other side of the WMA.  The side that we went in on has habitat that is a bit older and I haven’t seen as many birds on that side the past 2 years.  We put Tasha down and after about 25 minutes she locked up on the side of a field and then relocated 10 yards farther up the clearing.  I took one step in and the bird gave me a nice straight away shot and I promptly missed the easiest shot that I’d seen all weekend.  We didn’t move anymore birds on our way back to the truck and we pulled the plug for the morning.  We had a quick lunch, headed back to the cabin, they loaded up and took off for home.

I went back out and by the time I got to the trail the pickup was gone and I decided to give the trail another try.  Tasha got the call and within 10 minutes she had a point and I was finally able to connect on the shot.  It was an over the head “duck tower” kind of shot so I was extra happy to have connected.  20 minutes later I was able to repeat the process.  At the end of the trail she gave me a nice point but I was not as lucky this time.  On the way back to the truck I was able to harvest 2 woodcock over points.  It was Tasha’s best outing to date.  She hunted hard but in control and was really confident on her points.

Tasha got the call for the last bit of the hunt.  We hit the edge of the field again and she got me a nice point and I was able to take my first woodcock with my 28ga.  On the way back to the truck we had a wild grouse flush but I was not able to connect.

It was a good 3 days stretch.  Not a lot of birds the first 2 1/2 days but it was great to get out and hunt with friends.

Mark, Martin, and the team harvest

Tina, Tasha, and I with our solo Cass Lake MN Grouse

Oct 2-3 2014 Ruffed Grouse Hunt Deer River MN

Thursday October 2nd 2014

Deer River MN Ruffed Grouse & Woodcock Oct 2 2014

I’ve rented a cabin near Grand Rapids, MN for the month of October with the goal of chasing ruffed grouse for as many days as possible.  I am planning on hunting Every Thur - Sunday and an additional week right after mid-month.  I’ll be driving back to the Twin Cities each Sunday evening and then heading north on either Wed evening or early Thursday morning depending upon the weather.

I got back home from a work trip at about 12:30 am Thursday and hit the snooze a few times in the morning.  By the time I wrapped up a few things it was about 10:30 before we hit the road.  After checking into the cabin and unloading a few items we hit the woods at about 4.  There wasn’t much wind at all and fortunately the rain had stopped as we were ready to hit the woods.

Tina got the call first.  At 12 1/2 years old she has plenty of experience but is starting to show the miles.  20 minutes after starting she went on point.  Unfortunately I walked past the bird and when it got up I didn’t even get a shot off.  We were almost to the turnaround when she locked up again.  This time it was a straight away shot and I was able to connect.  On the way back we hit an area that is a bit lower than the rest and got 2 woodcock points and I was able to take one.

After a quick snack I let Tasha have her chance.  A short way into the trail she took off running hard and bumped a grouse.  I had a left to right passing shot but did not connect.  I was a bit worried as the blasting through birds was something she did all too frequently on grouse last year.  We hit a number of side trails but didn’t move any more birds until we got closer to the start of the trail.  She had 2 nice points on woodcock that I again was not able to finish off for her.  It was nice to see her hold her points on the woodcock as she had not pointed any last year.  On the last stretch before we got back to the truck she locked up hard along the edge of a field.  I started to walk up the side and a grouse broke too far out for me to get a good shot.

In 3 hours of hunting we moved 4 grouse and 4 woodcock taking 1 of each.

Friday October 3rd

We woke to 35 degrees and rain drizzles.  I decided to not hunt so in the morning we went into Grand Rapids and got some groceries and lunch.  After lunch we drove to an area south of Deer River to look for some areas that we had not hunted before.  We did find a few places that did look promising but there were also a fair number of trucks parked along the trails.  Clearly there are a number of hunters who are more hard core than I.

Tasha and Tina Ready For The Start Of Grouse Immersion 2014

First Grouse - Nemadji State Forest Ruffed Grouse Hunt - October 11th 2012

Brent with his first Ruffed Grouse

Oct 11th 2012

A friend, Brent, and I have been able to hunt pheasants together before but he had never had the opportunity to hunt for Ruffed Grouse.  We both had the same day off during the mid-week so I thought we would try some of the MN Hunter Walking trails that are by Nickerson MN.

The first two trails were in pretty rough condition and we didn’t move any birds.  The third trail was awesome looking.  Great habitat and the trail itself were well maintained.  It was easy to tell that a large number of hunters also thought that it was a good looking trail as you could tell that it seen quite a lot of traffic.

I decided to pull the plug on the walking trails and head over to Nemadji State Forest.  I used to hunt there quite a bit before the ATV craze hit full force but had mostly skipped it recently as there were too many ATV and motorcycles to worry about.  I figured since it was a weekday that there might not be quite as much traffic to worry about.

Within just a few minutes of letting my setter Tina out of the truck we had a bird that flushed wild so I was already feeling better about the decision to change locations.  We followed the main trail for another 20 minutes before turning onto a smaller side trail.  Within 2 or 3 minutes we went around a corner and saw Tina locked up on point.  Brent moved in and connected on a straight away flyer.  His first grouse ever.  The cover continued to look good so we moved on down the trail.  About 10 minutes later I heard Tina’s beeper go off.  As we moved towards the beep the bird broke from in front of Tina and Brent bagged his second bird.  I was looking at getting shut out by a first timer.

We moved on to another smaller trail and I was able to take a bird that was holding tight in a nice clump of cover.  On the walk back to the truck I was able to take a woodcock that Tina pinned near a creek in the area.

Brent was able to get his first grouse.  We only heard one ATV and didn’t even end up seeing it.  It was another good day to be in the woods.

Tina and I with our Nemadji Ruffed Grouse and Woodcock

MN DNR offers mentored upland bird hunts - Ruffed Grouse - Pheasant

Families and youth can apply now for an opportunity to hunt with experienced upland bird hunters on Saturday, Oct. 18.

The mentored hunts for pheasants and grouse are being offered through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Pheasants Forever and the Ruffed Grouse Society. The application deadline is Tuesday, Sept. 2

"Those new to bird hunting can learn techniques, equipment needs and the skills to be safe and successful in the outdoors," said Mike Kurre, DNR mentoring program coordinator.

In the youth hunt, participants must be 12-17 years old as of Oct. 18, have earned a firearms safety certificate and possess a small game license if required (hunters under 16 can hunt small game without a license). Youth must have a parent, guardian or adult authorized by a parent or guardian accompany them as a mentor, without a firearm. The adult must also go with the youth during the pre-hunt orientation.

In the family hunt, all participants can hunt, but they need to be 12 and older, have little to no pheasant hunting experience, and have the appropriate safety certificate, stamp and license.

Applications and more details about the hunt are available online at mndnr.gov/discover or by contacting Kurre at 651-259-5193 or michael.kurre@state.mn.us. Successful applicants will be notified via mail or email by the end of September.

Read the rest of the Post Bulletin article

2014 Wisconsin's ruffed grouse population declines again

Doug Smith

Ruffed grouse populations in Wisconsin have dropped slightly again this spring as the population heads for the bottom of its boom-to-bust cycle.

Wisconsin's roadside grouse survey showed a 1 percent decline from last year.

"This decrease is quite minor, and isn't unexpected at this point in the population cycle,'' said Brian Dhuey, DNR wildlife surveys coordinator.

 Ruffed grouse populations are known to rise and fall over a nine to 11 year cycle. The last peak in Wisconsin's cycle occurred in 2011

"We are headed to the low point in the cycle, which usually occurs in years ending in a 4, 5, or 6, so we are either at the low point or getting close; only time will tell," Dhuey said.

Minnesota's spring grouse drumming survey was recently completed, but the results won't be available until next month. Minnesota's population, too, is on the downswing, but grouse fans are hoping the snowy winter helped more birds survive. Grouse burrow in light, fluffy snow for safety.

In Wisconsin, one of the primary regions for grouse in the state, the central region, showed a 24 percent drop in the number of drums heard per stop. A second primary region in northern Wisconsin showed a 3 percent increase.

Read the full StarTribune article

Ruffed Grouse Society Releases Maps Of The Habitat Management Projects

The Ruffed Grouse Society has released maps of their Management Area Projects.  It looks like there are a couple of hundred areas listed.

You will need to have Google Earth installed on your computer to view the maps.

Here is the link to the RGS website with all of the mapping information.

Brushland and forest bird habitat workshop May 3 - Aitkin MN

A habitat workshop to assist private landowners in maintaining, enhancing and restoring habitat for sharp-tailed grouse, woodcock, golden-winged warblers and ruffed grouse will be held on Saturday, May 3, at Long Lake Conservation Center southeast of Palisade.  

All of these bird species, except ruffed grouse, are listed as “species in greatest conservation need” by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This designation means their populations are rare, declining or vulnerable to decline and are below levels desirable to ensure their long term health and stability.

Sharp-tailed grouse are of particular concern due to their long term population decline in Minnesota. Aitkin County and western Carlton County are home to the remaining stronghold of this unique, native grouse in east central Minnesota. Landowners with dancing grounds (leks) on their land or within two miles of them are especially encouraged to attend. Their land can provide the habitat necessary for sharp-tailed grouse breeding, nesting and brood rearing habitat.    

    

The workshop runs from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and includes information on the biology and habitat requirements of sharp-tailed grouse, woodcock, golden-winged warblers and ruffed grouse, and technical and financial assistance programs for assisting implementation of habitat projects. Each registrant will receive an aerial photo of their land for a work period during which they will get assistance in developing habitat project ideas. Coffee, fruit and muffins will be served at morning break, as well as a sack lunch. The early afternoon will consist of a habitat tour. An optional, evening, woodcock “sky dance” program will occur at 8:30 pm.

This event is made possible and free to attendees thanks to sponsors that include the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Aitkin & Carlton County Soil & Water Conservation Districts, DNR, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Pheasants Forever, Minnesota Sharp-tailed Grouse Society, Woodcock Minnesota, American Bird Conservancy, Ruffed Grouse Society and Wildlife Management Institute.   

   

For more information and to register, contact Scott Kittleson at the Aitkin NRCS office at 218-927-2413 x101 by April 24, with your name, address, phone number, land location (twp., range, section, forty), sack lunch order, and interest in the evening sky dance program.

Read the origiginal Aitkin Age article

How To Miss A Ruffed Grouse Shot - Video

I went 0 for 8 on quality shot opportunities this day.

I was able to recover over the next two days but am still missing some easy ones.  The previous couple of weekends I was hitting some of the tougher shots.

Grand Rapids / Deer River MN area.

Ruffed Grouse Hunt - Lake Winnie Winnibigoshish MN - Deer River MN - 10/25/2013

10/25/2013

The pendulum swung the other way today.  I saw lots of birds but could not hit one.

We ended up going to our second choice.  The same pickup has been in our number one choice the past 3 weekends.  The nice thing is that he usually leaves by 2 o’clock so we can park there for late afternoon hunt.

Within 50 yards of leaving the car I saw a grouse flush wild about 20 yards in the woods.  After a short walk we got to a wide spot in the trail and I was thinking "this is such a good looking spot but I’ve never seen a grouse here"  just then Tasha bumped one and it came flying at me.  I missed a shot while it was flying at me and then one while it was flying away.  If the GoPro was working right I should have a good video of “how to miss a grouse”.   A little farther up the trail I saw a bird flush, as we approached the area Tasha went on point.  I figured she was pointing the one that flew.  Again the phrase “ always trust your dog” proved true.  As I was walking up and thinking that there was nothing there any longer up came another bird and another miss was tallied.

On our 90 minute hunt we moved 7 grouse, 3 of which were pointed by Tasha, none of which did I connect on.

I swapped dogs hoping that Tina could turn the tide.  We hunted for 2.5 hrs and moved 9 grouse and one woodcock.  I shot at 3 of the grouse and the woodcock and missed all of them.  At one spot Tina went on point and I saw something run in front of her.  I was thinking it was a rabbit as she likes to point them and we’ve seen a number of them here.  I walked towards her and a grouse got up low and straight in front of her.  I held off of shooting as I didn’t want to hit her.

On our way out we bumped into a couple of hunters.  One of them was wearing the same hat as I was.  It was a for the kennel, Northwoods Bird Dogs that both of my active dogs are out of.  We chatted a bit and one of them was a guide that works out of the same lodge that Jerry, the trainer / breeder, guides out of.  The grouse woods can be a small place sometimes.

We moved to a different parking spot in the same area and I gave Tasha another run.  She got 2 more points and just to keep everything on the same track I didn’t hit either one.  I did have one take off from about 10 feet up a tree.  This is the second week in a row that this has happened.  Neither time did it seem like it was close to roosting time.

5 hours hunting.  19 birds moved.  18 grouse 1 woodcock.  8 shots taken.  No hits.

I’m switching guns and hats tomorrow.  I mean it couldn’t be me that is the issue...

A First Grouse - Grand Rapids MN Ruffed Grouse Hunt October 19th 2013

The First Grouse That I've Taken Over One Of Tasha's Points ( Fergie looking on )

Saturday October 19th 2013

The MEA weekend curse hit in full force today.  I had to go to a 5th spot to find a place that didn’t already have a vehicle parked at it.  I was at the first spot a 9 am.  It took me an hour to find a spot that we could hunt.  I started out with Tasha and we hunted for about an hour but didn’t move a bird.  The cover looked good but it is a pretty obvious place.

Area #2 looked even better but Tina and I didn’t fair any better.  One of the nice things about this spot was that there were a number of areas around it that had been clear cut in the past year or two so it should only get better.  One of the saddest things in grouse hunting is to have a good area that never gets any maintenance and the cover just gets too old to be productive.

The third spot that we hit didn’t look quite as nice but also didn’t look like it had seen as much use.  We hit this spot for an hour and moved one bird but I didn’t get off a shot.

We returned to the spot that we had hoped to start out at and there wasn’t anyone parked there.  I started with Tasha and about 5 min into the trail she went on point and the bird came up before I was ready... arrgg...  We checked the woodcock area and didn’t move anything and then it was on to the longer trail.  About half way out she locked up.  I missed a left to right shot and then a second grouse got up and I finally was able to take one off of her point.  We finished working the trail out and back and I missed two more grouse by the time we got back to the truck.  I was still excited to have gotten a bird from one of her points.

Tina got the call to finish up the day.  After a short period we started to get some sleet and was thinking of bagging it but I figured we could always take a shortcut back to the vehicle if need be.  We were on our way to an area that Tasha and I had not hit and to get there we went by woodcock hollow ( I decided to name it ).  Sure enough Tina went on point.  I swung out wide to come at her from the other side of the cover.  Two steps in to the cover and the woodcock came straight at me.  The dang bird almost flew right into me.  After dodging it I took a shot and missed but was able to connect on the second shot.  We worked an area with pine trees and Tina made another nice point and I was able to connect on an easy shot.

On our way out we ran into a guy from West Virginia.  He had been hunting in the area for two weeks and commented on how many hunters there were.  I told him that with the National Ruffed Grouse Hunt and then MEA weekend he picked two of the busiest weeks to hit the area.  He was leaving the next day for two weeks in SD pheasant hunting.

I went 1/1 on Woodcock but only 2 out of 7 or 8 on grouse.  Still, getting the first one over Tasha made it all ok.

Sunday

We woke to a steady wet snow falling.  We hunted for two hours and only moved one bird.  I did hear some shooting but I decided to pack up and head home early.

Tasha and Tina With Their 2 Grouse and 1 Woodcock