Grouse Hunting Rattlesnake Hill or other WMA's

[genesee_mohican]

I know the snow has been deep the last 3 weeks, but has anyone been out grouse hunting on Rattlesnake, Ossian Forest or any of the other WMA's in the Souther Tier?

Is anyone seeing decent numbers of grouse in the So Tier?

Good hunting, GM

[magnumhunt]

I saw a few while deer hunting by Roscoe

[16. ga hunter]

was further south east near schyler/stuben border and put some up with the cocker last weekend they are out there.

[skeron]

where by roscoe, can you say? Been hunting there and all I saw was one woodcock ever while looking for Grouse.

[13BVET]

Grouse are extinct down here in Dutchess. Hell, even the Region 3 biologist admits that!

[16. ga hunter]

skeron good luck trying to find out where if like me it has taken a devoted grouse hunter too long to just give up his coverts

[skeron]

I guess so ga hunter. Everybody has been telling me the same thing. Just got into it two years ago and had one guy tell me by cherry ridge forest that was it. Guess these spots are real hard to come by. I tell people where I see bear and deer but I guess not the same with grouse. I'll just keep looking.

[martin]

If you have time and money to spend the night, go up north to tug hill or sears pond and hunt away. I wouldn't go now due to the snow. I was putting them up all day. Was deer hunting at the time though. Lots of land to cover and you can also coyote hunt at night. Good luck finding anything.

[skeron]

16 ga - I'll take any tips possible and I would very very much appreciate them. This is for me but more importantly for my father in law. He's been wanting to do small game hunting for years. He's gone deer hunting but finds it boring. He's 67 years old, keeps saying he doesn't know for hom much longer he will be able to hunt or be around and he would like to be able to do some small game hunting. I love walking around in the woods, I can do it for hours on end but he cannot. He claims he can but after a couple of hours he gets tired, dissapointed and says I'm never going to experience it. Yeah it may sound a little like giveme a break and stop complaining when he tells me this but at the same time I feel bad for him so I'm trying to do this for him. He went and bought a short haired pointer last year fully trained. He's hunted her on pheasant preserves but he's looking for wild birds. Again I appreciate any tips.

Martin - Thank you so much!! I will make a point of it to take my father in law and go..... thanks so much again.

[16. ga hunter]

is the short hair a wide ranging dog? if so it may take some time for it to learn grouse as the don't run like pheasant the pointing dogs can't get as close i hunt a cocker so i just follow her through the woods..... where are you guys located? have not hunted the catskills in a few years only due to the drive... this time of year you can find them in some odd places cattails pine stands ect. also if you can find choke cherries on the bush its a good bet..... i have been finding plenty in the birch mid day lately also...... the other thing they don't start to move till mid morning no need to get up and at them wait till 930 or 10 when they are roosted they will let you go right by......tug hill is very productive as far as bird numbers go this time of year the are ussually singles also when you do flush one pay attention to where it goes and re flush it they don't fly far and be ready for them to take off outta the tree tops...... the younger forests are your best bet do an internet search for bids for public land logging in your area for the past ten years

[skeron]

Ga hunter. Thanks for all your tips!