Where have all the grouse gone??

[Jaeger]

Last month Schatz and I kicked up plenty of grouse and some woodcock during training runs, but this past week nothing!!

 

There's plenty of food around.

 

Could it be the foxes and coyotes?  Saw 2 reds last night running along the road and in front of my house either someone is walking a small dog at 2 am or the foxes are eating something without berries seed or bones.  Small clean droppings, about 1/4-1/2 dia. dark, smooth and consistent in a small circular pile.

 

That couldn't suddenly move out the birds could it??

[Curmudgeon]

There was a bird drumming here yesterday. Grouse aren't migratory but they must move around. I have seen somewhat dramatic changes in numbers over a short period of time - both positive and negative. Back a couple of decades ago I was inundated with grouse all of a sudden. I flushed over 50 on one hunt. That was before I was using a dog. A couple of weeks later numbers were back to normal.

[BKhunter]

I have only seen one grouse in the 11 years hunting our property......I wish we had more game birds

[Curmudgeon]

I have only seen one grouse in the 11 years hunting our property......I wish we had more game birds

 

Habitat, habitat, habitat.................

 

[phade]

Same with me, one grouse while bowhunting. Strutting along, I couldn't bring myself to shoot because I knew how rare they were in our area.

 

So cool to see.

[16. ga hunter]

Slow down and listen they are still out there but will move around.

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[Chris B]

I've actually had a little bit of an uptick in grouse this year. Missed 2 yesterday and had 3 flushes in a different area Saturday. I'm finding them either in the brush around crab apple or apple stands, or where young thick sapling areas and open hardwoods meet. 

[Curmudgeon]

I just got home and had to wait for one to get out of the driveway.

[turkeyfeathers]

Tug hill Has birds for those who are out that way.

 

I see one or so a year in 9H .

 

Brother and I were talking as he was going thru his old hunting journals from years ago. He shot 42 and went 50 % that last year out very near where I only see that 1

Edited October 12, 2015 by turkeyfeathers

[Lawdwaz]

What's a grouse?

[BigVal]

I see tons of them in 9t

[G-Man]

Done a lot of habitat work for them and they are on an upswing this year here ,I have several family groups of 5 or more, I do have quite a few fox around and they seem to be doing fine, of course there will be less fox and coon after seaso n opens onthem

[Gencountyzeek]

What kind of habitat could one try to create to try and get some grouse around. When I was young I was my dad's bird dog, always having to push through thickets and recover his downed birds lol. I wish I saw more now a days.

[G-Man]

Aspen cutting and hinge cutting is very important, aspen are the main staple.winter food but if trees are over 20 ft the birds don't fly up, they should be clear.cut to promote cloning from roots, lowering the hight of an aspen canopy is critical.

Most logging operations do not cut them and the grow get big and die as hardwoods move in they will not grow, the habitat and woods are now become mature. You want aspen patches bordered by older hardwood stands or pine/ hemlock/ spruce, you have to keep the hardwood trees out of the aspen, so cut the saplings and let the aspen re populate, the benifits of this is deer love young aspen as well!!!

[Curmudgeon]

Grouse here are often in hawthorn and brambles- especially brambles in the understory. They also need some poplars. Read this - http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/48393.html

 

Where we deer hunt in the central Dacks, we usually take a few hours to hunt grouse. We always find some.

Edited October 15, 2015 by Curmudgeon

[Rhwrhwrhw0426]

I hunt state land that was a red pine plantation. Every other row was logged creating lots of cover, honeysuckle, wild grapes, blackberrys, etc. You see or hear them everytime you sit in there.

Edited October 28, 2015 by Rhwrhwrhw0426

[Meat First]

Plenty here in 7M, scare the crap out of me when they flush while I'm walking to my stand..Wish we can hunt them in September

[Curmudgeon]

One was chasing another on the front lawn this morning. I have no idea what that was about.

[jjb4900]

this past summer I flushed a mother and about a dozen young ones.......never seen that before, I just wonder how many actually make it to adulthood. I see a fair amount (4W & 4R)......just never get around to hunting them since I usually focus on deer and don't want to stomp around the area.

[growalot]

I showed pics of the poplar I cut and hinged for the resprouts and they are doing well in the swamp ...I have seen a couple up on the ridge since cutting...I have more to do ...but need to get the guys trapping ...possum and raccoon fox are aplenty here...that and a new surge of feral cats

[mike rossi]

I don't see any fuffed grouse anymore. Last time was a good 10 years ago in Sterling Forest. Used to hear lots of drumming in April 20 years ago and more. Not now though.

 

Bill,

 

The season has been open since October 1 in the SZ. Since then we flushed well over 100 grouse, The first week alone, we flushed at least 100. Its hard to be certain you are not counting re-flushes, but we are mindful of that when we count.

[turkeyfeathers]

Bill,

 

The season has been open since October 1 in the SZ. Since then we flushed well over 100 grouse, The first week alone, we flushed at least 100. Its hard to be certain you are not counting re-flushes, but we are mindful of that when we count.

That's great to hear. Brothers and dad used to hunt very near to where I turkey hunt and deer hunt. I only put up maybe 1 bird a year now but back in the day they'd flush dozens per hunt. Don't know how my dad did it but he hunted them with a .410. He went 42 for 85 one year. Them dang things scare the crap outta me when they take off. Don't think I could even shoulder the gun let alone hit one !