late season grouse
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As far as I know grouse live in the same area year around.
So if ya found'em in spot A in September then they should be in the same spot now.
So if ya found'em in spot A in September then they should be in the same spot now.
In the Frank Church Wilderness Area I have seen blue grouse at river level during the summer but during hunting season they only seem to be up on the ridge tops or at least near the tops. This may be a localized migration pattern and determined by the birds gravitating towards water sources during dry seasons and moving around when water is more plentiful.
In Washington it seems like I almost always see them at higher elevations from September on. Water also seems to be nearby but I always hunt them on the east side of the Cascades and it is typically dry. In the winter I have read and heard from game biologists that they start to rely primarily on pine needles for food and spend a lot of their time in the trees making them really hard to hunt even with a dog. With no pressure to flush or a way to find scent it can be a tough task.
Ruffed grouse hunting might be more productive for you on the west side. Thick brush around willow patches seem to be the most productive while on foot but it seems like they can be just about anywhere there is habitat transitions. I bet the majority are harvested right along the side of logging roads being taken opportunistically. I've seen more in south in the general Packwood area but that is partly influenced by where I have invested the most time looking for them. I've also found them up in the Taneum area but with no particular pattern other than thick cover.
Best of luck. In most cases it seems like grouse hunting ends up being an excuse to get out in the woods. There are definitely exceptions but not many.
In Washington it seems like I almost always see them at higher elevations from September on. Water also seems to be nearby but I always hunt them on the east side of the Cascades and it is typically dry. In the winter I have read and heard from game biologists that they start to rely primarily on pine needles for food and spend a lot of their time in the trees making them really hard to hunt even with a dog. With no pressure to flush or a way to find scent it can be a tough task.
Ruffed grouse hunting might be more productive for you on the west side. Thick brush around willow patches seem to be the most productive while on foot but it seems like they can be just about anywhere there is habitat transitions. I bet the majority are harvested right along the side of logging roads being taken opportunistically. I've seen more in south in the general Packwood area but that is partly influenced by where I have invested the most time looking for them. I've also found them up in the Taneum area but with no particular pattern other than thick cover.
Best of luck. In most cases it seems like grouse hunting ends up being an excuse to get out in the woods. There are definitely exceptions but not many.
Thanks-- an excuse to get out in the woods is, honestly, spot on. The dogs and I have never had a bad walking the logging roads-- even when we got back to the truck in the Hancock forest and found a flat tire and the spare-holder rust-frozen under the bed at flashlight dusk with 30 minutes until the gate was locked...
Thanks again-- your comments are really appreciated.
Thanks again-- your comments are really appreciated.
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