Pennsylvania Wilds Grouse Hunt

[BillGraves]

I spent Wednesday and Thursday near Renovo, PA hunting grouse with two other guys and 3 dogs, though only had 2 down at a time. I am fairly new to grouse hunting and was once again amazed at the athleticism of these birds. They fly so fast in cover so tight it's hard to walk, much less shoulder a gun and swing on a bird! We had a pup down behind a seasoned and very experience grouse dog and we all saw "it" click in the pup. She found out why we were in the woods and what her role was and from that point on, knew that she would come into her own. She pointed a few on her own which were confirmed by the older dog and we had a hoot watching the excitement of this little pup (about a year old.) 2 days of hard hunting, I shot one and missed to others. My buddy shot one each day. Tough walking, hard hunting but had a blast.

Bill

[Benny]

That sounds like a great hunt, it's fun to watch a dog get grouse dialed in, and there's no better setting for upland birds than the alder thickets and late succession forests.

Cheers!

[Ryman Gun Dog]

Bill,
Welcome to the wonderful world of Grouse hunting with a fine pup. Glad you had such a great time, in the Grouse woods.
Let me know the next time you are in Potter County, I will have you up a little higher on the mountain around Galeton and Gaines,
to Grouse hunt the big forest. Great stuff for a young dog to learn in, it seems you found out how spooky are Grouse really are.
Glad you two got a couple fine birds.

Benny,
I doubt Bill was in much Alder cover around Renovo Pa, more thick hard woods and Pines with some undercover mixed in, which makes for some fine Pa Grouse hunting.

RGD/Dave

Got to love Pa Grouse hunting.

[Benny]

That's much different compared to the high coastal-crest forests of Oregon. You can actually walk around without getting poked in the eye

[Grange]

There's less than two weeks left of grouse hunting season here. I was out Monday for only about an hour, but I didn't see anything. I'm hoping to get out on Sunday again. I do admit though since the new year I've decided to put my shotgun away and just go out with my blank pistol. I've got enough grouse in the freezer and I figure if the grouse made to the new year it won the "game" and deserves a chance to make it to spring.

I saw "it" click in my setter when she was about 9 months of age. It took a full weekend in the grouse woods by my cottage before she learned how to point grouse. The next weekend was opening weekend and I shot a grouse over her solid point the first day.

[JIM K]

I spent Wednesday and Thursday near Renovo, PA hunting grouse with two other guys and 3 dogs, though only had 2 down at a time. I am fairly new to grouse hunting and was once again amazed at the athleticism of these birds. They fly so fast in cover so tight it's hard to walk, much less shoulder a gun and swing on a bird! We had a pup down behind a seasoned and very experience grouse dog and we all saw "it" click in the pup. She found out why we were in the woods and what her role was and from that point on, knew that she would come into her own. She pointed a few on her own which were confirmed by the older dog and we had a hoot watching the excitement of this little pup (about a year old.) 2 days of hard hunting, I shot one and missed to others. My buddy shot one each day. Tough walking, hard hunting but had a blast.

Bill

thanks for telling truth on grouse hunting in clinton county.i hunted here for 46 yrs,potter/cameron/lycoming also.

i get a kick out of PGC saying lots of grouse .my usual day hunting grouse is about 2 flushes.
years ago, it was 10 flushes a day.when you have nice dog,any dog its fun to flush a grouse.
i shoot very few because of pressure on spots i hunt.i carry a dead grouse from freezer in my coat and throw it in brush.sometimes if more than say 5 grouse in area, i may take one,IF I CAN HIT THEM...

[Ryman Gun Dog]

Spoulman,
In reality we have more Grouse than most people think, however because of our massive predator problems here in Pa, the Grouse are very spooky to keep them alive. The past two seasons on the northen tier have been very very good as far as Grouse numbers go, Ken one of our new Grouse hunters from Ohio, was along to witness a hugh Covert and take his 1st Grouse. When you can still witness 15 Grouse in the air all at the same time, fire your gun and 8 - 10 more take flight from just over the hill side, there are still Grouse on the Pa northern tier. Its a heck of a big forest here however, and when the Grouse spread out over these kind of mountains, it takes a good Grouse dog to repetatively set them up for their masters gunning. Our point and flush averages about 2.8 Grouse per hour over the season. We will however never have the Grouse numbers Pa once had in the 1800's, when my Grandfather got to hunt 10 Grouse a day, in that era they shot every flying predator on sight, to assure their Grouse numbers would be high, until Pa puts hunting limits back on flying predators, there is no way our Grouse numbers will ever retrun to the place they once were, no matter how fantatic the habitat becomes.

RGD/Dave

Daisy presenting Ken with his 1st Grouse

[JIM K]

I spent Wednesday and Thursday near Renovo, PA hunting grouse with two other guys and 3 dogs, though only had 2 down at a time. I am fairly new to grouse hunting and was once again amazed at the athleticism of these birds. They fly so fast in cover so tight it's hard to walk, much less shoulder a gun and swing on a bird! We had a pup down behind a seasoned and very experience grouse dog and we all saw "it" click in the pup. She found out why we were in the woods and what her role was and from that point on, knew that she would come into her own. She pointed a few on her own which were confirmed by the older dog and we had a hoot watching the excitement of this little pup (about a year old.) 2 days of hard hunting, I shot one and missed to others. My buddy shot one each day. Tough walking, hard hunting but had a blast.

Bill

how dare you hunt in my area

[JIM K]

Spoulman,
In reality we have more Grouse than most people think, however because of our massive predator problems here in Pa, the Grouse are very spooky to keep them alive. The past two seasons on the northen tier have been very very good as far as Grouse numbers go, Ken one of our new Grouse hunters from Ohio, was along to witness a hugh Covert and take his 1st Grouse. When you can still witness 15 Grouse in the air all at the same time, fire your gun and 8 - 10 more take flight from just over the hill side, there are still Grouse on the Pa northern tier. Its a heck of a big forest here however, and when the Grouse spread out over these kind of mountains, it takes a good Grouse dog to repetatively set them up for their masters gunning. Our point and flush averages about 2.8 Grouse per hour over the season. We will however never have the Grouse numbers Pa once had in the 1800's, when my Grandfather got to hunt 10 Grouse a day, in that era they shot every flying predator on sight, to assure their Grouse numbers would be high, until Pa puts hunting limits back on flying predators, there is no way our Grouse numbers will ever retrun to the place they once were, no matter how fantatic the habitat becomes.

RGD/Dave

Daisy presenting Ken with his 1st Grouse

i agree dave,hawks/owls need to go.