GA and NC Grouse

[grant]

I'm researching areas to hunt grouse in GA and NC this year... Anyone interested in hooking up for some grouse hunting this season?

[grant]

guess not?

[volraider]

Come to Tn and I will take you to a couple of spots.

[Anaconda Pintler]

Grant I would love to hook up with you and do a little grouse hunting, I have a great woodcock spot as well. I have been to N GA a few times with mixed results did well a few times and not so well the others let me know maybe we can work it out. I think Rick and Brenda have some secret areas maybe they will spill their info!

[MillerClemsonHD]

Im willing to travel to NC or GA don't think we have anything to speak of here in SC really. Don't know if my pup will be ready but her seeing some wild birds would be great for her and who knows maybe she will hold a few to be shot.

[grant]

Do you know any of the Chandlers in Greenville?

[brookzee]

souds like fun!! i have a friend from birmingham that has hunted grouse in nc for about 3 years now,he goes with a native hat has hunted them for 20 years, maybe he could get us in the general area. i'll call him later.i also remember an issue of GON earlier this year, a man got a three bird limit last year in georgia.
i would love to go.pm me.
jason

[vols fan]

would love to ,went a few times last year .really enjoyed it .saw more bear than grouse. i'm in Gainesville. Tony

[luke0927]

Grant im in north Central GA i would love to get together with you or a couple GA folks and do some hunting...grouse, quail, doesn't matter to me.

[edondero]

Doug, if you're going I wanna go too!

Don't know where to go, Grant, but Lacey and I will join.

[Georgia Boy]

I live in North West Georgia and would be interested in getting together with some folks and doing some hunting with my pup. I will be in South Dakota the second week in November. Other than that I am pretty much open.

[grant]

Here are some links for research...

http://www.georgiawildlife.org/document ... ry=hunting

http://www.huntingmag.com/small_game/ruffs_111004/

http://www.gon.com/article.php?id=99

[jhoughton]

Let me know when you want to go out and try it again...I haven't had any luck finding good habitat in N. GA, but always enjoy a walk in the woods with dogs. I really miss seeing 20-30 birds/day up in NH.

[grant]

Jay, was wondering when you were going to join in!

[bobman]

its a days drive (about 15 hours) to central wisconsin which has lots of grouse on tons of public land and is flat.

The only time I ever see grouse in NGA is when I'm deer hunting up in the mountains, its not worth it IMO.

[Anaconda Pintler]

Well then bobman maybe you could share us where you deer hunt and we can go search for the grouse that you are seeing!

[bobman]

the only grouse in Ga...no way that would be like killing the last passenger pigeon, come to think of it that would probably be easier to find

[Bill Cunningham]

Based on a few years experience, you need to be content to enjoy a crisp winter day, lots of strenuous walking, companionship with the dogs, and VERY little killing to hunt Ruffs in northern Ga. Habitat continues to dwindle with <1% of the 750,000 acres of the Chattahoochee National Forest less than 10 years old. Hopefully, the habitat situation will improve in the coming years. The USFS has some projects in the pipeline but if the next administration takes a dim view of management, all bets are off.

The Georgia RGS chapter conducts a drumming survey every April for DNR and DNR maintains a hunter statistics report. The success rate of the most knowledgeable and hardest walkers with some very good grouse dogs is around one flush every two hours. Feel free to E-mail me and I can send you the RGS/DNR survey statistics.

If you go, find north and east facing slopes above at least 2,000 feet elevation. More elevation is always better. Then look somewhere between Cartersville and Clayton.

North Carolina, being in a more conservative Federal Court District than Georgia and without as much activism from the anti-tree harvest contingent (Georgia Forest Watch, Sierra Club, Georgia Wildlife Federation, Wilderness Society, et al) has had more timber harvest in recent years. It’s a little further north and higher in elevation which also helps. The extra 30-40 miles and out of state license might make a difference.

If you are interested, we have plenty of slots open for officers in the Ga. RGS chapter. We are pretty burned out after several years of banquets and activism.

To Bobman’s concern, I am not worried about shooting the last of them, there will still be breeding stock in the cliffs and ivy thickets safe from hunters.

Thanks for allowing me to vent.

Bill
Ex-President, Ga. RGS Chapter.


Georgia

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Wisconsin

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[briguyz71]

Hey Grant,
Count me in. Let me know when your ready to go.
Brian

[natetnc]

last minute decision to try this tomorrow, first hunt of the season, wooo hoooo! hopefully we will find a few birds but i am sure this will be more of an exercise as my knowlege of grouse hunting is limited. i will be looking for the basics tomorrow, food/N-NE slopes/5-12yo cuts. guess i better get to bed

[luke0927]

how did you do?

[natetnc]

skunked heading to coal country tomorrow

[JFS]

There was an article in the AJC today by Jimmy Jacobs on GA grouse hunting. Sounds like a challenge. Average number of hours hunted per grouse harvested: 29.