Wild Birds in the Southeast?

[Cptmorgan177]

I live in N. GA. Where are the closest wild birds to hunt? I think MO might be my best bet, but I figured this is the best place to get advise.
Thank you

[Stoneface]

I live in Missouri and this weekend is the first time I've seen a wild bird in the state in about three years. I imagine we've got about as much of a population as the southern states. Just seem like birds are down all over. I would like to hit Arizona and try for some dessert quail, I hear if you can brake them up they hold real well.

[MO_GSP]

Doesn't Georgia have a decent population? If not Florida? Theres a few birds in MO but not sure its your best bet

[Johng918]

Doesn't Georgia have a decent population? If not Florida? Theres a few birds in MO but not sure its your best bet

North Florida has a couple WMA with a decent population of quail.

http://myfwc.com/media/2158177/Apalachicola-Quail.pdf
http://myfwc.com/media/2158210/Hutton.pdf

[bwjohn]

I don't know how far MO is for you, but you could hop on I75 and just keep going north to MI. I have an uncle that drives form North east Tn to the Northeast every year to hunt (VT, NH or ME).

[Mountaineer]

I would look in portions of Pennsylvania.

[JIM K]

I would look in portions of Pennsylvania.

pa grouse are not as it looks on birds.
i live in heart of grouse hunting ,clinton county and i was out 3 times to train whiskers on grouse and SAW NONE this month and season is not even in yet.
i even had to ask dcnr where they saw grouse.they were not too helpful.
survey stated,1.3 flushes per hr in BEST grouse area in state.
i can tell you of MANY days i never saw grouse and others i only saw 1 grouse.
never more than 3 per day in last few years .that is not very often.

hunting pressure is very bad .
hawks,owls are bad.
habitat is awful for grouse.
those 3 are causing grouse to be very scare.

i was out today for 3 hrs and NEVER SAW GROUSE.
i know good areas too.
so do ALL BIRD DOG HUNTERS.

grouse have been trying to come back but without those 3 above being put in check, i see no increase in grouse.

anyone would like to go with me in BEST grouse area of pa, drop me PM.YOU WILL SEE VERY FEW GROUSE.

[Mountaineer]

That's .....interesting.

I would suggest that NC Pa. is reasonably good grouse country these days tho, as with most areas, knowledge and experience of dog and man can be a determiner of success.
Pa has a better hold on habitat than many areas in the Apps, timbering is occurring, the PGC has slammed their deer herd which was slamming the early successional and Pa. has tough enough terrain that late-ish season hunter additivity is reduced.
Pennsylvania simply has benefits far beyond other states in the central and southern appalatchians.
Raptors are an issue across the range.....effect varies and depends most upon the strength of the grouse population, and in Pa....on the time of the migration down the spine of the Apps.

But, I expect you have dissuaded some hunters James.

[Britts522]

There are some wma's down around Dublin and Eastman that had birds on them a few years ago.

[JIM K]

That's .....interesting.

I would suggest that NC Pa. is reasonably good grouse country these days tho, as with most areas, knowledge and experience of dog and man can be a determiner of success.
Pa has a better hold on habitat than many areas in the Apps, timbering is occurring, the PGC has slammed their deer herd which was slamming the early successional and Pa. has tough enough terrain that late-ish season hunter additivity is reduced.
Pennsylvania simply has benefits far beyond other states in the central and southern appalatchians.
Raptors are an issue across the range.....effect varies and depends most upon the strength of the grouse population, and in Pa....on the time of the migration down the spine of the Apps.

But, I expect you have dissuaded some hunters James.

what i am seeing is the springs nesting and habitat ,predators all affect grouse.hunting pressure, boy is hunting pressure on the grouse.
i havew friends that do better on grouse in potter/elk county vrs my home, clinton county.
so, my report is CLINTON.

trust me, i dont see a lot of grouse but i do a LOT of hunters.

[Mountaineer]

what i am seeing is the springs nesting and habitat ,predators all affect grouse.hunting pressure, boy is hunting pressure on the grouse.
i havew friends that do better on grouse in potter/elk county vrs my home, clinton county.
so, my report is CLINTON.

trust me, i dont see a lot of grouse but i do a LOT of hunters.

I see from another board that your SM has never gotten into ruffed grouse before...and many of us do not have sufficient populations of birds to hunt off our back porch.
I suggest you hit the better portions of Pennsylvania to gain experience and develop opportunities for all concerned.
Good luck.

[JIM K]

what i am seeing is the springs nesting and habitat ,predators all affect grouse.hunting pressure, boy is hunting pressure on the grouse.
i havew friends that do better on grouse in potter/elk county vrs my home, clinton county.
so, my report is CLINTON.

trust me, i dont see a lot of grouse but i do a LOT of hunters.

I see from another board that your SM has never gotten into ruffed grouse before...and many of us do not have sufficient populations of birds to hunt off our back porch.
I suggest you hit the better portions of Pennsylvania to gain experience and develop opportunities for all concerned.
Good luck.

i go aLL OVER. i dont work anymore so i get to hunt about 4 days a week.
2 best grouse countys are 1 hr away from me, ELK/POTTER.

so i know what is HAPPENING.
some dont like to hear this but i have 46 YRS doing it.
out after work and saturdays over those years and went on 3rd trick so i could HUNT.

not many like me that you can talk too to get TRUTH of what is out there.
DONT BELIEVE WORD THE PGC TELLS YOU.


you are right,whiskers is only 5 months.
we did get into 2 grouse this morning at 6;30 am.we ROAD TRAINED today. it took 18 miles too find those grouse of riding roads.
that is where you will find grouse at that time NOT BACK IN WOODS.
now, saturday i may see 5 grouse, who knows or nothing riding.

anyone that would like too can PM me on TRUTH of what is happening or tell me what they see in county they hunt.

i have 2 friends that hunt together for grouse .their GSP are real good.
they did get 36 grouse last year but they covered 5 countys and took 2 weeks vacation and hunted the winter months for grouse.
they flushed 51 grouse.

i know some ILLEGAL road hunters and they got about same for 5 months of daily hunting, yes they ride roads DAILY all illegal aND ARE NOT ALONE.
road hunting is putting bigtime hurt on grouse that are left.

jim

[Mountaineer]

...not many like me that you can talk too to get TRUTH of what is out there.
DONT BELIEVE WORD THE PGC TELLS YOU....

It's becoming like the alcohol Everclear, that I use to clean my pipes.
The PGC does a fine job, much better than any surrounding state DNR....and with the recent influx of Marcellus cash...Keystoners are lucky, if they would only look.
PGC hatred is badly misplaced...as was the failed lawsuit against the PGC a few years ago by the deer boys in the USoP.

Grouse in the Apps face many issues...Pennsylvania tho is a swell place, comparably, for them and for grouse hunters.
I have hunted ruffed grouse since '64'....they are often found along roads picking grit....they move a bit during the day but anywhere sunlight hits the floor can offer them much of what they require.
Road hunters?...very small factor of decline.
Considering the totality of your comments, it sounds as if you have been buying into the Buehner BS re ruffed grouse management.

Ruffed grouse are not everywhere in Pennsylvania....nor should they be as they are smarter than that.

[JIM K]

buehner in fact said i was WRONG on hunting pressure affecting grouse.
so, he is my friend but we disagree too.
years ago you seldom seen a dog with grouse hunter in my area of pa.
NOW you see 2 or 3 and they are hunting SAME spots as other hunters HUNT daily.
we just dont have habitat to offer great grouse hunting if we have hunters killing grouse in there.i agree with you,GROUSE ARE IN SPOTS. bird hunters KNOW this and they WILL clean them out.
i pass on grouse all the time to save them BUT in comes others and shoot EVERYTHING.
there is no way grouse hunting is great in pa.

i saw great days.
PGC ays, 1.3 flushes per hr.
trust me, there are days you dont see grouse at all. most i have seen in many years is about 3 flushes here in clinton county and that is GREAT DAY.that is grouse that are broke away fro the mother NOT first week together with mom thing.

MOST OF PICS YOU SEE WITH GROUSE HUNTERS WILL BE FIRST WEEK OF GROUSE. :roll:
they are shooting the young of year grouse.
during this time you can flush 5 grouse in one spot. they are still with mom.
guess what most hunters do. THEY KNOW THIS, THEY TAKE THEIR VACATIONS THAT WEEK. ALL SHOTS ARE WITHIN 15 YDS.very easy to clean grouse out. young ones dont even know how to get away,they fly a little bit land and are shot.
lot shot on GROUND.ROAD HUNTERS go full blast this week also.

but go out after young ones break away from mom and see how many grouse flush and how many are left.

not being smart to you but i know my grouse hunting, not perfect but years i said at it and days i hunt, getting info from other hunters like you and buehner, i really have good info to offer.

if 2 things are not addressed ,IN MY OPINION. getting rid of hawks/owls and reduce the kills to 1 grouse per hunter per day and up fines for road hunting grouse lazy ones, things will not get better.



its one thing to say, OH WE HAD 1.3 FLUSHES PER HR BUT HOW MANY ARE LEFT? HOW MANY OF THOSE FLUSHES WAS SAME GROUSE.

we have deer hunters that count same deer 3 times and say they SAW LOTS OF DEER,ha.

take care jim k renovo,pa clinton county.

[Mountaineer]

I was referring to raptor focus and PGC suspicion re Beans....not his mistaken view regarding late season additivity with grouse low on a decline curve.

The reason you see grouse hunters is...grouse.

Pennsylvania has great habitat....just not as much as previously or as I and others would selfishly prefer....in areas well beyond Pa.
Pa. grouse numbers, as with many areas, were unnaturally high at one time based upon timber harvest, etc.
Times have changed and returning is never going to happen...nor should it.

Hunters can negatively impact grouse in late season by displacement...not only by shooting them.
It all depends upon the strength of the local population.

Reduction to bag limits is one of the poorest ways to try and help the ruffed grouse.
Wasting WCO time in trying to catch and prosecute road hunters is another.
Changing a federal law protecting raptors is as foolish and wasteful and is equaL to both of the previous suggestions put together.
Those type suggestions are part of the ruffed grouse problems...not part of the stabs at practical solutions.

I would agree that grouse can be easy targets at times and I know deer hunters skirmish line the woods and leases after deer season putting a hurt on the birds as does their deer feeders feeding the nest predators(Yes, I know Pa. has laws re shooting deer over bait, etc.)...still, food is being offered to raccoons far and wide.
With all that. Pa. is not the ruffed grouse graveyard you are implying...to...any...degree!

[JIM K]

i was out today and saw NO BIRDS in clinton county.
i will make report everytime i go out.
guess what? i was not alone also.

habitat i was in today was best i have seen in years.
it is privateland with berrie bushes.

did you know the DCNR has orders out to cut down all the berrie bushes they see? i could go on but that start.

[Mountaineer]

Road sightings have never been a solid method for evaluation of ruffed grouse populations....in fact, they are a poor method.

"Berrie" bushes....depends upon the berry bush, of course.
One of the worst invasives are the bush honeysuckle varietals that have exploded in degree in Pennsylvania and the area.....terrible stuff with bright red berries critters eat.
I would hope every bush honeysuckle was killed...far worse an invasive, imo, than multiflora rose....I believe all varieties are allelopathic as well.
It is clear there is a good bit of misunderstanding on your part on many ruffed grouse/habitat issues along with the sorry attitude re the PGC or DCNR.
Proper forest management is not a simple or simplistic endeavor and is best when it is applied with all the diversity found within a forest's borders in mind...not just the ruffed grouse.

Hope you had a nice drive regardless.

[luke0927]

Where are you at Im around Dawsonville, WMA's down south are hit or miss, as you know most land is managed for deer and turkeys.

[Cptmorgan177]

Where are you at Im around Dawsonville, WMA's down south are hit or miss, as you know most land is managed for deer and turkeys.

I'm in Ringgold, but know dawsonville well, my son was born in Dahlonega. I do wish the GA would do more for birds on WMA land.

[Melvin4730]

I live right on the Forsyth/Dawson County line, in Cumming, GA. I live right off of Highway 369.