Scouting for Grouse Hunting

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CTPaul
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Scouting for Grouse Hunting

Post by CTPaul » Wed Apr 16, 2014 3:51 pm

Come fall I'd like to start getting into grouse hunting here in the Northeast. I live in CT so I know my opportunity is small in state but there is always New York within a 2 hr drive. My question is what is the best way to scout locations for birds? What should I be looking for and should I just bring the dog along with me?

Mountaineer
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Re: Scouting for Grouse Hunting

Post by Mountaineer » Wed Apr 16, 2014 4:19 pm

It can depend upon the time of the season and time of day but, in general, early successional is the key in providing both food and cover...look there.
I would also look out for No Hunting signs...they are becoming more abundant.
If there is no illegality involved, take the dog along.
One can request info from either a DNR or touch base with a Corporate entity which creates early successional as a result of doing business...if they allow access, of course.
Finding up-to-date aerial maps can indicate possibilities and joining the RGS could lead to further suggestions.
Some NFs and states actually cut or burn very small sections of forests aging to death...so, that's another avenue to explore.
Basically, walk in areas possessing early successional of a significant measure.

Then, bearing hunter additivity in mind for areas with grouse populations low on a decline curve, take a scattergun with the dog and simply go hunting next Fall.
The birds will be where you find them.
The need to find them to equal success is for you to determine.

Good luck.

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CTPaul
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Post by CTPaul » Thu Apr 17, 2014 5:53 am

Thanks for the response.

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Re: Scouting for Grouse Hunting

Post by fishvik » Thu Apr 17, 2014 8:12 am

Mountaineer wrote: early successional is the key in providing both food and cover...look there
The best way to find early successional is to look for logging activity within the last 10-15 years. It's been 40 years since I grew up in southwestern CT but we used to go up to areas north and east of Danbury.

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bonasa
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Re: Scouting for Grouse Hunting

Post by bonasa » Thu Apr 17, 2014 8:45 am

Early season 10-15 year growth in areas with moisture close by on a south facing area (young birch/aspen/hawthorn/apple/ dogwood/hornbeam/ironwood).Late season thick areas with conifers near trees producing edible catkins (indicator spp 40yr+ aspen).Also check NYSDEC website and check out the breeding bird index survey maps (look at blocks win confirmed breeding) Couple this with time on the ground and you should be fine. Visit now and do drumming stops in likely habitat, revisit in August/September with the dogs and check on broods. put routes together on your best spots. Most covers I have in ny I can walk in 20-30 min, find 6 close together that have resident broods and you will have a good time. Wait until October to check out an area and you may find ruffed grouse elusive to the tune if 1 flush per hour...

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Re: Scouting for Grouse Hunting

Post by Rod W » Thu Apr 17, 2014 1:28 pm

If allowed by law on the land you are on, start now! It is excellent training for the dogs and you will find excellent hunting cover for the fall. The previous posts list the type of cover you will be looking for. Just make sure to stop bringing the dog, well in advance of the nesting time. Talk with the local boys and the wardens.
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bonasa
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Re: Scouting for Grouse Hunting

Post by bonasa » Thu Apr 17, 2014 6:29 pm

When you do find a known covert location, look at it on an aerial photograph. Take note of the aspect slope and what the topography is, then look for similar areas and walk them. They usually appear as a recessed looking, light green (duckweed color)areas defined by sharp edges, such as an area that was logged recently.

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CTPaul
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Post by CTPaul » Thu Apr 17, 2014 6:59 pm

Thanks guys. Some great advice. I'm looking to do as much homework now to improve contact for the dig come fall. I'm going to try and connect with some knowledgeable local folks if I can find them as well. I do have access b to some property in St. Johnsville, NY that I know has resident birds but it's a bit too far for a day trip. Thanks again.

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Re: Scouting for Grouse Hunting

Post by Rod W » Fri Apr 18, 2014 6:19 am

By starting now,( Depending on your laws) you should be able to run some Woodcock also. Our last day here, on state land was the 15th. We pointed/flushed about 8-10 Woodcock and 4-5 grouse, all birds seen to flush wildly on the snow. Everything is shutdown again now, 20 inches of fresh snow on the ground. ARIZONA, NEXT WINTER!!
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Andy
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Re: Scouting for Grouse Hunting

Post by Andy » Fri May 02, 2014 10:21 am

CTPaul, you'll likely have to drive more than 2 hrs from CT to get into decent grouse hunting -- either to NY or VT. Alot of your initial scouting can be done via Google Earth. There's good woodcock hunting on some state lands in CT if you look around -- as everyone has said, look for the young stages of forest growth (<15 yrs since clear cutting or other heavy harvest, saplings the diameter of pingpong balls great for wc, dia of baseball great for grouse, dia of a softball = gone by), also check out periphery of wetlands.
For NY go to http://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/42978.html and click the GE icon next to "DEC Lands". Once the map loads, enter the name of a WMA or state forest (link for list of state lands: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/96031.html), or town of interest into the search box and hit "enter". For example, enter "Partridge Run WMA", hit enter and the map will zoom into the Partridge Run WMA and SF complex. Problem is the land you're interested in is filled pink or green. To get rid of the fill color, right click on the polygon; click "properties" in the pop-up box; a message box will appear "Edit limited to part of Multi Geometry collection" -- click OK; "Edit placemark" box will appear: click the "style, color" tab; click the drop-down menu "Filled+Outlined" and high light "outlined"; click "OK" to close box and now the polygon will just have the outline and not the fill color, so you will be able to see the land, wetlands etc. 2 important tools to use are the zoom (+/-) tool on the right side of the map, and "historical imagery" which can be turned on from the drop-down menu under the "View" tab at the upper left of the screen.
Look for signs of heavy timber harvests such as clear cutting, for instance see the harvested areas just northeast of Fawn Lake and also north of White Birch Pond on Partridge Run WMA; zoom in on a set of cuts, and use the historical imagery tool to see imagery of the same location from earlier years. Doing this you'll find the Fawn Lake cuts were harvested sometime between 1997 and 2006.
Other lands in NY in addition to DEC lands worth looking into are the private lands that are actively managed for timber within the Adirondack park that have access easements (search the web); some NYC DEP lands (limited), and Fort Drum. In VT check out the state WMAs and State Forests, and the Green Mtn NF; again, give a first look via GE, then visit the promising ones on foot any time of year.
Good luck,
Andy

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Re: Scouting for Grouse Hunting

Post by Rod W » Sat May 03, 2014 10:00 am

By getting in the woods now, with or without, your dog, you will also find many drumming males and probably their drumming logs. If you can hear the drummer, you can most likely find his log, it won't be far away. I have 2 drummers just across the road from me, just waiting to lose a little more snow and go find them.
"Democracy dies when the people wanting their government to take care of them outnumber those wanting to take care of themselves!"


We usually learn,, to overcome IGNORANCE,, but STUPIDITY cannot be overcome!!!

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fishvik
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Re: Scouting for Grouse Hunting

Post by fishvik » Mon May 05, 2014 6:56 am

CTPaul, I was amazed at the precip you got last week. My old trout stream, the Saugatuck, was flowing at an all time high for the date and 10 times what it usually flows this time of year. Might want to concentrate on water retrieving for a while :D

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setternewbie
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Re: Scouting for Grouse Hunting

Post by setternewbie » Thu May 08, 2014 11:53 am

as mentioned previously...learning to identify good grouse cover will pay dividends. No substitute for experience and busting a lot of brush. That said, I find that spending some time in the woods hunting turkeys in the spring doubles as a great way to locate grouse. They are active early and drumming a lot. You should find areas that hold some this way. Any time I flush one in the spring they fly slowly away and leave me thinking "wow...I'm coming back here. The grouse here are dumb." only to be humbled again in the fall.

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CTPaul
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Post by CTPaul » Sat May 10, 2014 7:00 am

Thanks again everyone for the responses. With the weather and work travel it's been challenging getting out beyond my short training sessions with the pup but I will get my boots on the ground soon enough.

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Re: Scouting for Grouse Hunting

Post by JIM K » Mon Jun 02, 2014 5:32 pm

locals in my area of pa know where every ruff grouse is.
so best advice i could give is find a local person in area you want to hunt.
thats hard.

grouse that are left in my area of nc pa are very spooky from dogs and predators.
dont expect to get a good shot anymore.
thats good because i hate to see a grouse killed.
just is not many left.

most areas i hunt others dont want you there.
sadly ,MOST of ruff grouse are in certain areas.
so you have heavy hunting pressure.
early oct muzzleloader deer season really hurts ruff grouse here in clinton county,i start in with whiskers and they have grouse spooked from walking in the dark.
usually where deer hunters are is where grouse are......

i dont have good answer other than i spend HOURS in woods year round here in pa and its hard when you have above conditions.

if you had privateland that would be GREAT.

PAULL FULLER WENT TO WISCONSIN, HEARD ABOUT ALL GROUSE.
HE GOT THERE and trucks all over the place.
every ruff grouse dillion TRIED to point wild flushed before he even got close.
so he paid the money and went on privateland so dillion could point a grouse.
same here in pa.
Last edited by JIM K on Mon Jun 02, 2014 6:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Scouting for Grouse Hunting

Post by Mountaineer » Mon Jun 02, 2014 5:47 pm

Nope...in NC Pa. or the UGLs.

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