It was one of those perfect upland moments. The ruffed grouse flushed from the wild grapes with Callie, my English springer spaniel, snapping at its tail feathers. As those panicked wing beats broke the stillness of the afternoon, I planted my feet, shouldered my shotgun, and pulled the trigger just as the bird cleared the tangle. It was a smooth, instinctive motion and, at the shot, the grouse folded in a puff of feathers. Seconds later, the dog brought it to hand.
For a grouse hunter, it doesn’t get any better than that. Moving a bird from its cover and taking it cleanly on the wing is the pinnacle of our sport. But, to do this consistently, season after season, an upland hunter needs to learn a thing or two along the way. Here are a few strategies that work for me.
Learn to Recognize Good Cover
Some hunters seem to have a sixth sense about where the grouse are. This isn’t magic but rather the culmination of years of experience, observation, and a working knowledge of what the birds need. These guys are constantly reading about grouse habitat and lore; they take note of wherever they hear drumming in the spring. They know that good grouse cover holds food and provides protection from predators — if it is near an evergreen stand or gravel so much the better.
Take a page from these hunters. Every time you or your dog move a bird, have a good look around after the smoke has cleared —you’ll see a pattern soon enough. Study grouse biology at home; carry field guides when you hunt; learn to recognize common grouse foods in your area. After a while you’ll develop that sixth sense too.
Keep a Log
Every serious grouse hunter I know keeps a hunting log. Some maintain elaborate leather-bound journals in which they detail particulars of the hunt such as the date, cover, number of flushes, dog work, weather, harvest, and crop contents of the birds. Other keep it simple, by marking covers on their handheld GPS. Either way, the hunter is reminded of the places that produced grouse last season.
Do this consistently and it won’t take many seasons before you have a bevy of early, mid, and late season options. The more options you have, the better your chance of having a grouse dinner.
Break Some Clay
Over the course of a season, few of us get enough shots at grouse. So it only stands to reason that a hunter ought to make the most of each opportunity. I do this by honing my shotgunning skills in the off-season. Skeet, trap, or sporting clays keep a hunter sharp so that mounting and swinging his scattergun becomes second nature. You’ll still miss —grouse have a way of humbling everyone —but you’ll also make some shots that you might not have without the off-season practice. It just takes a few of these to turn a mediocre season into a great one.
Don’t Forget the Dog Days
Spring and summer are tailor-made for training your dog. Despite this, few of us take advantage of the opportunity. Instead, we expect our dogs to work flawlessly on opening day and we’re actually surprised when that doesn’t happen.
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