Ruff Grouse hunting 2017

[h2ofwlr]

So did anyone go last weekend for the opener?

How many per hour did you flush?

Did you get any?

[gimpfinger]

No grouse hunting down here but from what I've seen mushroom hunting all summer there,should be a decent amount of woodcock around.

Team Power Dump

[hobbydog]

I was mostly after sharptails but did get one grouse. It was a very young bird out of a willow clump. Did not see any others. It was very dry but in recent years it has been cool and wet May-June weather. In that flat aspen parkland land, wet springs are hard on grouse. I never put much stock in drumming reports for that area as it really depends on hatch success. I can tell by the end of June what the hunting will be like in the fall. The sharpies I got were all young birds but I only got up one covey up of 5 or more birds. A couple of spots that always holds birds had none.

[h2ofwlr]

On the photo thread in the main forum I saw those photos the other day. I thought that it was pretty skimpy cover for the Ruffs (but had no idea if a heavily willowed/wooded area opposite of the camera view). I kind of figured you were after Sharps as that is the type of cover I have hunted in the past for them.

I remember many years ago (40+-) hunting NE of Fargo, we got up some Pheasants - now that will put a wrinkle in things for hesitation to instantly tell if it's a hen pheasant or a Sharpie when they get up! We actually flushed a Ruff too that same day. A Trifecta. The only thing better would have been flushing a Prairie Chicken too - which would have made a perfect Quadfectra for the day.

[maplelakeduckslayer]

I'd like to try and get a prairie chicken eventually, think itd be a pretty cool mount. Don't hear a lot about them