Grouse?

[Gill-T]

Anyone seeing??  What cover are they in???  Went out sat. and got a fat zero on flushes despite 3 hunters and 2 dogs. Tons of berries and apples present.  Frustration continuing from last years dismal showing.

[Kevin J Legg]

I've hunted three times this week and haven't flushed a grouse but we have flushed many woodcock and taken 7. As you said plenty of apples, berries and wild grapes but I didn't hear many drumming this spring and have only jumped a couple putting up tree stands. I also have seen very few traveling the back roads. Perhaps the wet summer had an affect, as there seems to be fewer young turkey also. The last several years numbers seem to be way down.

[ray koziatek]

thornapples good for grouse bad for dogs paws

[Kevin J Legg]

Hunted Fort Drum yesterday and saw one grouse in the road and flushed one that my brother shot. Also jumped a few woodcock and got one of them.

[Gill-T]

Kevin, what was in their crop?  what type of cover was the bird flushed from

[BLOCKHEAD]

grouse \ woodcock are where you find them. think grouse eat 200+ items? haven' t made it out for grouse yet. my friend moved a few. hard to come by, extra jumpy this year. he's been hunting allegheny county. 1 per hour avg. hot weather, thick cover hasn' t helped. how are the ticks on drum? 

[Gill-T]

Desperately trying to get my dog's mouth on one.  We did the youth Pheasant hunt this morning.  Tinkerbelle hand delivered four fat, slow flying cocks to the kid I am mentoring........whole lot'o shooting and no hitting.  Fun thou.

[Kevin J Legg]

There are always some ticks on the dog after hunting. The grouse had purple berries and green leaves in it's crop. Flushed the bird along an edge of thorn apples.

[dukhnter8]

Was up in Barnes Corners area this past weekend and flushed a bunch of grouse at least 3-4 per day. Found crab apples in one and purple berries (arrowwood maybe) in the other. Seemed like most were in or near alders or swampy areas near good grouse cover. The hot weather sucked and was rough on the dog.

[Miss em]

Just checked one of my spots in Central NY a had 10 flushes in an hour and 15 minutes.  At least 8 different birds.  Love to tell you what was in their crop but never had a good shot at any of them.  Tully area.

[BLOCKHEAD]

thats crazy, my covers are lucky to give up 2 flush per hour. first ticks ive found in years.

[Miss em]

Checked a couple of my other good spots last Saturday and never had a flush.  Was hoping that CNY was crawling with them everywhere!  Not so_.

[Miss em]

Checked on my good spot today for the first time since before deer season.  Lucked in to the mother lode again.  14 flushes in less than an hour and a half.  I would say 10 different birds.  Connected on the only good shot I had.  Amazing how they fly out in the open when you are in the brush and can't shoot and how they fly in the cover when you are in the open, ready, and good to go.  The one I had had apple buds in his crop. 

[Miss em]

Blundered into a couple today.  These two were full of the little purple wild grapes.

 

Edited January 12, 2014 by Miss em

[Gill-T]

Nice Jeff, looks like some young-of-the-year birds?  Need some thaws here in WNY to get the birds out of the pine trees and into the coverts.

[Miss em]

They were Gill-T.  The warm weather definitely spread them back out a bit.  They had been hanging tight to the pines in this spot when it was cold.