Usually it is a thick mix of food and escape cover. I was astonished! A lot of people do that. Absent of aspen, other habitat will work with the right ratios of food and cover. In his best grouse-hunting years during the mid 1980s, Monte recorded nearly 1.5 flushes per hour. Edges of older clearcuts are still prime habitat during January and February, but try to find areas of dense growth combining mountain laurel, rhododendron, ferns and water. Subscribe by Tonight and be in the first summer issue mailing! Certainly a more obscure tradition than bobwhite quail hunting, there is a fascinating culture of grouse hunters in Southern Appalachia that will trek miles for a handful of flushes. I can hear the flush, the shots fired then the dogs scurrying about as my dad yells get in hear! By that time, we were contending with 20-mph gusts, which probably had the birds lying low. When I killed the last one for that season, he congratulated me, and he was proud for me being able to do this. Was there a grouse in that thicket waiting to blow up into the big blue sky beyond the trees? 2023 Georgia Outdoor News. All Rights Reserved. Go Public For Late-Season Mountain Grouse. Finally my dog pointed way up on the side of a mountain that was a straight up climb. Arthur and I both required dogs that would hunt up the steep mountainsides above the creeks and logging roads. Many hunters use programs like Google Maps to find Ruffed Grouse Habitat. I really did get lucky with this dog and he is an absolute joy to hunt with. The thick regrowth will be one of the best spots to find grouse in this region. It took dogs with plenty of get-up in them to hunt up the steep mountainsides above the creeks and logging roads where grouse might be found. Grouse will occupy old farmsteads in the New England area. She was worked on live birds but never hunted anything but grouse. While about 90 percent of Georgia is privately owned, there are still more than 100 wildlife management areas covering about one million acres. This family raised cotton in the summer and hunted quail, known simply as birds, all the winter months. We continued up the steep ridge, watching with racing hearts as Buck sniffed and searched. Climbing mountainsides toting an 8-lb. , do him a favor and start working him like he's got a marathon, well in advance. Arthur was born into a hunting family back in 1923. They seem to be coming back a bit. Another factor that Monte and some other hunters feel is contributing to the population decline in grouse isthe increase in wild turkey populations and the resulting competition for habitat, which is exacerbated by the loss of habitat diversity caused by logging restrictions. In 7 seasons we are approaching the 600 mark on grouse and woodcock. Therefore, growing up in his family, he became a super good snap-shooter on flushing birds. Georgia Game Birds - UPLAND GAME BIRDS A good way to find ruffed grouse in the fall is to walk along transition areas between habitat types. In different times of season, and different times of the day, youll find grouse in specific places doing specific things. Gilreath and Williams creeks in Gaddistown were very special places, and almost all of the Blue Ridge WMAs creek drainages were, too. There were three doubles made in my shooting-straight of 13 grouse killed. I heared yourselfs shooting, and nows heres you are coming back.. I was able to load 12-gauge shells for .95 cents a box of 25. A breeding survey cited in 2007 by the University of Georgias Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources showed that during the mid- 1980s, 1 1/2 flushes per hour was a good day of hunting. Although there were not as many grouse in the 70s as there were in the 60s, there were still a good many grouse, especially if you knew where to hunt. Arthur taught me to always go to a dogs pointsno matter what! Ruffed grouse can be found in a variety of locations spread out all across the continental United States. Soon you will develop an eye for birdy cover. If you hunt a bird dog (is there any other way ?) I dont know how many friends Ive hunted with that would have birds flush in front of them all day and hardly ever shoot. The ultimate goal of the research is to provide recommendations for increasing the grouse population and thereby increase sustainable hunting opportunities in Georgia. There are few kinds of hunting that you can do with so little equipment. Grouse don't just require good habitat, they require a cooler climate. He was brought up shooting live birds from his early boyhood, in a family that realized more income from the quail they shot and then sold than from the cotton they grew. All rights reserved. Pick Your Pockets. After Arthurs retirement from grouse hunting, I was given a young female setter dog by another friend, the late J. D. Davis, of Gainesville. - YouTube I hunted small game in New York during winter (early December 2013). Grouse Facts. 3. If its got one barrel, it needs to choked wide open. The next morning, I decided to go Towns County, and it was cold with snow falling and already on the ground. Arthur wanting to know where I had hunted and all about the hunt. Regardless of gauge it should have at least 1-ounce of 7-1/2s or 8s propelled by a medium game load charge of powder. Its a pretty unique and beautiful area.. Go Public For Late-Season Mountain Grouse. As you head toward the coast, you get into the rolling Piedmont hills and finally to the flat plains of southern Georgia.
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