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Anybody up grouse hunting yet??


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Just looking for a few reports out of the area for numbers and the status of the leaf coverage still. Anybody get out for the opener??

Thanks-

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Still lots of cover in the woods. Give it a week or two and then you will be more able to see down low. Now if you have a real good dog...well lets just say that there are birds a plenty...just too much cover still.

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I know that they say numbers are up but I am sure not seeing it up here. Maybe once the leaves drop they will be easier to find but right now they seem kind of scarce.

Duckster

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We were up in the Crane lake area over the past weekend and in my opinion there are less birds this year. Very disappointing to say the least.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Nitroant, spoke to hunters over the weekend, still lots of cover, leaves have turned and beginning to thin now. Lots of rain as of late, ground cover needs a heavy frost to knock down growth. guts

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Fish are not biting, so we went to the birds. We did ok, they seem to be jumping early, but we did get some birds. Leaves are 70% up, but they are falling fast.

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my father in law got two birds a week ago and we werent really even hunting. we just had the gun along in case while out looking over the deer stand. didnt seem to be the numbers that were anticipated going into the year. maybe the snow flurries will scare the leaves off the trees today and tomorrow.

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The snow (about a 1/4") and wind today did do a number on the leaves. Pretty soggy out there!

Heard mixed success Sunday thru today. Guess most grouse are running scared - been shot at a time or two. I still see the occassional dummy standing in the middle of the road.

I think that the forcast for grouse was inflated too. Still enuf to go around tho...maybe more now that the fall weather is really here.

LIS

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I have been averaging twice a week on hunting forays for Grouse. I do not believe that Grouse numbers are up in this area. I hunt with a dog, and I am not getting the number of flushes this year that I got last year. I also have seen twice as many hunters in my area this year versus last year, which could explain why I am hearing and seeing fewer flushes. The leaves on the trees are about 80-85% gone, but the low bushes still hold 50% of their leaves. Another week to 10 days will greatly improve that situation.

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Numbers are up just north of Duluth. However the numbers are definately down around the Kabetogama, Orr, International Falls area. I believe the numbers were certainly inflated somewhat. Just because the drumming numbers were up 40% across the state doesn't mean that numbers will be up all together. As you all well know there is predator involvement, not necessarily on adult birds either. Nest predators such as squirrels and skunks drastically effect brood humbers. I also don't think that the conditions were ideal for brood success either. In either case it's always worth it to go out and enjoy the fall weather, or in this case early winter!

Take Care Guys!

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
    • leech~~
      As I get older it's really not just about sending bullets down range.  Some of it's just the workmanship of the gun and the wow factor. The other two guns I have really wanted which I'll never have now because of their price, is a 8mm Jap Nambu and 9mm German Luger.   Just thought they always looked cool!  
    • jim curlee
      I had a guy hit me with a lightly used 1969 BAR, he wanted $1650 with an older Leupold scope. More than I think they are worth, I made an offer, he declined end of story.   You know if you look at the old brochures, a grade II BAR sold for $250 in the late 60s, $1650 would be a good return on your investment.    Why would anybody want a 50 year old gun, they are heavy, have wood stocks, and blued metal.  I guess mainly to keep their gun safes glued to the floor. lol   You can probably buy a stainless rifle that you never have to clean, with a synthetic stock you never have to refinish, is as light as a feather, and for half as much money, perfect.   I'm too old for a youth gun, although I've shrunk enough that it would probably fit. lol   No Ruger 10/44s.   Jim      
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