Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

Grouse anyone


sparetime

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 101
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • tybo

    8

  • jparrucci

    5

  • tacklejunkie

    5

  • titelines

    5

Spent two hours this morning with 2 dogs in good grouse woods and we had ZERO contact. I did see a dead one on the highway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Leaves are still green up here in the lake vermilion area. Spent the morning in the woods and the afternoon driving. Saw two on roads. ZERO birds moved in the woods. Not a good start.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went hunting with my son in two areas yesterday. No grouse heard or sighted in a private spot near mille lacs wildlife management area. Hunted for an hour or so there after a morning squirrel hunt. Saw a coyote, a doe, forkhorn buck and 5 turkeys. Flushed two woodcock, but they are safe for another week. Hunted our private land near Mahtowa for about 2 hours. We flushed a dozen young birds in a covey and they played with us for a while after initially bagging two of them. Some of the birds helped us out by drumming a lot. Got some shooting and had a blast, but there are several miles between groups of birds. Seems like you are either into them or u definitely are not. The going was very rough, as is usually the case on opening weekend. The area we found birds in was a low cedar swamp near the edge of a clearcut. Most were on the ground, but some were hanging in the trees above. We got out of the woods minutes before a significant downpour. The woods seemed completely devoid of birds until we ran into that one covey. Funny thing was, I had just told my son that when we will likely find of bunch of them together if we do find one, when they all busted out!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gave it another go this morning. Flushed one and whiffed on an easy shot. Dogs were both locked on the bird which was good to see

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know early reports usually spell out how a season will go. I have a feeling my annual October trip to Ely will be a lonely one...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tried a few spots in Pine county yesterday and didn't see or hear a single grouse. Did see a bunch of turkeys and a few deer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hunted several areas yesterday. Flushed 2 and shot 1. No other grouse or woodcock flushes. Heard only 2 other shots. Kind of a dismal start but things always get better as the leaves come down.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hunted the Beltrami State Forest yesterday with no luck. Didn't even see a bird. Put on quite a few miles scouting 2 weeks prior and didn't see any either. Another guy I spoke to out there saw 2 and had a shot at one, but didn't bag any.

Last opener 2 of us shot 7 and had many other opportunities. Yes it's early, but based on a year ago, this season might be tough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hunted hard from sunrise till 3pm on saturday in an area that was very productive last year. I saw 0 grouse and a half dozen woodcock. Pretty discouraging.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had 4 grouse points and 5 wc points Saturday morning with my 2 setters. I moved a few broods and estimated 10-12 grouse plus the 5 wc. My hunting partner and his wife only moved two birds in a different area. I missed one and bagged 1 over those 4 points. This was in just over two hours so I was pretty happy. On two of the grouse points I couldn't see the flushed birds due to the thick cover. On Sunday we moved a brood of birds but my partner and his wife missed a few times and I never fired a shot. We moved around 6 birds Sunday and saw a few broods of 5-6 birds along the side of the road.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the update. Hopefully things will get better as the leaves start to change. It will be my son's first year coming along. He is pretty excited about it. I'll have to explain the grouse cycle to him before we go.

I honestly don't care if I get one or not. Late September early October are great time to be outside. We will be tent camping, so I have to try and go as early as possible to avoid really cold overnight temps and be late enought to get some leaves on the ground, or at least dried up some.

Bemidji, Ely, Grand Rapids, Isabella - all destinations are currently being considered.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hunting 3 hours Saturday and had zero flushes but we got a bit of a workout so it was still good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 guys with a dog 4 hrs on sat. and Sun. near Moose Lake. Never seen or flushed a grouse. Did see ALOT of cocks. I may not spend much time on grouse this year. Just fun to be out though. Turkey population is in fine shape......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Keep the reports coming guys!!! I LOVE this time of year. I can only afford to take one weekend for grouse this year, and I opted for October 11th. I'm gonna miss shooting at the September dummies, but hopefully we will see more in October.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't hunted yet this year, but I spent every wkd all summer in northeast mn. Saw a grand total of 3 groups of little ones. Bleak would be my guess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't been out yet but those I've talked to all say the same thing. It appears the cycle is on the low end.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spent a couple of hours chasing ruffs and sharps on Sat. and Sunday. We moved a total of 25 birds (7 ruffs) and bagged 7. A couple of the birds had almost no tail feathers past pinning stage. Hoping it's an indication of possibly a 2nd hatch, or a late hatch which could be our saving grace...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't been out yet, but plan to take my little boy out this weekend. We live a few miles away from Beltrami State Forest and I jumped a covey of 4 partridge behind my garage yesterday when doing yard work - so that's a good sign I guess.

Still a lot of cover up here, but it's getting cold at night now, so shouldn't be long and we'll be dropping leaves.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Southwest of Remer. Saturday AM 3 hours 0 flushes,Sunday PM 3 hours 0 flushes. Last year 6 birds on opener. Still have 3 months to find them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hunted around Hill City. Talked to 6 guys on Saturday, they saw a total of 0 birds. Talked to another guy Sunday, same report. I didn't even hear a bird get up all weekend. Pretty dismal. Heading out tonight around Park Rapids, can't be any worse right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

By McGregor, our group saw about 15-20 sharpies and got 10. Did just a little grouse hunting and had 2 flushes with nothing in the bag, although a guy with us who wasnt really hunting did get one off the trail.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's a good sharpie hunt, Cody. Bummer to hear it, as those birds are struggling so badly. Nonetheless, I bet it was a blast!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know what you are saying. They limit it to 1 hunt per year. Local population levels havent changed that much over the years. After talking to them, I felt better about it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • mulefarm
      With the early ice out, how is the curlyleaf pondweed doing?
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   The big basin, otherwise known as Big Traverse Bay, is ice free.  Zippel Bay and Four Mile Bay are ice free as well.  Everything is shaping up nicely for the MN Fishing Opener on May 11th. With the walleye / sauger season currently closed, most anglers are targeting sturgeon and pike.  Some sturgeon anglers are fishing at the mouth of the Rainy River, but most sturgeon are targeted in Four Mile Bay or the Rainy River.  Hence, pike are the targeted species on the south shore and various bays currently.   Pike fishing this time of year is a unique opportunity, as LOW is border water with Canada, the pike season is open year round. The limit is 3 pike per day with one being able to be more than 40 inches. All fish 30 - 40 inches must be released. Back bays hold pike as they go through the various stages of the spawn.  Deadbait under a bobber, spinners, spoons and shallow diving crankbaits are all viable options.   Four Mile Bay, Bostic Bay and Zippel Bay are all small water and boats of various sizes work well. On the Rainy River...  Great news this week as we learned sturgeon will not be placed on the endangered species list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.     The organization had to make a decision by June 30 and listing sturgeon could have ended sturgeon fishing.  Thankfully, after looking at the many success stories across the nation, including LOW and the Rainy River, sturgeon fishing and successful sturgeon management continues.   A good week sturgeon fishing on the Rainy River.  Speaking to some sturgeon aficionados, fishing will actually get even better as water temps rise.     Four Mile Bay at the mouth of the Rainy River near the Wheeler's Point Boat Ramp is still producing good numbers of fish, as are various holes along the 42 miles of navigable Rainy River from the mouth to Birchdale.   The sturgeon season continues through May 15th and resumes again July 1st.   Oct 1 - April 23, Catch and Release April 24 - May 7, Harvest Season May 8 - May 15, Catch and Release May 16 - June 30, Sturgeon Fishing Closed July 1 - Sep 30, Harvest Season If you fish during the sturgeon harvest season and you want to keep a sturgeon, you must purchase a sturgeon tag for $5 prior to fishing.    One sturgeon per calendar year (45 - 50" inclusive, or over 75"). Most sturgeon anglers are either a glob of crawlers or a combo of crawlers and frozen emerald shiners on a sturgeon rig, which is an 18" leader with a 4/0 circle hook combined with a no roll sinker.  Local bait shops have all of the gear and bait. Up at the NW Angle...  A few spots with rotten ice, but as a rule, most of the Angle is showing off open water.  In these parts, most are looking ahead to the MN Fishing Opener.  Based on late ice fishing success, it should be a good one.  
    • leech~~
      Nice fish. I moved to the Sartell area last summer and just thought it was windy like this everyday up here? 🤭
    • Rick G
      Crazy windy again today.... This is has been the norm this spring. Between the wind and the cold fronts, fishing has been more challenging for me than most years.  Panfish have been moving in and out of the shallows quite a bit. One day they are up in the slop, the next they are out relating to cabbage or the newly sprouting lilly pads.  Today eye guy and I found them in 4-5 ft of water, hanging close to any tree branches that happened to be laying in the water.  Bigger fish were liking a 1/32 head and a Bobby Garland baby shad.   Highlight of the day way this healthy 15incher
    • monstermoose78
    • monstermoose78
      As I typed that here came a hen.  IMG_7032.mov   IMG_7032.mov
    • monstermoose78
      So far this morning nothing but non turkeys. 
    • monstermoose78
      Well yesterday I got a little excited and let a turkey get to close and I hit the blind!!
    • smurfy
      good......you?? living the dream..in my basement playing internet thug right now!!!!!! 🤣 working on getting the boat ready.......bought a new cheatmaster locator for the boat so working on that.   waiting for warmer weather to start my garden!!!
    • monstermoose78
      How is everyone doing? Holy moly it’s chilly this morning I stayed in bed and will hunt later today when it warms up.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.