Nemadji State Forest Grouse

Thursday October 21st

Finishing Up After Dark

I was able to make it up to Nemadji State Forest after work in time to get a couple of hours of grouse hunting in.  I hadn’t hunted these trails in over 5 years but had good luck in years past and was anxious to give it a try.

My initial impression was not favorable as my little backwoods trails are now ATV trails.  Makes for easy walking but with how close this area is to two metro areas I know how much pressure these trails get and the grouse get pushed further back into the cover.  Tina and I walked for about 30 minutes on the ATV trail before we could get to a non-motorized trail.  10 minutes down the trail she went on point.  I missed the first bird but fortunately I connected on a second bird.  This trail died out a short distance later so we turned around and headed back to the main trail.  The trail went through some good looking cover but we weren’t seeing any birds.  We approached an area that bordered some lower wet sections and Tina was going on and off point so I moved in front of her to try to block off the bird.  She continued to work the area but we didn’t find anything.  As I walked back up to the trail a bird got up, two shots, another bird, two more shots, reload another and another bird..... eventually 7 or 8 birds got up and I took 6 or 7 shots and totally missed on them and two of the shots were nice straight away trap style shots.. I was ticked... Tina was wondering what happened as there were no birds on the ground for her to find.  We continued down the trail to where it came out on the main forest road in.

After a short break we started back towards our parking area.  When we got to the spot where I had missed all of the birds we bushwhacked around the area and Tina pointed one on the side of a small hill and this time I was able to complete the task at hand.  After continuing back on the trail without anymore action I knew we were getting to within 5 to 10 minutes of where we had parked and Tina started to get birdy.  I worked my way into the woods to help her out and she get relocating off to my left so I stopped to watch her and I could hear a bird moving to my right.  I could tell that Tina could hear it also as she was looking in the direction of the sound.  I took one step and the bird got up and came back down with one shot.  In about 3 hours of afterwork walking on highly traveled public land we were able to put three birds in the bag.

Sunday October 10th 2010 - Emily Outing Area Grouse Hunting

Just in case you think I only write about my successful hunts.....  Me after getting shut out.

Sunday was looking to be a continuation of the warm days.  It is hard to complain about it being too nice to hunt after missing days the last few years because of rained out weekends.  This was the third day in a row for the heat for myself and Tina.  I decided to let Tina relax at Tony’s cabin.  We were going to hunt the Emily / Outing area today.  I had hunted this area quite a bit 10 years ago but shifted more of my hunting to Ely and Grand Rapids.  We had good success in the years past so I was hopeful of a good showing.  We hunted a number of areas that looked really birdy but only moved three birds for the day.  It was dry and warm and I don’t think we were on the top of our games so I count out this area.

Saturday October 9th Grand Rapids Area Grouse Hunt

Tony, Mark, and Quetico with our bounty.

Saturday was going to be another warm one and this time there would be three of us along with three dogs.  We met for breakfast and hit the woods around 8. The three of us started down the trail and moved a bird or two.  We came to a fork in the trail and I told the tow of them that I’d go into the cut and then work back towards them and try to push a few birds from the thick cover to the trail.  As Tina and I moved back towards the trail she went on point and I was able to harvest the bird and in the process won our $1 pool on the first bird harvested.  After hunting the area for a bit more we started to head back to the truck on the same trail that we headed in on.  Even though we had just worked the trail about an hour earlier we were able to move a few birds and took another one.  As we got about 50 yards from the trucks the dogs started to get birdy and we followed them into the thick cover.  At about 10 yards from the truck and just off the trail we got a nice flush and I was in a position to collect the bird.  The thermometers on the trucks were reading 70 degrees so we decided to take a lunch break.

After lunch we decided to try a different trail.  I left Tina in the truck to rest and recover a bit.  The trail had a lot of nice cover along the sides and we had a few wild flushes.  We were hunting with two GSP’s.  Stone who is 12 mostly stayed on the trail but would venture out into the cover when the scent got strong.  Quetico, who is about 9 months old and just complete is Natural Ability Test with a perfect score, was full of energy and leading the way.  About 2/3 of the way down the trail Tony was able to connect on a bird.   At the end of the trail is a clearing with about 5 island of clutter and trees from when they cleared out the area.  As we worked our way around the area Mark connected on a couple of fast flushers.  I told him earlier in the hunt that he wasn’t doing his share to stimulate the economy by being stingy with his shell usage.  He took the advice to heart and was now shooting and connecting.  After returning to the truck we decided to go back to our original spot and rework it for the evening shoot.  About 15 min into the hunt Tina went on a solid point, I walked in, the bird flushed, and I connect with one shot.  Mark commented “ that is the way it is supposed to work.”  It is nice when it does all come together.  I do like putting birds in the bag as much as the next guy but the real joy comes in watching it all come together for the dogs.  On the way out Tony and Mark were each able to bring in another bird.

It was well into the 70’s during the day and we moved over 30 birds.  Not bad for three people and up to three dogs moving through the woods on public land.

Grand Rapids MN Grouse Hunting - 10/8/2010

Tina and Her Three Birds

Friday was going to be a warm one, it was already 50 degrees by the time I started hunting at 8.  This is the third day that we have hunted this area this season and Tina has started to get a feel for the hotspots.  As we walked in I saw a van parked just a bit farther up the trail from where I parked so I was worried about someone hunting right in front of me. Once I got 10 min up the trail I saw a hunter walking out, he was without a dog so I felt a bit better about our chances. We started to get into birds almost right away. Unfortunately I wasn't able to connect on any of the birds.  This was going to be a theme for the morning. 

We hit all of the usual spots and even a few offshoots from the trail that we normally passed on and continued to see birds and I continued to miss my shots. By the time we walked out three and a half hours later we had moved over 25 birds but hadn't put any into the game bag. 

We took a long lunch and did some driving on some of the local roads to try to find a few more spots to hunt. At about 3:30 we headed back into the woods. It was over 70 degrees by now and I was a bit nervous about hunting Tina in this heat but the hunting area has a lot of mud holes and small ponds that she could keep herself cool. In fact it was one of these small ponds that Tina made the best retrieve that she has made for me. She made a nice point along an edge of small pine trees, I hit the bird and saw it drop but I could also hear it moving. I moved towards the sound as Tina was looking for the downed bird and I could hear the bird reflush across a small pond. Tina saw the bird take off and went after it through the pond and into the cover on the other side. I had given up hope that we would retrieve the bird but as I was about to give up I saw Tina bringing the bird back to me. She brought it back through the pond and right back to me.   I was so excited for her.  We were able to get two more birds that evening and called it a day well before it was too dark to hunt. 

Grouse Hunt - First Weekend Of October - Grand Rapids, MN

Marge and her Friday Grouse

Friday 10/1

I left for Grand Rapids and make it to my hunting spot  around 1 pm.  It was 55 degs with a nice breeze.  There was already a camper in one of the parking spots.  I had a feeling it would be a popular place.  I ended up talking with two different camping groups and they both had been camping in the same spots for over 10 years.  It isn’t like this is a secret spot...  Tina and I hit our usual spots and were able to take a bird.  Marge and I went out and were able to pick up another on a nice point along a swampy edge.  Fergie got to go for her usual short stroll but we didn’t put up any birds.  I took Tina back out for short session before dark and we picked up another grouse and a woodcock.  Saw decent number of birds but didn’t shoot quite as well as I would have liked.

Tina with 5 Grouse From Saturday

Saturday 10/2

We hit the woods at 8 am and there were already the camper plus another SUV parked.    The day started briskly at 35 degs and a nice breeze, a perfect day for dog work.  I started with Tina and we got into birds right away.  Actually too soon as I wasn’t ready for the action to start and missed an easy shot.  We worked our way to a lower area and got a nice point but a blown shot as I was trying to cross a blow down.  Shortly afterwards another point on the edge of some small pines and I was able to connect.  We worked our way to an old tree farm that had a new shooting lane cut by it.  It is tough walking through the area and I usually end up bumping birds out of the other end but this time a young dumb one cooperated and I was able to put another one in the bag.  As we left he tree farm we circled towards an area that had a lot of small cuts so it created a nice area of edge.  We had a wild flush that I wasn’t able to connect on but a second bird stayed around and provided an easier shot over a point that I was able to connect on.  I decided to start my way back to the truck to give Tina a break and to give Marge a chance at some birds.  The grouse gods tempted me with a nice point and an easy shot that I made.  I put Tina on a leash after that as I was hoping not to move anymore birds.  One of the camping groups must have thought I was odd to be walking my dog through the woods on a leash.  I even had to pass on a view easy opportunities as we walked out.  I was hoping that this strategy wouldn’t come to bite me in the butt.  It was 11 am and we should have been filled out.

I took out Marge and we made our way back into the woods.  The birds that had been all too plentiful were not so easily found.  I was also running a bell on Marge so I could keep track of her since she can’t hear me too well any longer.  We went down a trail that bordered a 15 year old clear cut.  I can remember when I could see all the way across the cut.  Now it is too thick to see 10 feet.  Marge had a soft point at the far edge of the area but I didn’t make the shot.  We worked another section of trail that has produced in the past but didn’t even get a soft point out of the area.  We made a turn in the trail back towards the starting point and Marge made a nice point right along the trail and I was able to complete the task and put the bird in the bag.  While walking out we didn’t see any more birds until the last 250 yds before the truck.  We were all done and packed up by 2 pm.  Back into town and dinner at “The Grand Buffet”.  

Sunday morning I woke up with a sore throat and decided to bag hunting as I had a friend that was flying in to go hunting the next weekend and I didn’t want to chance getting sick.

One of the reasons that I may have had a less high shooting percentage over this weekend is that I was switching among three different guns  12 ga semi, 16 ga O/U, and a 20 ga semi.  I like to try different guns just to see what they are like but I am sure it throws off my percentages a bit.

MN Grouse 2010 opener pt 2

Sept 19 MN Grouse Opener - Ely MN

Sunday looked to be another day of nice hunting conditions.  It wasn’t quite as sunny as Saturday but still looked good.

I went straight to the newer spot to give it a shot right off the bat.  I lucked out and no one was parked on the way in yet.  Tina and I started out down the main trail.  Tina went on a nice point within a few minutes and the grouse presented me with an easy shot but I choked and blew it.  Not too far up the trail I has another chance.  This time the point was along the edge of a clear cut.  Three birds got up together and I connected on one that swung to my right.  It took me two shots to bring it down.  I focused on making sure where it went down so I didn’t get any shots off at the other birds.  On the rest of the way out on the trail we didn’t see any other birds but on the way back we were fortunate enough to get another point along some younger cover and I was able to connect through the leaves.

Back at the truck I put Marge on the ground and we set out to try a smaller trail in the area that we hadn’t hunted yet.  The trail wasn’t as well defined so I was hoping that not as many people had hit it yet.  About 15 minutes into the hunt Marge went on point towards a drop off and as I walked in two birds got up and one fell to the shot.  It took a while to find it as it had dropped into a low area that was still well covered by leaves.  Three more birds got up while we found the hit bird.  We continued along the trail and didn’t see any more birds but did push up a nice looking buck.

After a Dew and some Mini-Snickers it was time to get Fergie out and let her stretch her legs.  Being blind and 12 she often gets the short end of the stick when it comes to hunting time.  Another nice feature of this trail is that she will walk on the gravel portion and if she starts to go off course and hit the heavier cover on the side she will move back to the middle.  One of the nice thing about early hunts is that there are still birds around that haven’t been pressured yet and this time it worked well for Fergie.  About 10 minutes into her walk we went around a corner and she locked up and there was one about 5 yards off the trail.  The grouse gods smiled on us and I was able to reward her efforts with a bird.  After heading back to the truck we drove around the area scouting some some and found a spot that looked good but already had two trucks at it so we moved on.  After driving around for a bit more we swung by the new honey hole and there was a truck there so he decided to call it a weekend and head back into town for a late lunch before driving back to St. Paul.

2010 MN Grouse Opener

Sept 18 MN Grouse Opener - Ely MN

Normally I don’t hunt the opening of grouse hunting as the cover is too thick and usually it is too warm but this year it looked like it was going to be a nice cool weekend so I decided to give it a try and head north to Ely.

Saturday started out nice and cool and the leaves seemed to be down more than usual for mid-sept.  As I was pulling into my first spot a pickup was already pulling out.  They said they had seen a couple of batches of up to 6 grouse still bunched up.  Tina ( English Setter ) and I started down the trail to some lower areas that we’ve had good luck with in the past and sure enough it didn’t take Tina long to get birdy.  Within a short period she had two nice points but the birds did their usual flush behind the trees maneuvers and I wasn’t able to get off a shot.  After working the area for a good period of time we started to head back to the truck and not more than 50 yards from it did Tina lock up solid.  The bird flushed towards an open area and I was able to connect with it.  When I picked it up I was amazed at how small it was.  I put Tina in the truck and we started to drive to the next spot and along the side of the trail I saw another bird.  I threw  the truck into reverse and backed up far enough to get Marge out and give her a chance at it.  Marge made a nice point and I got lucky with another nice flush and we had two in the bag.

Marge and I continued into the back portion of this area and while walking down the trail  as we rounded a corner she locked on point and another easy shot and another young bird was in the game bag.  I was quickly becoming a fan of opening weekend.  We worked this area for another half an hour and had a missed shot and a wild flush.  It was time to move to area number two.

Area number two is just a couple of miles away but I had never hunted it before last year but I had good enough luck to make it worth revisiting.  It was a good choice.  We saw a number of birds and I missed a couple of easy shots but ended up connecting on the last two that it took to fill out our limit.  The last bird was a far out crossing shot which I was happy to successfully complete as I have been missing those shots at the gun range all summer long.

We were able to finish up our hunt by about 1 o’clock.  We then drove along looking for some new coverts.  We didn’t find any useable sites but will continue to look as you can never have too many good spots and the new one that we found last fall worked out well for us on this trip.