Grouse hunting areas

[icefisherman]

Hi Guys,

 

My son is now 12 and got the apprentice hunter license few months ago.

He's been bugging me to take him grouse hunting.

Never done it myself. All I know is the further North we go the better chance to see any grouse ;-) Season is opening soon, so I though maybe some of you would be willing to point me in the right direction?

We can take the truck and the ATV with us as well.

Crown land?

Can PM me as well.

Will be happy to exchange Lake O. salmon trip, or Lake SImcoe white fish ice fishing for grouse hunting if that works for you.

 

Cheers,

Ice Fisherman

Edited September 2, 2017 by icefisherman

[kickingfrog]

In general terms you're right, the farther north you go, the more likely birds are to hold long enough for you to see them before they flush. There is a crown atlas web site that shows where crown land is. I use it combined with google satellite images to figure on likely places to try.

 

http://www.gisapplication.lrc.gov.on.ca/CLUPA/Index.html?site=CLUPA&viewer=CLUPA&locale=en-US

 

North of Bracebridge and south of North Bay can be productive, but I find that north of North Bay/Sudbury is better.

[Rod Caster]

No birds around North Bay... stay away.

 

Yeah, lots of crown land up here, lots of hunters too.

[ch312]

Plenty of good grouse hunting to be had here in Southern Ontario and I have had multiple days with 6-8 grouse taking flight. To locate prime areas I find it easiest to head out after a fresh snowfall and look for tracks to determine where the birds hang out. They'll be in the same areas year after year so once you find a good spot you'll be able to hit the same spots every year.

 

The good thing about finding a good area for grouse is it's usually a good spot for cottontail too. I also spend quite a bit of time hunting deer in the same spots...

[misfish]

Plenty of good grouse hunting to be had here in Southern Ontario and I have had multiple days with 6-8 grouse taking flight. To locate prime areas I find it easiest to head out after a fresh snowfall and look for tracks to determine where the birds hang out. They'll be in the same areas year after year so once you find a good spot you'll be able to hit the same spots every year.

 

The good thing about finding a good area for grouse is it's usually a good spot for cottontail too. I also spend quite a bit of time hunting deer in the same spots...

 

 

X 2 on this post.

[ketchenany]

X 2 on this post.

 

Hei B I have bunnies in my yard, NO shooting!

 

I was on a fishing trip and bagged a partridge with motorhome. He ran onto us!!!

Best sugo ever!

[Acountdeleted]

The further north you go the dumber the birds seem to get. My buddy bagged one in Hearst with a rock. Bird wouldn't leave him alone so he tossed a baseball sized stone in the direction of it, clonked it in the head killing it. Was a nice snack that night.

[pics]

I could kill them with a sling shot up at Moose camp.. Usually I use the 410 but I may also bring my 1200 fps pellet gun this year. The Grouse won't flush but they will run three steps into the bush and wait for you to walk past..

[Dontcryformejanhrdina]

I get plenty on my property though they're often spookier than most.

 

Their location changes through the season. Check their throats when cleaning them, find out what they've been eating. Early season here they were eating bright green berries, then once the apples started falling they were eating apples and I'd find them in or below apple trees believe it or not. Once the snow comes they stick to coniferous trees usually. More cover for them and they eat the buds off the trees.

 

If you get a big dumping of light snow, they'll burrow right into it. Nothing quite like taking a bird on the wing that bursts out from the snow.

 

They can be the dumbest bird alive more often than not but their unpredictability can make for a fun challenge.

[dave524]

The highest grouse populations that I ever experienced actually were in southern Ontario rather than North. IN the 60's and 70's you could expect close to a dozen flushes a hour in the woods in Norfolk County, usually hunted the Crown Land around the St. Williams Tree Nursery. The population started declining in the eighties about the same time as coyotes and turkeys exploded, maybe just a coincidence.