Ruffed grouse

[Yoteassasin]

I was scouting for deer during bow season in NorCal and ended up with a few grouse on my arrows . Does any one reliably get these guys or is it normally a spontaneous bag ?

 

[z987k]

I make specific trips for ptarmigan up here. They're fun and taste great.

 

[danhuntingmi]

I don't know how it works in California. But the short answer is no. Yes, you'll get lucky and see them along a two track and, yes, they might not pay someone in a vehicle much mind. But grouse are elusive birds. They taste like chicken...to everything. The stupid ones don't live long.

 

[Ringbill27]

Here in NE Minnesota they are hunted pretty heavily. I have a 10 trip to the woods I’ve been going on for 27 years.

 

[z987k]

I don't know how it works in California. But the short answer is no. Yes, you'll get lucky and see them along a two track and, yes, they might not pay someone in a vehicle much mind. But grouse are elusive birds. They taste like chicken...to everything. The stupid ones don't live long.

I understand why people call them spruce chickens or tundra chickens, but I can't imagine anyone to have ever tasted one to think it tastes like chicken. It's red meat.

 

[Jim538]

Generally grouse are just the bonus prize for me when I’m headed home. I don’t have bird dogs so the 22lR is how I bag mine. Generally all my birds end up in the crock pot in a stew! Yummy.

 

[Yoteassasin]

I understand why people call them spruce chickens or tundra chickens, but I can't imagine anyone to have ever tasted one to think it tastes like chicken. It's red meat.

Umm the ones here are exactly like chicken (sootys duskys , ruffed) all white meat even the legs

 

[z987k]

Umm the ones here are exactly like chicken (sootys duskys , ruffed) all white meat even the legs

Rock and Willow Ptarmigan breast look like a fillet of deer backstrap. They rather taste like it to.
Spruce and ruffed grouse is just as red, but not the same flavor, though still an iron rich red meat flavor. We don't have sooty this far north and I've never seen a sharp tailed.

 

[danhuntingmi]

I understand why people call them spruce chickens or tundra chickens, but I can't imagine anyone to have ever tasted one to think it tastes like chicken. It's red meat.

It's possible we have different ideas of what a ruffed grouse is. Mine would be the actual ruffed grouse. Not spruce hens or ptarmigan.

Regardless, the point is that a ruffed grouse (and other upland birds) are popular table fare for many different animals (not just humans) and tend to stay well hidden. That's my point.

The reason op is getting easy shots is most likely in late August early Sept young grouse (now physically hard to distinguish from adults) have recently left their mother. These are always the easiest birds to get and the dumb ones won't last long. Even then, you normally can just walk around and bow shoot them, where I live.

 

[Tenstrike]

I understand why people call them spruce chickens or tundra chickens, but I can't imagine anyone to have ever tasted one to think it tastes like chicken. It's red meat.

Here in Minnesota there are Spruce Grouse and Ruffed Grouse, Spruce grouse have darker meat and Ruffed have lighter meat.

 

[Renegade14]

The dusky grouse and ptarmigan I've shot were dark meat and pretty similar, but the ruffed grouse here are almost as light as chicken.

I don't think you have to get lucky to find them, just have to figure out areas and habitat for whatever species you want to target. I've seen them every time I've gone out specifically for grouse, whether or not I actually got one.

 

[Steve300xcw]

You learn the area's and what they like and depending on the year they arent hard to find.

Read somewhere that they dont normally go more than 1/4 mile from where they hatched. I dunno how true that is. But I sure seem to kick em up in the same area over an over

 

[danhuntingmi]

You learn the area's and what they like and depending on the year they arent hard to find.

Read somewhere that they dont normally go more than 1/4 mile from where they hatched. I dunno how true that is. But I sure seem to kick em up in the same area over an over

Ruffed grouse home ranges are small when they get one. But they will certainly travel further than a quarter mile to find one after they disperse from their mother's territory.

No they aren't hard to find when you know where to look. But you will find them flying away at a very rapid rate through the timber when you find them. Not posing for a bow shot. Getting them to flush without a dog is also an acquired skill.

 

[Steve300xcw]

No they aren't hard to find when you know where to look. But you will find them flying away at a very rapid rate through the timber when you find them. Not posing for a bow shot. Getting them to flush without a dog is also an acquired skill.

I dont hunt with a dog. They make a noise when they start getting a lil anxious, well before they flush. Soon as I learned that noise, I started killing a lot more birds.

 

[2531usmc]

I’ve hunted Africa and hunted and fished over much of Canada and the US. But my very best days afield, the most perfect days, were chasing ruffed grouse on the Appalachian ridge the third week of October when the leaves are at peak color.

 

[johnnycake]

Here in Minnesota there are Spruce Grouse and Ruffed Grouse, Spruce grouse have darker meat and Ruffed have lighter meat.

Alaska ruffed grouse are white meat too. No clue what z987k is talking about.

 

[loganwayne]

I’ve hunted Africa and hunted and fished over much of Canada and the US. But my very best days afield, the most perfect days, were chasing ruffed grouse on the Appalachian ridge the third week of October when the leaves are at peak color.

Them days are going away fast. At least in the Southern Appalachian mountains

 

[Balderdash]

Have shot all species of NA grouse through the years. Have shot ruffed grouse in 8 or 9 states, and every one of them had white meat.

The sharpies and Ptarmigan are dark like backstrap and are also great eating, imo. Others are somewhat in between. Spruce grouse are the only ones I don't care to eat that much. Can get a sprucy taste, so its not just a clever name.

If you find what they like for cover, you'll generally find some birds around. In the upper great lakes states, ruffs are cyclical. Haven't noticed it as much with western birds, but havent looked into it to confirm.

 

[2531usmc]

Them days are going away fast. At least in the Southern Appalachian mountains

I’m kinda surprised to read this. My ruffed grouse hunting was always in western Pennsylvania so I really don’t follow any discussions out of that region

Any sense as to why or how bad the decline is

 

[danhuntingmi]

I’m kinda surprised to read this. My ruffed grouse hunting was always in western Pennsylvania so I really don’t follow any discussions out of that region

Any sense as to why or how bad the decline is

Habitat loss. My guess is bad to worse. I was never able to put many up in southern Ohio and that was almost 10 years ago.

N Michigan, MN, WI are now most of where it's at. And it's still not what it 'used to be' (but what is?).

Explanation is that the oak hickory Appalachian forests were always marginal and now not suitable as they mature. These are not early successional trees and the mature forests provide little cover. Birch Aspen forests up north are more resilient for grouse habitat. Much like the final line of trenches in the battle.

P.s. West Nile has also been a stressor especially in areas birds are already struggling.