Grouse know when I'm armed?

jonnyboy1014

jonnyboy1014

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Been grouse hunting as much as I can. They seem to "disappear" when I walk into the woods with my gun. Then the wife goes to walk around picking mushrooms and says she sees them all the time.

I dont get it.

Been reading at ontario hunting forums, one guy suggested that knocking on your wood butt stock is like a call? Im getting frustrated here.

Any tips?
 
Welcome to grouse hunting. It works the same with deer hunting. You see a 12 point all year long then when hunting season starts you never see it. Drumming grouse are the easiest to stock. A”quiet” walk in the woods helps
 
I atv and snowmobile all the time. I see birds and game every trip. Drive right passed dear within 20 feet and they just stand there and stare at you haha. Same with grouse, they just casually and slowly walk away.

I know what you're saying.
 
Longboat said:
I atv and snowmobile all the time. I see birds and game every trip. Drive right passed dear within 20 feet and they just stand there and stare at you haha. Same with grouse, they just casually and slowly walk away.

I know what you're saying.
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My buddy killed a grouse with his chest when we were snowmobiling. Flew right into him. Ridiculous

Reading the responses glad I'm not alone lol
 
Two methods of walking up grouse. One is to stalk them like a predator does, most effectively done if you stop every few paces because it simulates what a fox does as it's about to pounce- any grouse in concealment will lose their nerve and take wing. Doing that, you have to have faith that they're there in the first place. The second method is to walk as if you're just out picking mushrooms or whatever. The trouble with that is that it also means you aren't as ready to fire. But I've seen frequently hunted ruffed grouse do some awfuly smart things, like waiting until I was passing between in two close-together trees and taking off when it was impossible to swing the gun without taking two steps. Whatever, the accepted formula on it is that you have to walk 5 miles of woodland for every grouse you bag, and I'm way ahead on that score.
 
Went for a stroll 2 days before season opened. Just walking down the path I must have scared up a dozen of them in an hour or so. Opening day we didn’t see one lol. You’re definitely not alone!
 
A friend of mine is a farmer. He says whenever he walks his land, he doesn't see anything, but if he's driving anything, animals are all over the place. Maybe the secret is to get a tractor in the woods lol.

But I think the animals can tell when they are being hunted. Maybe your wife is louder when she walks through the woods because she isn't hunting. If you aren't seeing anything while walking quietly, maybe walk a bit louder just to see if it works.
 
This falls right in line with seeing the wrong game in the wrong hunting season.

My wife is the bird hunter in our family. One day she was having a particular hard go of it. I was puttering around camp while she was out putting miles on her boots. I looked ou the window and a grouse flew down and landed on the lawn. I had a nice shiny 410 to try out.

.....she wasnt thrilled with me, but we're still married a bunch of years later so I guess its OK :) In my defense, it was a wonderful opportunity to give our young daughter a first hand view of shot to clean bird, without even leaving the lawn.
 
blasted_saber said:
This falls right in line with seeing the wrong game in the wrong hunting season.

My wife is the bird hunter in our family. One day she was having a particular hard go of it. I was puttering around camp while she was out putting miles on her boots. I looked ou the window and a grouse flew down and landed on the lawn. I had a nice shiny 410 to try out.

.....she wasnt thrilled with me, but we're still married a bunch of years later so I guess its OK :) In my defense, it was a wonderful opportunity to give our young daughter a first hand view of shot to clean bird, without even leaving the lawn.
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ROFL! Same thing with my DIL.. The boys had been out floggin' the farm woods for Deer all week in real crappy weather. Around 10AM,she sees an 8 pointer standing in the field beside the house in with the cows. "BANG" Venison hanging in the driving shed when the boys got back. She'll never let them live it down,either.
 
jonnyboy1014 said:
Been grouse hunting as much as I can. They seem to "disappear" when I walk into the woods with my gun. Then the wife goes to walk around picking mushrooms and says she sees them all the time.

I dont get it.

Been reading at ontario hunting forums, one guy suggested that knocking on your wood butt stock is like a call? Im getting frustrated here.

Any tips?
Click to expand...

Not only to they know when you're armed, they also know when you carry a rifle and are hunting another type of animal. Smart little birds.

David
 
Its just one of those things. More mental than anything. Pens are everywhere until you need a pen and then when you need one they dissappear.
 
You guys must be in the wrong part of the province, lol. Limited out a few times already.
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