Grouse~where to start?

.22LRGUY

.22LRGUY

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
178   0   1
Location
Ontario
Hey guys~lots of grouse talk around here these days, hope you don't mind another thread. Until recently, I've had no desire to hunt but find myself reading everything I can about grouse hunting these days...and am now keen to try it once I have my license. Problem is, I don't know where to go, or know anyone in my area (just north of Toronto) who does it. Is there a club or conservation organization dedicated to these birds in Southern Ontario? Just don't know where to start.

Everything I've read so far suggests that I have a good drive ahead of me if I stand a chance of finding any, but I'd need to know which direction to point the truck! Any/all help is appreciated, no tidbit of information is too small!

Thanks,
Rob
 
Crown land in Muskoka-Haliburton areas after rifle season for deer closes this Sunday. There are grouse in Haliburton, lots of walking ususally required and they flush fast from close by. I hunted in WMU 4 (n-w ont) this October, grouse everywhere but that's 24 hours drive away.
 
halhunt said:
Crown land in Muskoka-Haliburton areas after rifle season for deer closes this Sunday. There are grouse in Haliburton, lots of walking ususally required and they flush fast from close by. I hunted in WMU 4 (n-w ont) this October, grouse everywhere but that's 24 hours drive away.
Click to expand...

There are no grouse or moose or deer in WMU 4. Or 5.
 
X2 on the Muskoka crown land. You can find crown land maps on line to help you get started. Pick a spot that is convenient to start with and go from there. Work the heavy cover - thick pine and tamarack esp. as the weather gets colder and get ready for a quick shot when birds flush. The grouse are spooky down here, not at all like up north where they will just sit there and look at you. If you are an OFAH member you can also hunt Simcoe County Forests which are even closer to you, and I know the ones in the north end of the county have a reasonable population of grouse.
 
Thanks for the replies guys, greatly appreciated. I'd welcome any more feedback too. Everything I've read (until now) suggested to me the best places were either SW Ontario, or north of the Sault. Also, lots of comments on CGN about guys taking a few while on a deer hunt say, but little mention of dedicated grouse hunts.

More research I guess!
 
.22LRGUY said:
Thanks for the replies guys, greatly appreciated. I'd welcome any more feedback too. Everything I've read (until now) suggested to me the best places were either SW Ontario, or north of the Sault. Also, lots of comments on CGN about guys taking a few while on a deer hunt say, but little mention of dedicated grouse hunts.

More research I guess!
Click to expand...

You will generally find more bird hunting topics/discussions at HuntOntario (Upland) forum.

In consideration of your Avatar, I take it that you may be contemplating on using a rimfire for Grouse hunting......should that be the case, it would be virtually impossible to locate stationary birds anywhere in southern ON that will linger long enough to present a shot. With a shotgun one sitll has a chance to connect.

Northern ON (read minimum of 3 hrs driving one way from the GTA) will get you to places where a rimfire rifle may be used effectively.
 
Hey Ahsan~appreciate the input, but plan "A" would be to use one of my shotguns, hopefully, my 28 gauge. As mentioned at the top of this thread...I'm really starting at ground zero here, so all input is welcome and appreciated. I won't be hunting over a dog, but figure that the shotgun can do it all.

While I haven't shot trap or skeet in the last 3-4 years, I have more than a decade of doing both under my belt, so I feel pretty confident hanging-up the rimfire and taking a shotgun for a walk.

Cheers,
Rob
 
Lots in the central Ontario area (Parry Sound east to Algonquin). Even more north of there.

Look for Ironwoods and yellow birch in the last hour of light; they will be their eating the buds. The rest of the day, work the coniferous thickets, they'll be hanging out on the ground their. I flush lots while pushing for deer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom