Best time for Grouse

minutes after first light, damp but not raining mornings. Then the last half hour before dark but they are a bit more stressed in the evenings and tend to fly from further out.
 
I was out day before yesterday at 7:30 am and we bagged a few , it was cool and misty , I have to agree with the early morning and evening sightings from my experience to be most common " peak " times.
 
I HAVE shot birds in the middle of the day, but they were few and far between and I had to log a lot of miles to do it. Not worthwhile compared to morning/evening hunts. But if it's all you have . . .
 
huntinchef said:
All good advice but here'd a wierd one..I always always get a bird at 11 am and 3 pm without fail.
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I've got chicks any time during the day. Some were taken early in the morning right after sunrise, some were in the afternoon or even around lunch time. But I've never seen any bird right before sunset. However, I've seen more birds after a rain or during a warm (not hot) sunny day on the trail/road with no traffic.
 
The more I pay attention to the "Game activity" button in my GPS the more I see grouse right when it says I'm supposed to. One minute they're there next GONE!!! IT also helps to be in an area know for them :rolleyes:
 
Ruffies in north-central Alberta are definitely more active during the early morning hours and the 2-3 hours before and up to 1/2 hour after sunset. Like many of you, I've seen and bagged birds at all hours of the day - it's just that they seem more numerous at the beginning and end of the day.

I don't think I've seen (or heard) more birds during any given part of open season, but you see more of the ones you'd only hear at the beginning of the season, once the leaves are off the trees.

Two weekends ago (opening day), I went out, but could only spend a couple of hours hunting late Friday because it rained hard all day Saturday (no Sunday hunt in our area). I got none.

Last weekend, I went out again. Got to the covert at 4:00 PM and had 2 in the bag within the hour. Finished the day with 3. Saturday was hot and dry. Spent from 2:00 PM to sunset hunting the whole time. Ended up with one on Saturday (bagged it in mid-afternoon).

My hunting partner and I have been hunting the same area for about 15 years, now. We've been trying to define ruffie behaviour that whole time and have succeeded only in coming up with a few generalizations. The only fact that is carved in stone is that nothing about ruffie behaviour is carved in stone - too many variables, I guess. Sharptail are significantly more predictable.

SS
 
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