Have been out twice in SE Manitoba for grouse. No luck yet. Shot at bird and thought I had a hit, but couldn't find my bird.Possibly four eyes are better than two. Question. Do most of you hunt grouse solo or with a partner? None of my friends are into hunting,yet. My hunts are solo.Maybe I should be looking for someone to go with?
Grouse Hunting Solo
- Thread starter loogin28
- Start date
I prefer to hunt grouse solo. I hunt slow and extremely quiet so I can get close to birds and can shoot them on the ground. Almost every person I have hunted grouse with in the past walks way too fast and very noisy so you can't even get close to the birds.
I hunt them this way too. I just use a .22 and shoot the head off. After having health problems with my neck and shoulder, I have given up on shot guns, just can't take the recoil anymore.
I love grouse hunting solo. It's therapeutic. (Here in eastern Ont.) Up north it's fun to go out with a buddy as the birds are usually on the roads. (More of an exercise in runnin & gunnin to fill the pan!)
Got out just the other day for the first grouse hunt of the year. Found a few ruffies & woodcock in the thick sh1t!
These were wingshot in nasty cover. Some of my proudest hunting moments are these birds.
I find the best way to hunt them in this rotten Ontario bush is walk softly and about every 15-20ft stop (in a spot that makes for decent vision and good barrel swing). Wait 30-45 seconds. IF there's a grouse nearby, they'll get nervous and lift. Be ready.
Got out just the other day for the first grouse hunt of the year. Found a few ruffies & woodcock in the thick sh1t!
These were wingshot in nasty cover. Some of my proudest hunting moments are these birds.
I find the best way to hunt them in this rotten Ontario bush is walk softly and about every 15-20ft stop (in a spot that makes for decent vision and good barrel swing). Wait 30-45 seconds. IF there's a grouse nearby, they'll get nervous and lift. Be ready.
- Location
- WMU - 41 & 48
I personally prefer to go with someone else or a group. I take the old man sometimes or the girlfriend. Even my cousins come with occasionally. I feel it makes the day go by faster and its a little more fun to have someone to talk to.
Although I will say that going solo is nice and peaceful.
Either way, nothing better than being in the bush!
Although I will say that going solo is nice and peaceful.
Either way, nothing better than being in the bush!
chadvector
Regular
- Location
- East of The Peg.
I'll be hopefully going out with a new pal I met on CGN and my neighbour as well, but I've got the bug now. I'll be hitting my parents' property solo to tramp the bush and maybe snag a bird, too.
I agree with this. The majority of my grouse hunts are solo too, but I do enjoy going with a friend from time to time as well. BUT.... he walks way too fast and just bulls his way through the bush. I ALWAYS seem to come across more birds on my own and firmly believe that is why.
Still, hunting with a friend gives you somebody to shoot the breeze with, and sometimes it is nice to complain about the womanfolk and bust each other's balls all day!
I go out and hunt grouse by myself from time to time. Its kind of nice. Just grab my 20ga sxs, a bag of beef jerky and a box of shells and head out. Hunting with friends is just as fun too, but schedules dont always make that a possibility.
I never hunt grouse solo, I always have at least one of my weimaraners along and sometimes both of them. I also have a hunting partner I will hunt with when our schedules line up, and my oldest son is now ready to carry a shotgun and join me when school allows.
To me grouse hunting is not about the birds, it is about experiencing some good dog work and enjoying the awesomeness of the outdoors with friends and family. Without the dogs and friends and family, I likely wouldn't hunt grouse. I would rather bow hunt for whitetails than hunt grouse solo. But thats just me.
To me grouse hunting is not about the birds, it is about experiencing some good dog work and enjoying the awesomeness of the outdoors with friends and family. Without the dogs and friends and family, I likely wouldn't hunt grouse. I would rather bow hunt for whitetails than hunt grouse solo. But thats just me.
Solo. Last number of years, my opportunities to get into the camp are down to only a couple times a year so I take all the advantage I can get to go hunt. Soon as the sun comes up I am usually waking up and heading out to walk the trails while anyone else who is there is still sleeping or doing whatever.
Solo or with a partner, I'm happy either way. Given a choice, I prefer to hunt with one partner (anything more than two hunters becomes an exercise in what's wrong with democracies).
The hunting methods are different in each case, though. As many have said, hunting solo works best when you move silently and watch for movement; listen for sounds. Hunting with a partner can be done the same way, but works just as well if the two hunters walk parallel, roughly 50 yards apart. Working this way, you probably walk past a few birds on either side, but you tend to flush those that get sandwiched in the middle.
A good bird dog is worth it's weight in gold.
The hunting methods are different in each case, though. As many have said, hunting solo works best when you move silently and watch for movement; listen for sounds. Hunting with a partner can be done the same way, but works just as well if the two hunters walk parallel, roughly 50 yards apart. Working this way, you probably walk past a few birds on either side, but you tend to flush those that get sandwiched in the middle.
A good bird dog is worth it's weight in gold.
I need me a bird dog...
For those of you that have 'em, was it difficult to train them in this regard? Or did they take to it naturally? I have a friend who takes his dog out on occasion, but she is more likely to dash off into the bush and then return with a dead bird in her jaws rather than flush them up for her owner to shoot at! LOL!
For those of you that have 'em, was it difficult to train them in this regard? Or did they take to it naturally? I have a friend who takes his dog out on occasion, but she is more likely to dash off into the bush and then return with a dead bird in her jaws rather than flush them up for her owner to shoot at! LOL!
I need me a bird dog...
For those of you that have 'em, was it difficult to train them in this regard? Or did they take to it naturally? I have a friend who takes his dog out on occasion, but she is more likely to dash off into the bush and then return with a dead bird in her jaws rather than flush them up for her owner to shoot at! LOL!
Good bird dogs come pre wired, but they always need obedience training. That is all there is to a good bird dog...obedience. If they come from good stock, they will have all the "hunt" built into them, then you add the obedience to make them steady and reliable in the field, and, this is the most important, LOTS of time in the bush. A good bird dog that doesnt get to hunt much, will be an absolute idiot when you do finally take him out.
And one more thing I learned, and maybe it is just me, but when I was looking for my first bird dog, I was more concerned about the breed, ie: brittany, german shorthair, weimaraner, etc. But I quickly learned it is much more important to get the right breeder. The breeder makes the difference in my eyes. Do your research, find the breed you want, but dont get a pup until you find the right breeder.
Good luck!
I normally hunt grouse with my Chesapeake. He is 2 and a half years old. I got him at 8 weeks old and started obedience and retrieval training right away. He has always been great about not wondering off into the bush. (I couldn't get him to run away if I tried lol) Last year he was a little young to be out, and I probably lost a fair amount of game because of it. Like others have said the only way to teach a bird dog what is required of him is to have him out in the field as often as possible. This year he has been fantastic. I like to cover as much ground as possible, so I have him run in front of the truck flushing out the birds. Not to mention Ripley loves to run. When we come across grouse he knows to sit and wait for Dad to get out of the truck to shoot them. He then goes and locates the downed bird. We're not quite there with the retrieval aspect of it yet, but he will get there with time. Like I said he is only 2 1/2 years old. Dogs are much better hunting companions then friends and family. They never sleep in, never complain about being cold, and never want to go home early.
I used to hunt solo, then hooked up with guys that had dogs, then got my own dogs. All were good times. Actually anytime hunting is a good time IMO.
loogin28 if I can get out to MB maybe we could got together for a hunt? Got gun and dog will travel.
loogin28 if I can get out to MB maybe we could got together for a hunt? Got gun and dog will travel.
