Hell of a day grouse hunting

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So Saturday I headed out to one of my favorite areas to hunt grouse. Had one fly through my pellets, but oh well thats just part of hunting. The real fun began when I discovered a pack of 3 wolves were stalking me.

I heard something growl in the bush off to my left so I chucked a rock to scare whatever it was out. 30 yards up a wolf comes out looking casually at me, I loaded a slug into my 12ga. A twig breaks behind me and theres 2 more about 20 yards back slowly crawling up, ears back. First round of bird shot into the air was enough to scatter all of them. Loaded 2 more slugs and cautiosly made my way back to the truck. I stopped deer hunting this area because of the wolf sign, not actual encounters. Thanked the hunting gods for getting me out of there unscathed then cleaned my shorts.

The next trail I walked had no birds but 4 deer popped up about 50 feet from me and just starred. All I could do is wonder why there was no shotgun season in this area.

Along that same trail, I noticed some huge tracks, moose!!!! Since the birds were scarce, I decided to try and track the moose instead. Maybe 30 yards into my endeavor, the critter decided to step off the trail and go through the bush and as I stepped off the trail a cow moose jumped up 50 yards ahead of me and bolted towards another marsh.

That was only the opening weekend for the grouse season here in Manitoba, I can only wonder if I will ever be able to top this experience in my lifetime.
 
Wonderful report. I'll bet you had skid marks after the encounter with the wolves. lol I must say I think I would have fired at them out of pure survival instinct.
 
I thought about shooting the wolves or at least trying to hit 1, but I thought I had enough time to react if they made a move to come in any closer. They were only doing what they were programmed to do right? Hunt as a pack to survive. It's just that this time the prey had a gun with him!
 
Ya that would make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up !

I've had a sow run after me, stopping and slapping trees and that was hair standing, heart pounding. But a pack of wolves I think would be a lil more hair standing!
 
Congratulations on keeping your cool, many would have shot. I've also been stalked by a wolf, one of the most interesting experiences I've ever had in the outdoors. Keeps a hunter feeling a bit more humble. They're WAY better at it than we are!
 
Wow, that must have made your heart almost jump out of your chest!

I remember about 7-8 years back, rifle hunting with my dad east of LaBroquerie. I did not actually see the wolf, but I came across some absolutely massive tracks! It sure wasn't some little coyote! Definitely wolf tracks, and they were big!

I've seen a couple coyotes while out hunting, but never any wolves. Maybe thats a good thing!

I'm guessing that the leaves are still pretty heavy in the bush?

-Sean
 
Man that story gave me deja-vu,

About 15 or so years earlier a friend and I were in the Sandilands near Whitemouth lake hunting grouse. We had split up at a fork in the trail and while walking mine I happend to come to a quite long and wide section of the trail.
Looking ahead about 75 yards I saw one, two, three then seven altogether, pure slate gray wolves sauntering up the trail towards me. I was upwind and stopped in my tracks ! One of the lead wolves moved off the trail to mark a tree and then rejoined the others. I was in awe, I had never before seen a single wolve let alone seven casually coming my way. Only thing close to that was seeing a cougar zip across the highway southwest of the Whiteshell near the border.
So here I am standing still as a rock, the wolves hadn't seen or scented me and closed to within about thirty yards before I lost my nerve and fired a shot in the air. They scattered off trail and were gone like they were never there.
About an hour later my friend and I had hooked back up and were walking another trail when we heard something crashing thru the trees towards us from behind and left. A large doe streaks across in front of us from a smaller game trail and right behind is a single gray wolve in pursuit. Just before he makes the crossing he spotted us and nailed the binders, gave us the eyes and spun around back from where he came.
The memories of that day have not diminished, I still see the depth of the absolutely slate gray colour of those wolves, the one whizzing his marking on the tree and the stare that one gave us for disrupting his hunt.

Tim
 
Pretty exciting day. I hope to get out and hunt some wolves this year. There was a guy attacked in northern Sask last winter or the year before that one when he was jogging back to camp from one of the uranium mines.
 
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