Looking for sharp tailed grouse in Ontario.

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oldbill

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I'm a new resident to WMU 28 (Liskeard area) and our season for Ruffed and Spruce grouse closed December 31st. I was looking over the Ontario regulations this morning and found that Sharp Tails are open till March31st in WMU's 17, 18, 22-31 and 40. I'd like to extend my hunting season by including a couple Sharp Tail outings.

I've looked up the general range of the bird and it seems to start from about Matheson in the South, with strays ranging much farther South, rarely, to Bancroft in years of extreme irruptions.

Anyways, I'm assuming I'll have to travel North to Cochrane, Kap, Hearst areas or out towards Moosonee to find any stable populations in an average year and I'm wondering if anyone hunts them or has spotted them in that general corridor.

Cheers,

Oldbill
 
Think North of Long Lac, and preferrably North of Nakina if you are serious about getting into them... Cruise 3-10 year old clear cut roads... You will get into them.
 
When I lived in Kap between 94-04 We used to hunt them all the time. They were a blast when you're with a couple people and you spot a flock. Everyone load up and aim at one that you know 100% you'll hit. Do the countdown from 3, shoot then it's all out mayhem lol.......I miss those days. Hoyt is right though, Look for the clear cuts. We used to find them there hiding in the grass.
 
Thanks for the tips guys. Hoping to plan a weekend trip up that way to look for birds. Also hoping for a couple of days above -20c to make it a little easier to sleep in the car if I have to...
 
oldbill said:
Thanks for the tips guys. Hoping to plan a weekend trip up that way to look for birds. Also hoping for a couple of days above -20c to make it a little easier to sleep in the car if I have to...
Click to expand...

If you are going this late... look for slash piles and spruce thickets in the clear-cuts... areas along streams or narrow bogs are usually left with alders and spruce standing, the birds will seek shelter there... they also fly into the snow and burrow at night like other grouse... your best shot is to find south facing slopes on sunny days with mixed grasses and brush... they are magnets to the birds at this time... they will be in smaller groups than the September flocks... predators and nature will have whittled down the family groups...
 
We used to get into some good sized flocks of them on the Detour Lake Rd out of Iroquois Falls. At the junction where the road splits to go to Cochrane, continue north to the mine or east to Quebec and Abitibi Lake head east up to the old Abitibi camps. Camp 29 & Commuter 8 were always good. Especially Commuter 8. We busted flocks as large as 100 birds up there. March was great if it warmed early, they would be out in the cuts feeding on high bush cranberries that were exposed as the snow cover receded. It was snowmobile and snowshoes. Spot and stalk!!
 
The Kapuskasing suggestion is right on. I hunt Timmins/Matheson area and my father and I stopped to shoot one off a trail one time. Next thing I knew the air was full of them and I counted 21, but may have missed one or two....
 
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