Hey.
Still semi-new to the hunting scene. I've been hunting back home with my dad, but now that I'm on my own, I've tried going for ruffed grouse. I've already done all the licensing (PAL and Outdoors Card + Small game license). Right now I'm in Central Ontario, hunting a small strip of Crown land that apparently a lot of people hunt on (due to the fact that there isn't a lot of Crown land anywhere near here), using a 20 GA with 2 3/4" shells with 7 1/2 shot.
Due to the fact that there are a lot of hunters in the area, anything with two/four feet and a heart beat flushes at the first sign of anything. I've flushed 8 grouse already, and never once have I had a chance at getting a shot off. What suggestions do you guys have so I can have a successful hunt?
Might I ask where you are hunting? The reason I'm curious is that depending on where you're located in "Central Ontario," you might be closer to alot more Crown Land than you think. A recent search of mine came up with about
30 000 acres of Conservation Reserve Land between Orillia and Gravenhurst, plus a couple thousand more acres of Crown Land. I usually used to hunt grouse in smaller, privately owned woodlots in that area that aren't posted (it helps that the family had a cottage around there years ago, so I know where I can go), and while the grouse there have definitely acquired an aversion to hunters, going just a bit further afield might increase your odds significantly.
Further South there's still a decent number of woodlots belonging to Simcoe County Forests, the Copeland Forest, and a further patchwork of crown land and county forests West of Toronto, though the ones in the jurisdiction of the GRVCA (Grand River Valley Conservation Authority) require an annual permit to access. I'm not sure if it's come into effect yet, but hunting Simcoe County forests will require OFAH membership. Even the more remote corners of Luther Marsh are probably relatively untapped as the local skybusting community lines the shoreline.
Back to techniques though, I can only add a few points to what's already been said. If in shield country (the areas mentioned in my first paragraph), the strips of rocky ridges found there often provide a variety of edge cover along the sides, as well as the possibility at times for the grouse to warm themselves on the rocks. Such locations give the advantage of a quieter approach and freedom of movement should something flush, but you should still move slowly with frequent pauses if you want to get close. If you are familiar with the layout of the land, you could also with one or two partners push grouse through the thicker cover to rocky opening where they'll feel compelled to flush once the cover ends.
In terms of food and cover, I find that grouse like to hang around sumac, that often grows beneath powerlines and in right of ways. I've also found their stomachs filled with small greens that they've nipped from beneath evergreen trees, which also gives them much cover. So look for where there's a change in the usual pine needles that cover the forest floor, or any other change that offers cover and a potential food source. A small strip of high grass along a creek or river could also anchor grouse in an otherwise barren mature forest habitat, and a grouse in such a position will try to hold tight until forced to fly, usually after you've slowly zigzaged through the cover from one end to the other. The benefit of such a tactic is that you might also be able to anticipate where the bird will be forced to fly. Mornings and evenings are best, earlier along places where the birds may pick up grit and later especially around potential roosting areas. Unless unbearably hot however, don't dismiss mid-day hunting which can also produce its share of flushes.
To be honest, while I've downed a woodcock on the fly after several flushes, all of my five or six grouse have been either shot running or taken out of a tree, usually with a shotgun and once with a .22. While some of my hunting partners have been a bit luckier with birds on the fly, even those downings tended to occur where the bird was flushed into an opening where a proper swinging shot could be made. Even where we can get the birds to flush in range and with the proper chokes, the chances of a hit remain low.
For when those rare moments do come however, I do think that busting a couple of boxes of shells on clay pigeons, even if only thrown from a hand trap, might do much to increase your chances of connecting. If the option presents itself on that sight in daythat you mentioned, you might find that you won't consistently hit anything for the first box or two, but even in that case will usally be hitting consistently by the end of the third. It's worth the expense, since with the leaves off of the trees by that point, you might still find another several weeks of good hunting before the season closes. And don't forget, that the first light snow often leaves the grouse and rabbits particularly vulnerable to being seen by a stalking hunter.
Best of Luck,
Frank
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