Walking around hoping to flush a grouse, partridge or pheasant has become my favorite type of hunting. Used to really be into whitetail and mule deer buck hunting but I gradually drifted away from that and the last few years have only hunted birds. I know guys that wouldn't waste their time looking for a bird and I know a few guys who only hunt birds.
I guess ideally a guy would have a drilling and focus on birds with the off chance of getting a shot at a big buck. That would be paradise.
But back to the original thought....
How many of you guys really anticipate upland bird hunting?
Hunting game birds was the first real hunting I ever did (other than squirrel hunting as a kid and without a license). Once I started finding ruffed grouse consistently, I became obsessed and it was the main hunting I did for years. I did hunt deer here and there but grouse was my number one focus. Unfortunately, the grouse numbers in my hunting area have declined dramatically over the last 10 years. I don't even hunt them here anymore because I don't want to put any added pressure on them.
It's a real shame. When I was a kid, we had wild pheasants, wild quail and plenty of grouse in southeastern PA. The wild quail and pheasants are long gone. We have a few grouse in the PA but in the eastern side of the state, the numbers have been really low, at least in the areas I hunt. It is depressing. It may not be totally fair but I blame the Game Commission.
Now I spend most of my hunting time chasing deer. I really miss the game birds. I think quail and pheasant are a lost cause but I really hope the grouse recover.
