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fishdog Offline OP
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Im gonna be over in SW Montana in a couple weeks, dropping off some equipment for wor, and have a hankerin to shoot some mountain grouse.

Problem is I know nothing about grouse other than shooting some Sharp-tails over here in North Dakota.

Ive heard they aint the smartest birds, but I thought Id ask for some pointers.

I will be in the Darby area if that helps any.

thanks

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I like a scoped small caliber rifle for them...head shots only. Walk the closed logging roads.


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Or, ya can PM Piddler. ;-{>8


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fishdog Offline OP
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Originally Posted by oldtrapper
Or, ya can PM Piddler. ;-{>8


Piddler?

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A dork in several other threads who is more than willing to tell the boys in western MT how to hunt grouse. A real putz (paddler).


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fishdog Offline OP
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Gotcha. Thanks for the heads up

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Darby has a lot of Blue grouse. I'm from the Bitterroot and used to take 50 or so mountain grouse a year in that country.

I hate to endorse road hunting, but if you straight up want to kill grouse, just drive the Forest Service roads in the mornings or dusk. They're quite often on the roads getting grit. The blues are quite often in the more open beargrass or sage covered areas, spruce grouse are normally in the dark timber and ruffed can be anywhere, but are quite often in the riparian areas by creeks.

The spruce grouse are as dumb as piddler, the blues are somewhat smarter and the ruffed quite often will flush before you even see them.

Good luck. You'll get into them pretty easily.



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fishdog Offline OP
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Thanks for the info

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Originally Posted by fishdog
Im gonna be over in SW Montana in a couple weeks, dropping off some equipment for wor, and have a hankerin to shoot some mountain grouse.

Problem is I know nothing about grouse other than shooting some Sharp-tails over here in North Dakota.

Ive heard they aint the smartest birds, but I thought Id ask for some pointers.

I will be in the Darby area if that helps any.

thanks


I'm supposed to be over there as well beginning of November. I've never had the opportunity to hunt upland in Mt or for blues or spruce period. Harvested many of ruffs in Pennsylvania Appalachians and in Maine and New Hampshire woods.

If I end up over that way your more than welcome to hunt with me and to try hunting behind my ruffed grouse finding MACHINE.


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I will be in Red Lodge area. How close is Darby to that?



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The perfection of life with a gun dog, like the perfection of an Autumn, is disturbing because you know, even as it begins, that it must end. Time bestows the gift and steals it in the process. "George Bird Evans"
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fishdog Offline OP
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Originally Posted by MolonLabe41
I will be in Red Lodge area. How close is Darby to that?


Its like half way between my house and Darby. Thabks for the offer i may take you up on it

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Will be over hunting Beulah and Stanley areas in ND in a week

Feel free to join me

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Originally Posted by ribka
Will be over hunting Beulah and Stanley areas in ND in a week

Feel free to join me


I'm not a native, but after living in Tioga for a year I'm pretty sure there's no mountain grouse in or around Stanley.

I hope I'm wrong and there's at least some ruffs, they're my favorite bird to pursue.

I've never hunted either of those areas, I recently moved to country outside of Williston. I went out for the first time Friday evening for an hour to hour and a half. Testing a brand new shotgun I got Friday morning. First flush from my dog with gun in hand, one shot one bird. Two more flushes before dark with two more shots and two more dead birds. I'd say the cheap Savage 555 in 12 was a good addition. Now off to the Turtles in a few weeks to try it on the king of birds IMHO.
I will be heading there first week of November now instead of Mt. Plans have changed and not on my part, the local I was going to be staying with in Red Lodge area will be working out of town that weekend now.

Plus, after talking to him, he lives outside of Red Lodge and says he don't see any grouse. He doesn't hunt them though either, he's a big game guy only. Any of you fellas see any ruffs in those parts?

Anyhow Ribka, if you're around these parts hit me up on the weekends Sage and I will be out. This is my first time hunting ND period. I've never harvested a hun or sharptail and I'm looking to fill the niche. My season is about to slow down and now I'm starting to get weekends off, so I'll be beaten feet with dog and shotgun every weekend till it gets to cold for her.

I was out here in 2013 winter on an oil rig before and know firsthand what a human popsicle feels like minus the stick.


Tight chains.

A=A


The perfection of life with a gun dog, like the perfection of an Autumn, is disturbing because you know, even as it begins, that it must end. Time bestows the gift and steals it in the process. "George Bird Evans"
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41, I enjoy hunting forest grouse, I grew up doing that.. But now I am hooked on birds of the open country: ringnecks, huns, sharptails, chukar, and sage grouse.. My main reason is I enjoy watching my dogs work, and that is so much easier on the plains.. Second at my age hearing a bird flush is about a thing of the past..


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Originally Posted by WyoCoyoteHunter
41, I enjoy hunting forest grouse, I grew up doing that.. But now I am hooked on birds of the open country: ringnecks, huns, sharptails, chukar, and sage grouse.. My main reason is I enjoy watching my dogs work, and that is so much easier on the plains.. Second at my age hearing a bird flush is about a thing of the past..


Ah yes sir, a day spent in the field with a dog with or with ought shooting is fun.

Back in my home covers in Pennsylvania I'd only shoot 7 ruffs a year and go out with snap caps after that. I quit killing them in late season years before i started the 7 thingy. I'm not old by any means I'll be 42 next week, but as I aged and had my seasons of bragging in my youth, I look at grouse hunting differently. Ever since I started reading all of George Byrd Evans books and one by William Hardin Foster it changed me for the bette, I think anyhow. the wife came down with something nasty and I'm staying home and taking care of her all morning thus far. She is trying to push me out now though. It's nice and calm today, so I might get out in a little while. Sage did flush a rooster on this mornings potty walk in adjacent field to the house. I took her and our Rottweiler Aiden for their morning stroll and came back been indoors ever since.

Maybe someday I'll get to Wyoming to try the spruce and blue hunting, along with the others and will have to share a log or the pick ups tailgate for a coffee and sandwiche. And if we're lucky breathe in some freshly burnt gunpowder with that clean wyoming mountain air. Happy trails


Tight chains.

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The perfection of life with a gun dog, like the perfection of an Autumn, is disturbing because you know, even as it begins, that it must end. Time bestows the gift and steals it in the process. "George Bird Evans"
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That sounds like a great idea.. I grew up in your country hunting ruffs, rabbits and whitetails.. Left there in my early 20's and have been gone ever since..

You are in some awesome bird hunting country now.. Eastern Montana is one of my favorite spots.. Well all of Montana..
Our bird hunting is pretty poor compared to it.. Here in southern Wy. we have a few ducks and geese til freezeup, and sage grouse and blue grouse.. Most of my birding is in northern Wy. I haven't been back to Montana for several years to hunt birds.. I am half planning a trip there next fall, maybe early Sept. I am due for a sheep permit, if I draw that, it could screw up my plans.. Time will tell..


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Goodluck with that permit. It was to hot today for dogwork Atleast with me and mine. We went for a half hour and right when I let her out of of the truck at a new spot I've been wanting to try she kicked a covey of huns. A first for the both of us and dad wasn't ready. Dicking around with balancing out both sides of my hunting jacket with shells--gun unloaded. Oh well, it was nice to see.

I want to get into some sharptails. My wife did find us a place to stay in the Turtles, so I will be getting to chase ruffs in a few weeks. Back in sout western Pa. They're brown phase. Get up in northern pa. You get a blend. Up in new England states all grays. This will be a first time for me hunting this western species and I'm stoked. In northern pa I was actually lucky enough to harvest a few chocolates over the years and one cherry in my lifetime. Excluding the two leggedkind


Tight chains.

A=A


The perfection of life with a gun dog, like the perfection of an Autumn, is disturbing because you know, even as it begins, that it must end. Time bestows the gift and steals it in the process. "George Bird Evans"
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Here all the ruffs I have shot have been the gray phase..

Best of luck on your trip!!!


Molon Labe

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