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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 56,405 Likes: 10
Campfire Kahuna
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OP
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 56,405 Likes: 10 |
Went up to knock some birds down and had 10" of snow overnight! Do they follow the snow line down? Todays gun was a 23" 28 gauge SxS after I got shamed with the .410 the other day.
Last edited by Fireball2; 12/01/18.
_______________________________________________________ An 8 dollar driveway boy living in a T-111 shack
LOL
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Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 3,204 Likes: 2
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 3,204 Likes: 2 |
There isn't an elevation change enough to speak of here but I doubt ruffs move with the snow. In the many hunting stories of the last century or more, I don't recall wholesale changes in grouse location due to snow nor do I recall reading of any such happening in various biological reports. In fact, they actually need enough snow depth to borrow in to best survive the winter. As their winter food tends to be leaf buds off trees and shrubs with the most important being aspen and alder a distant second, snow would not be a major factor in their movement.
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Joined: Jan 2007
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,832 Likes: 3 |
Deep snow keeps most of the predators at bay. Which includes those with a shotgun. They do fine in deep snow and Grouse have always thrived better in the North Country.
laissez les bons temps rouler
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 56,405 Likes: 10
Campfire Kahuna
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OP
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 56,405 Likes: 10 |
No aspen here, but plenty of alder. The terrain is very steep, with lots of down timber. So with the snow and walking conditions, I'll try lower today so as not to end up a statistic.
_______________________________________________________ An 8 dollar driveway boy living in a T-111 shack
LOL
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Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 3,204 Likes: 2
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Apr 2017
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I'd hunt the same places now as I would earlier in the year. Grouse don't migrate due to snow and actually need snow to best urvive the winter as said earlier. Grouse pick habitat that has year round food and cover so they don't have to move as the seasons change.
The only caveat regarding late season grouse hunting is to not hit any covert too hard. Grouse taken after the fall shuffle often leave that cover open until the shuffle next fall. It isn't much of an issue in marginal habitat where survival is questionable in the best of times but can lead to some long term population drops in heavily hunted or isolated areas.
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Joined: Aug 2005
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 10,046 Likes: 1 |
In Minnesota, I would hunt the food and thermal cover (pine trees) and the snow is secondary. Its only a spot for them to bury into for a warm winters night.
Nothing is more cool than a morning hunt flushing grouse at your snow shoe tips!
Other than that, How was the show Mrs. Lincoln?
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Joined: May 2017
Posts: 101
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 101 |
Nothing is more cool than a morning hunt flushing grouse at your snow shoe tips! that's the truth,,,,first time it happened to me it set me back on the tails!
Picture a combination right wing, libertarian, unabomber, nationalist who believes in reverent science and who, to his core, remembers the words he swore to defend the constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic.....so help me God
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,018 |
In snow they often are under it!
When the tailgate drops the BS stops.
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