Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game North Kaibab Grouse

Rica, my German Wire-Haired Pointer, and I made a trip to the north rim of the Grand Canyon this weekend to hunt some blue grouse. Stopped along the drive north from Flagstafff on the Navajo Rez to gander at a stone house fixer-upper beneath the vermilion ridge.



Got up there Friday evening to be buffeted by horrocious winds. Was so bad on Marble View Point that my ice chest actually blew over. Since, by 3 am, I was getting no sleep in the shuddering camper, I drove back down the road to sek refuge from the wind in the trees. But was to be blocked in by a fallen aspen across the road. Called it a night and said to heck with it; deal with it in the morning.

At sunrise, I started to drive back to the point to recover the rest of camp that was blown into the trees. But a covey of grouse flushed from a roadside puddle just after I turned around, so I answered when this opportunity knocked. Rica quickly had a bunch busting out, and a load of 7 1/2's fellled our first ever blue grouse. Three more shells were spent in the timber chasing the wind. We did some swings along the rim edge in the direction they flew, and flushed a few more to the Cocks Combs below. Do we go after em?



With the aid of a hatchet, tow strap, 4-low and another truck, the aspen was shortened and pulled to the side of the road. Further down the road, another opening with wild berries awaited, but no grouse were pointed. Went on down the road again and set up camp and took a nap. Awoke to Rica greeting the game warden. We talked of grouse and chukar, and showed him the lone bird. He wished me luck and to get two more that evening, but Rica and I could only muster one. We busted a large covey and a mature male returned to mother earth.



Sunday morning, we went back to the same berry patch and the evening prior, figuring they would return. They did. Picked up a single. On the third sweep afterwards, Rica got birdy, and her nose which was skimming the ground, led us to the rest of the covey. Grouse flushed in every direction. One tried to fly ten feet directly overhaead, Another whirred to the right. A double lay on the ground to be aptly recovered by that wirehair. Twenty minutes after the first bird, Rica had her limit of three blue grouse.



Doug~RR

Dandy story and great pictures to boot. Got to love hunting behind a good bird dog.
2Crow.

Great story and photos. Thanks for sharing. I always wanted to hunt a Blue Grouse.

Sweeeet.