Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire In search of Virginia grouse

Hey all,

This year is my first hunting season and I'm on the hunt for ruffed grouse. I know here in Virginia the numbers ain't like Minnesota or the Michigan UP, but they are here. Last week I drove a good 3 and half hours out to Highland WMA from Fairfax County and after 9 hours of busting through laurel thickets and briars I got a whole lot of nothing other than a briar to the eye. From what I've read everything was there, thick laurel & briar patches, several recent & old clear cuts, berry bearing plants, a decent number of acorns & coniferous trees. I walked slowly and frequently stopped in my tracks in an effort to get grouse to flush but it never happened even when far from the trail. I feel like I'm doing everything right but still got nothing, I don't have a bird dog so I'm on my own here. I'm headed out to G R Thompson WMA this week which is a bit closer in hopes of better luck, does anybody have any tips so I don't get outsmarted by a 1 pound forest chicken for the rest of the season?

Thanks, hopefully you guys are doing better than me so far this season lol

Grouse hunting without a good pointer is like fishing without bait.

As much as I'd love a good bird dog, it just ain't gonna happen until I'm out of college

Used to hear them drumming at the house daily[Virginia], been at least 10-12 years since I've jumped one.

Good luck!

Never chased grouse but given their typical habitat in the Appalachians, I can't imagine how frustrating it would be without a good dog. Seems to me you'd just be wondering around aimlessly in steep thickets without one. I have a GWP but no desire to drive a couple hours to walk mountains to possibly flush one or two. Grouse in the east is tough hunting for very little success. Best of luck to you though.

Grouse are cyclic. You can have high number years and low number years. And it may vary from location to location. A lot can effect their chick survival.

Talk to people in the area and find out how the numbers are. Try multiple areas. Once you see one bird hunt that area hard.

You can get plenty of grouse without dogs. Keep your eye on the forest floor and once you see a few before flush you will get the hang of what you are looking for and can see them early.

Get on #81 going south until you go past Harrisonburg towards Staunton. look for the signs making note of Route #250 going west. Keep going west until you get to Mckinley turn south. Look for Virginia state game land turn off. Hope you have 4 wheel drive. Have fun and good luck..

Well it sound like you're in the right type of area!

It really does sound like all your areas are correct. Brushy logging areas that are a few years old up to 10'ish years. Thorns, tag alder, raspberry brush, clover lined trails. It could also be your time of the day. I've probably done the best in the morning after the sun is up, for a few hours, then again in the evening before they head up into the trees for the night.

It does not necessarily take a good bird dog. Any mutt properly obedience trained will flush grouse to your gun. The critical factor being obedience trained so that the dog will answer commands and allow you to keep him inside 30 yds.

Almost any phoo-phoo pound puppy with a curious nose will suffice. Avoid terriers and hounds. Heelers and working cow dog breeds can excel.

They have an adequate nose, are anxious to please, and love the reward of a pat on the head or a kind word when they properly flush a bird.

OP,
I have yet to bump a grouse in Virginia... but I live close to you and I am picking up my Pudelpointer from the trainer at the end of the month. Maybe we can get out and give it a run together.

Raeford—in early 1982 I walked down the Appalachian Trail from Little Horse Gap on Big Walker Mountain down toward the Spur Branch on Little Creek—flushed 7 ruffed grouse that morning.

How about West Virginia? I know they do a lot of habitat mgt in Sleepy Creek WMA for grouse and on google earth you can see where they've cut to make it. I have no idea if they've been successful but it's a pretty area and much less than a three hour drive for you!

Little farther up Rt250, but there are grouse on sounding knob on the Highland Co. WMA. Hit a rainy day or the day after when all the laurel is wet and you'll normally catch them either in the fireroad or in the open fields. They seem to hate the wet laurel. Buddy runs his pointers up there every year. I've had decent luck without a dog.

Some of the hunters I talk to there said the same thing, day of or day after a good rain the grouse tend to come out of the woods. Not sure why they'd do that but I guess there's something they're looking for. Given it's raining today and tomorrow morning it may just be worth my time to try and drive back out there once more. Definitely gonna bring my explorer to go up the access road and not my Rx7 this time around lol.

The guys there also said something interesting about how the bear hunters put a hurtin' on the grouse numbers most years. They didn't add much more detail to it than the guys use dogs and the dogs flush grouse while looking for bear. I'd guess they're using shotguns and keeping birdshot loaded & throwing a slug in the chamber when the dogs find a bear. Seemed like an odd thing to blame bad grouse numbers on, then again I'm sure they get out way more often than I do.

Some of the hunters I talk to there said the same thing, day of or day after a good rain the grouse tend to come out of the woods. Not sure why they'd do that but I guess there's something they're looking for. Given it's raining today and tomorrow morning it may just be worth my time to try and drive back out there once more. Definitely gonna bring my explorer to go up the access road and not my Rx7 this time around lol.

The guys there also said something interesting about how the bear hunters put a hurtin' on the grouse numbers most years. They didn't add much more detail to it than the guys use dogs and the dogs flush grouse while looking for bear. I'd guess they're using shotguns and keeping birdshot loaded & throwing a slug in the chamber when the dogs find a bear. Seemed like an odd thing to blame bad grouse numbers on, then again I'm sure they get out way more often than I do.

Can't say about Virginia, but grouse numbers are down hugely in Pennsylvania. Not only are grouse cyclical, but they now have west nile virus. The combo has made seeing grouse a rare occurrence in habitat that used to easily yield limits without a dog. I never hear a drum now days and I live in the heart of grouse country.

Locals are not shooting grouse in an effort to boost numbers. The game commission here is researching a fix, not likely.

Google it.

Look for McDowell, not McKinley. Were you up Davis Run or down the Bullpasture?

I saw a couple in the Laurel Fork area last year.

I've heard about the West Nile Virus slamming the grouse, thankfully here in VA the rate is pretty low, only around 3%. Hopefully it stays that way

Whoever told you that is a complete idiot.
Predators and weather patterns hurt grouse numbers. I’ve never seen a plott or walker hound give a damn about a bird. That’s an insult to a good bear hound.

My understanding is grouse are trying to stay dry so stay out of the thick stuff when it’s wet.
As for an RX7, yeah, I’d stay off sounding knob in one for sure.

What I hear is when the turkey numbers are up, grouse will be down. Reverse is true. that bear stuff is BS.