# Not Many Grouse around this year!!!



## Grouse Hunter (Aug 21, 2005)

By this time last year i had about 15 - 20 birds this year i only have ten so far and my dog flushed 2 of them for me too so if it wan't for the dog i would only have 8. Their seems to be a big shortage this year they are sayin that they had a really wet spring and the babies didn't survive i don't no anyone else got any ideas about what happened to them all?


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

As I recall...you're a Ruffie hunter, aren't you GH?

In MN they are on the bottom of the trough in their 10-12 year cycle. I heard in ND they are starting to come out of the trough. So if you're chasing ruffies, now is a tough time.

If you're after sharpies, you're hunting in the wrong place. I've seen hundreds of sharptails this year, and have half a dozen or so under my belt, and this is my first year of "seriously" hunting them.

Good luck for the rest of the year.


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## Grouse Hunter (Aug 21, 2005)

well where i am we only have 2 kinds of grouse we only have spruce grouse and ruffed grouse I hunt the spruce too but id much rather get a ruffed but i do wish we had more kinds of grouse here. I'd like it if we had sharped tailed grouse here id like to hunt them some day what colour meat are they light breast or dark?


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## spoiler92 (Jul 30, 2003)

Saw a ton of Sharptail Grouse around the Wishek area


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

GH - Grouse are very dark red in color, even darker than pheasant legs, and dang delicious too! Haven't been able to get enough of them this year, and I've shot more this year than ever before!

Good luck!


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## mburgess (Aug 11, 2003)

The sharptails are thick this year, but they are really starting to flock up now. Tough to get into shooting range now.


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## Grouse Hunter (Aug 21, 2005)

njsimonson said:


> GH - Grouse are very dark red in color, even darker than pheasant legs, and dang delicious too! Haven't been able to get enough of them this year, and I've shot more this year than ever before!
> 
> Good luck!


well Like i said last year I got a lot last year i got 60 brids 52 ruffed grouse and 8 mixed breeds between ruffed and spruce. I went hunting this weekend (of course) and hunted all day friday and never even seen a bird, so i said screw it and i spent all day saturday deer hunting and almost had one i was walkin and all of a sudden i heard it walkin and out walk a 6 point buck so i put up the the gun (30-30) the deer was only 20 feet away and it was real thick all around me with spruce trees and i cocked the gun and all i saw was the tail go uo and before i pulled the trigger he ran in the bush a chased him for over 2 hours never saw him again and then in the evening i had the 30-30 and a ruffed grouse flew out in front of me and i did shoot it because last time i shot a grouse with a rifle there wasn't nothin left of him so i was a little un set about the bird and really upsetabout the buck but il get them next time ya see where i am deer season ends next weekedn saturday is the last day for deer and then grouse only goes 2 weeks after that so ill do my best to get that deer next weekend! :sniper:


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## bubba682 (Jan 3, 2006)

Were poluted with them on the island. GREAT fun an great eatin.


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