16ga.com ~ View topic - What is your best piece of advise to a new Grouse hunter?

Joined: 05 Nov 2016 Posts: 189 Location: Montana

All good stuff. PineCreek/Dave.
Just trying to inject levity into stodginess(sp?) Very Happy

And actually, I am the product of self teaching. I had no hunters in my family. Just a dad who was a maniac fisherman. He trusted me enough to let me experience the outdoors as a little shaver, as we lived in a rural area, and during a simpler time.
Hunter Education class and off I went marlin bolt action 20 gauge, into the Superior Nat'l forest. Walking from my house into the woods above town.
For the first couple years of my grouse hunting career I actually hunted alone.
Not all of us are lucky enough to have come from a hunting tradition.
I am sure I would have learned much from my predecessors/mentors if I had.
The way I learned had it's own rewards - I wouldn't change a thing could I..............................

No mentor and no dog here...just a 12 year old kid in 1964 let loose upon an October appalachian hillside as a generalist hunter.
I only had to make it to the picnic grounds in a couple of hours.

That I saw feathers appearing to fall forever and had a plump warmness against my back when I got there was a bonus.

Joined: 05 Nov 2016 Posts: 189 Location: Montana

The path is less the importance than the walk, eh?

Joined: 09 Mar 2016 Posts: 753 Location: Mn.

In 1964 I was only 6 but I guess that makes me average here LOL. Grew up hunting grouse in the Endless Mountains of Pa. and the most times I repeat flushed a grouse was 5, and I did get it. Don't know of anyone that grew up in Potter County, Pa. that set rules for grouse hunting, we went out to kill game. Only a foreigner from someplace else would set rules such as limiting flushes. At least among my family and friends, which was everyone I knew at the time. Most of us small game hunted I was the strange one that went after only grouse when I could. And have hunted ruff grouse over all other game when stationed around the Country and they were available.

Grouse hunting to me was always a solitaire venture. Until my youngest son came of age and I took him back to Pa. for youth hunt and he got to hunt grouse with me and his grandfather. 3 generations of us grouse hunting together are some of if not the best memories I own.

I have grouse hunted with some on here and look forward to going to the North Shore hunting with fourtrax each fall. Even then most of the time it is you go down that fork and I will go down this one. Pheasant hunting in SD is with some other retired military guys and that is a social event. And having at least 2 people to pinch wild phez no matter what breed of dog you run helps a lot.

mtbirder I often get told that North Central Mn. has much better grouse hunting then the North Shore. And it does. But for the last dozen years or so I look forward to spending as much time in the fall hunting grouse there as I can. Can't think of a better place I'd rather be grouse hunting. I enjoy hunting grouse on the North Shore more than any other woods I have hunted them in.

These 3 books pretty much define who I am now, not sure if that is a good thing or not

While the burning desire to shoot a limit has died down from my youth, by a lot, I still go with the dog to shoot birds.

The real burning question all across the Country is where the heck do ruff grouse go from noon until 2 PM?! About all I can come up with is that they are telling us we are supposed to take a nap in the woods Embarassed

Cold Iron,

As you admitted your Grouse hunting was done pretty much alone, in our family most times we hunted with at least 2 men and dogs and never flushed a Grouse more than 2 times. I was born in Galeton, Pa 1949 in my Great Grandfathers home on West Maine Street. Where in Potter County are you from? Most everyone in my generation hunted Grouse, especially before the Deer became plentiful, and in the manner I described.

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Take up fishing Laughing

rudyc,

Do both in the appropriate seasons.

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Joined: 05 Nov 2016 Posts: 189 Location: Montana

Joined: 09 Mar 2016 Posts: 753 Location: Mn.

Dave you had me thinking hard there if we were related. But I can't think of anyone named Dave in the family, at least direct line. Great Grandma Thomas used to talk about the blizzard in Galeton May 29, 1929 it was so cold it killed most of the new born calves. And times were tough then that was an added blow.

On the rim of Pine Creek near Ansonia there is what is left of an old homestead on what is now public land. As of about 20 years ago all that was left was the foundation and part of a woodstove. That was my Great Great Grandma Hat (Hatfield) kitchen. Mothers side of the family.

We shoot a lot of grouse, friends and family. But we also shot a lot of rabbits and squirrels. My grandfather gave me my first gun an Ithaca 37 in 16 ga. choked Mod and I killed a lot of grouse and other game with it. Didn't know that a Mod choke supposedly wasn't the best for grouse and went 5 birds with 5 shots straight with it one year.

In the early 80's I volunteered for recruiting duty if they could get me back home and they got me Wellsboro Station covering Potter, Tioga and Bradford. Good enough for me. That is when I picked up my first grouse dog a Ryman down at DeCoverly. I was deployed a lot overseas and needed a wife at home to take care of a dog before I got one. Grandpa was pretty hard off by then and could hardly walk. He asked me to drive him through the woods down trails in my FJ55 Landcruiser so he could listen to grouse flush. I did and it put a huge smile on his face he got to listen to 2 flushes. There were more but his hearing wasn't so good.

He passed away soon after and Grandma lost the will to live. Last time I talked to her I mentioned that neither one of them ever wanted for much in the way of belongings. She said that being first married during the depression they found they only needed each other. She said Grandpa had always wanted a good hunting coat and saved enough money for one then someone stole it out of the car. I asked why he didn't lock the car and she laughed and said back then cars didn't have locks on them and you normally didn't worry about such things. I have the coat he replaced the stolen one with.

I was thankful to be able to take my son back to hunt with his grandfather and I about a dozen years ago. Over 2 Tollers. But the line stops with me I guess. Many dirt roads are now paved, lots of traffic and trucks, and people. Not what it used to be and seems that is everywhere else now. Part of progress and growing older, such is life.

Joined: 09 Mar 2016 Posts: 753 Location: Mn.

Joined: 14 Feb 2017 Posts: 401

Cold Iron, that's probably the nicest wood I've seen on a 37.

cold Iron,

We are not related however our folks knew each other well, my Grandfather and yours Grouse hunted together long ago. I know the name and the place where your Grandma's house use to be, fine people you come from. Stealing anything from a vehicle in Potter/Tioga can get a person in more trouble than one can handle, no locks on most doors were ever needed until modern times. The story about your Grandpas hunting coat being taken from his vehicle is well know thru out the mountains.

No doubt our folks hunted a lot more than Grouse, however in our family Grouse was the main quarry most all the time.

I have a nice log cabin on Powder Horn Lane, not far from the Log Cabin Restaurant, on Rt 6. Come Grouse season you are welcome to visit and stay over, I train US military Veterans Grouse dogs for absolutely no charge. Hope you find a real nice lady and invest in another Ryman Setter. I have a male Ryman Setter and 2 Gordon Setter Grouse dogs, one is still a pup however.

Have been married over 40 years now, Retired out of the US Army 1976. My Log Cabin is one of the places I call home, most of the year.

Make time to come Grouse hunt up home some time!

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Joined: 09 Mar 2016 Posts: 753 Location: Mn.

Thanks Dave.

Joined: 21 May 2010 Posts: 603 Location: Victoria BC Canada

Duplicate. Where is the delete key?