Ruffed Grouse Hunt Deer River MN 10/4/2026

Sweep and I decided to have a Sunday hunt before watching the MN Vikings game.  At 60 degrees it was a bit warmer than what I like but that is early season hunting.  We went to a Grouse Management area near our house and when we pulled in there was a truck already there.  They were finished with that area and were trying to decide where to go so we were in the clear.  Right as we were hitting the woods another truck pulled in but he was a deer hunter checking on his stand and putting up his trail cameras.

We had a tailwind heading out an had a woodcock wild flush in the first few minutes.  I’m not usually a big woodcock person but I thought that if I saw one I would take a shot at it if I could as reinforcement for my dog.  Not too much farther down the road and we had a wild grouse flush from the opposite side of the trail from where Sweep was working.  I started to think that with the tailwind that the bell was giving off too much noise and warning the birds about our approach.  Not too much farther on Sweep went on point and it was another woodcock and this time I was able to harvest it.  She did a good job of finding it on the ground after it dropped.

We went around a couple of corners and Sweep went on point again.  This time it was a grouse and we took it also.  It was the nicest one of the season so far.  I was feeling pretty good about our hunt so far.  As we hit the far end of the trail and were starting to loop back Sweep swung into the wind flash a point as the grouse got up, I shot and it went down.  As I took a few steps to get it and as Sweep also closed in it flushed again and seemed to be even stronger.  I was so surprised that I didn’t even get off a shot.

We kept hunting and got a couple more woodcock points that I didn’t get shots off at.  It still ended up being our first multi-bird day and Sweep ran just over 10 miles in just under 2 hours.  She will sleep well tonight. 

 

MN 2026 ruffed grouse opening weekend eve

MN ruffed grouse opening weekend eve. Some might carboload before a big event but I go for the fish fry load.

 

MN 2026 Ruffed Grouse Hunting Seasons and Information

2026 seasons

Season	Dates
Ruffed & spruce grouse	Sept. 19-Jan. 3, 2027
Hungarian partridge	Sept. 19-Jan. 3, 2027
Sharp-tailed grouse, northwest zone	Sept. 19-Nov. 30
Sharp-tailed grouse, east-central zone	Closed *
Woodcock	Sept. 19-Nov. 2

Make sure to check with the official state DNR / Game / Hunting authorities to confirm that no changes to the seasons have taken place.    

 

 

 

Where to hunt Ruffed Grouse 2026

Currently, over two dozen states maintain active ruffed grouse hunting seasons. They generally fall into four primary geographic regions:

1. The Great Lakes (The Powerhouses)

This region is widely considered the epicenter of modern ruffed grouse hunting, boasting the highest population densities and millions of acres of public, actively logged forest land.

• Minnesota: Often ranked as the top state for grouse harvest.

• Wisconsin: Features massive national and state forests.

• Michigan: Exceptional hunting, particularly in the Upper Peninsula.

2. The Northeast & New England

Often referred to locally as "partridge," grouse have a deep hunting heritage in the dense, secondary-growth forests here.

• Maine: Offers sprawling timberlands and massive annual harvests.

• New Hampshire

• Vermont

• New York

• Massachusetts

• Connecticut

• Rhode Island (highly limited populations/seasons)

3. The Appalachian & Mid-Atlantic Mountains

While populations have declined dramatically west of the Appalachians, states with higher-elevation mountain habitats still maintain regulated seasons.

• Pennsylvania: The state bird; though regulations have been tightened (like cutting late winter seasons) to protect numbers.

• West Virginia

• Virginia

• Kentucky

• North Carolina: Limited primarily to the western mountain counties.

• Tennessee

• Georgia: The absolute southern tip of their eastern range.

• Ohio (Highly restricted/limited zones)

4. The West & Rockies

Western ruffed grouse are often found in aspen groves, river bottoms, and mixed conifer forests. Because they face less hunting pressure here, they are famously less skittish than their eastern counterparts.

• Idaho

• Montana

• Wyoming

• Washington

• Oregon

• Utah

• Nevada (Small, introduced populations)

• California (Limited to the far northwestern coastal timber ranges)

• Alaska

5. Isolated Pockets

• North Dakota & South Dakota: Both states have highly localized native populations (such as the Turtle Mountains in ND and the Black Hills in SD) that support small-scale seasons.

⚠️ Important Note on Recent Closures: States like Indiana and Illinois have either completely closed their ruffed grouse seasons or listed the bird as endangered due to severe population crashes. Always double-check the current year's digest for the specific state you plan to hunt, as emergency season shorteners are becoming more common to combat West Nile Virus impacts.

Hiring - REGIONAL ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR WESTERN GREAT LAKES (MN, IA) Ruffed Grouse Society

RGS & AWS is seeking an outstanding individual to increase member engagement. This position will include organizing fundraising banquets and events, along with engagement and education events for local chapters in your region. The Regional Engagement Coordinator will empower volunteers to become conservation leaders, working with chapters that engage a larger network across the region for conservation delivery, advocacy and fundraising. The Regional Engagement Coordinator will work directly with RGS & AWS volunteers to engage various stakeholders to increase membership and fundraising opportunities at the local, state, and regional levels. Click here for complete job description…