Ruffed Grouse September 2011 - Bigfork, MN

Tina With Her First Grouse Of 2011

Friday Sept 23rd 2011

We left the St. Paul, MN area at about 5:25 am and headed north to the Bigfork area for our first hunt of the season.  After a stop over in Grand Rapids we started to hunt at about 11 am.  There were no vehicles parked at our favorite spot.  It soon became apparent why when we started to walk the area as the telltale signs of logging we everywhere.  We decided to walk the trails that weren’t being traveled by the logging trucks.  Unfortunately the logging was taking place in the areas that produced the most birds last season and not in the older areas that we ended up walking.  We didn’t move any birds in the older growth.  We got to an area of younger growth that has usually held a bird or two in the past so I was hopeful of some action.  Tina didn’t get too birdy until we were almost through the area.  As we got close to the end of the cover she became birdy and I could see the grouse holding just up ahead.  Two steps towards it and it flushed and after the shot we had the  first bird of 2011 in the bag.

The next spot we hunted I call “ the field “.  When I showed it to some friends last year they wondered why “field” was part of the name and I told them that when I started to hunt the spot 10 plus years ago it was a clear cut at the end of the trail and that you could see all the way around it.  Now it is fairly filled in with different types of growth.  Tina and I made our way around the area and were lucky enough to find a grouse on the edge of the cover.  After another nice point I was able to add it to my game bag.

On the way back we followed the edge of a beaver pond and got to really solid points on woodcock.  I was wonder if they knew that the season hadn’t opened on them yet and that is why they presented me with such nice easy presentations.

After moving to a new location I got out Marge, my 15 year old setter.  I was wondering how she would do this season as she has been off a little bit on our walks this summer but after 15 minutes on the trail she was off into the cover.  She did pretty well except for where she had to climb over downed logs.  I had chosen a trail that I thought would be 45 -60 minutes of walking.  We didn’t move any birds on the way out so on they way back I was daydreaming a bit when Marge’s beeper went off.  I could here her not too far off in some older growth so I wasn’t too optimistic and didn’t really hurry to her.  By the time I got close to her one grouse decided it has waited long enough and flushed off to safety.  As I congratulated Marge for the nice point another three more flushed off into the deeper cover.  Lesson relearned.  Always Trust Your Dog.

We ended up getting two birds for the day and moved a few more.  I think I only saw 1/3 the birds that I saw in the same area that I saw last season.  The cover is definitely still in full force whereas last season I think we saw the leaves drop two to three weeks early.  It was still nice to get out and test the woods.

2011 Ruffed Grouse and Woodcock Forecast

2011 Ruffed Grouse and Woodcock Forecast from  The Traveling Wingshooter.  Covers MN, WI, MI, and ME.

MN Hunter Walking Trails - Ruffed Grouse

Minnesota's primary grouse range features a number of hunter walking trails that wind their way through Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), sometimes connecting with state forests and other public hunting lands.

These trails, most of them with signs, provide comparatively easy access to areas where small game such as grouse and woodcock may abound.
Many of the trails are gated, helping to prevent OHV access. Some have parking lots, while others simply have places to just pull off the road.
Enhancements on the trails vary. Some feature clover planted along the trail, others have forest openings that tend to attract wildlife and some are mowed annually. Many of the trails follow the courses of old logging roads.

Forests change over time as the succession of forest growth progresses. Because of this natural cycle, the forest along the trails and the wildlife that inhabit the area change with time.

Using the walking trail tool

Use the walking trail tool to locate hunter walking trails. Simply select a county from the list and click on the trail name. The map will automatically zoom and the trail will appear marked in red. Clicking the "PDF" link opens a new browser window that displays a printable, aerial view of the selected trail.

Trail maps are being updated continually and new maps are being added to the walking trail tool. Please check the tool regularly during the fall for new additions.

Google Earth file

Downloading this file and saving it to your computer allows you to view all the hunter walking trails using the free Google Earth application . If you don't have Google Earth installed, simply save the Google Earth installation file to your computer, run the installation progam, download the Hunter Walking Trail file and click "Open". All Minnesota's hunter walking trails will appear in the application, allowing you to zoom in and out at your leisure.

MN DNR Site

MN Wildlife Management Area GPS files

The MN DNR has put out GPS data files in both Garmin and Lowrance formats showing the locations of all the WMA's

Data File Download Page

Preseason Training Camp - Ruffed Grouse, Pheasant

I dropped my English Setter off at the trainer the other day.  When we got her three years ago she was a fully finished dog so this training is mostly for fitness.  Like most people I live in the ‘burbs and beyond the daily walks there isn’t too much of a chance to get in some bigger off leash workouts and with the high grouse drumming counts this spring I wanted to make sure she was in shape right at the start of the season.

In talking with Jerry Kolter, breeder / trainer / trialer, we decided to go with a combination of free running and atv roading.  Jerry had Tina the first six years and used her as one of his string when he did guided ruffed grouse hunts so he his familiar with Tina and how she can best be brought into full fitness.  On the plus side Tina weighed 4 pounds less than she did last summer and I think is in better shape to start with.

Now that the dog is rounding into shape what about the weak link in the team?  Yeah, that would be me.  I’ve been riding my bike but due to work travel, weird illnesses, wet weather and a lack of motivation I’ve ridden only about one half of what I had in last summer.  To make up for it I’ve been trying to eat better ( 2 brats instead of 3, the small basket of onion rings instead of the large.. it’s all relative ).  Lift some weights.  I was finding my arms were getting tired just from shooting three rounds of trap.  I even did my first run in over five years today.  This is all a far cry from the days when I was fairly fit and never gave a thought to having to get into shape for the hunting season.

One of the things driving the desire to get in better shape is that I have some high school neighbor boys who want to hunt and after seeing them come home from their football two-a-days I know I have to pick it up so they don’t leave me huffing and puffing.

So there you go, the dog is working out, I’m working out and now all we need is for the seasons to start, the weather to play nice, and rest will be up to the hunting gods. 

Northwoods Bird Dogs