[bedlyblaster]

It has been great hunting the last few days. More like October than dec. Hit them piney trees and swamps to find birds. But you'll need a little rat tail dog to flush em out of the thick pines so you can shhooot em. If your not lucky enough to have a little rat tail swamp dog flusher than a hunting partner or wife would do. i trained my dog to flush them grouse back at me, it really makes for fun shootin. Flushed 6 out of a dense stand of 20' pines today. 4 were lucky and didnt fly out, 2 were unlucky and flew (for a while) out of the pines with the doggy chasin em. Also had good luck in the swamps yesterday but man dont forget those muck boots, you will need em. Good thing i have a water spaniel he loves it. Found a realy nice mature clear cut in a state game area with the best grape vine action i have ever seen. Man were the grouse in there. It was like a hilton for grouse. We convinced a couple to check out early.

Who needs south dakota or iowa? Allegan to Oceana county much closer to home.

Merry Christmas.

 

[Worm Dunker]

Great storyand picture bedlyblaster I envey you state land close that has grouse. Only a week left thats a sad thought.

 

[sadworld]

i'm green to hunting as this is my first year but i thought i learned that pine forests were a thing to stay away from when looking for grouse? this is not true? i've been hanging by water with surroundings of aspen and birch and some ground cover.... i flushed maybe 5 birds in like 10 trips and ungodly hours at a time. so pine tree swamps and things eh? i must just be missing something. matt.

 

[bedlyblaster]

This time a year pines or swamps are the ticket. they may venture out to aspen cuts but you can bet they are only a short flite from thick pines. They also like staying out of the snow if they have a choice. I hunted yesterday concentrating on a thick pine plant. but the snow was melted in an adjacent area our of the pines next to a young clear cut. man were they in there. but when they flushed guess where they headed. rite for the pineys.

 

[sadworld]

i didn't know that... thanks. i plan on going out in the morning(sat) to maybe cadillac area.... never been there, but since this is my first year, i'm in the scouting stages still. looks like theres plenty of federal land up there (about an hour and a half drive for me from the tri cities...) peace.

 

[Ed Michrina]

Sadworld Try looking for those shrubs with the red berries on them . I'll alwys find grouse by them. Good luck

 

[greydog2000]

Same report here.. Saw three birds in a pocket of "pickers" near a run of pine trees - while we were laughing and loading more shells, the dog kicked up another scared one that was too nervous to hold near a pointing dog. After this, they were HIGH in the trees and would take off when you stopped walking......

Beautiful day though..............