[Outdooraddict24]

I never tried grouse hunting and unfortanetely do not have a dog. Obviously it will definetely be harder without a dog, but is it even possible. From what I have been reading they hang in thick cover and are very fast. Is it possible to do without a dog? Any info is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[timberdoodle]

sure i's possible... I't's just hiking with a shotgun. Walk slow and stop often.

 

[11bdickey]

To best increase our odd, when you stop walking have your shotgun in position and be ready to shoot.

 

[peddle-paddle]

Several times after taking a wiz and taking that first step I've had birds flush almost at my feet. Hasn't happened since I started being ready.

 

[TRAPJAW]

Walk SLOOOW, moving too fast you can blow right past them. Then you get a flush from behind.

Turn often even when you don't have to go around anything. They get nervy if you happen to turn toward them, or if they think you're going away they can sneak out the back door.

Stop often. Same justification as the last.

Learn the cover where you flush the most birds.

I'm in the same boat now that I don't have a dog.

 

[LostAgain]

I know an HPA member that hunts quite successfully without a dog, in fact right now, more successfully than me with a dog. He spends as much time pouring over maps as he does hunting. A text from him yesterday, he moved 9 grouse in 3 hours, bagging 1; he also killed on on Thursday. He has learned where to find grouse easiest hunting alone and keys on those spots. He is also willing to travel the western half of the state to find grouse.

 

[Country Nate]

Page 106, Chapter 6 'Jump Shooting' Grouse Hunting Strategies, Frank Woolner.

"Jump shooters cynically maintain that dogs contribute to the conservation of Grouse. Though this statement may be subtitled sour grapes, a multitude of highly efficient gunners eschew canine companions-and the best of these are high scorers. In fact it is probably true that a knowledgeable hunter can raise more birds within effective range of his gun without a dog than with one. Unfortunately, it takes years of experience to become a top hand."


If someone knows what they are doing, they can shoot a lot of Grouse without a dog.

 

[grousen'at]

Thanks Jeff, although I do not think that is true at all. My trip to NC PA this past long weekend was fairly productive. I put up 7 in a half day Friday, only 1 on Saturday(high winds I have not cracked yet), and moved 9 in around 3 hours Saturday, bagging 1 Thursday and 1 Saturday. I would say my most successful spots are me keying on food, in particular soft mast(grapes, hawthorn, crabapples, etc) depending on time of year and what is around that are within 150 yards or closer of cover. I will say that walking trails can be productive but I like to bust brush as well. I know a lot of people like to walk slow and it can be a great way to do things but there are days where I have found moving quickly and stopping only when nearing big logs in cuts can be more productive. As Jeff said I do tend to spend a lot of time looking at google earth, pgc, and dcnr websites so I don't waste my time hitting low percentage areas. This year including my trip to Michigan I am over 50 birds put up so far, but the miles on my boots are well over 100 miles.

 

[N8_Fudd]

When you stop, listen. Some time you can hear them getting restless and cheeping.

 

[JK SE Pa]

Very doable.

 

[Springer Rage]

I hunted for several years without a dog. I flushed a lot of grouse during those years and managed to shoot a few. One suggestion that I would make is to use enough load to drop them and follow up your shots. You should do that anyway but once I started hunting with a good dog I learned that some of the birds that I thought that I missed were actually shot and continued flying. If that happens without a dog to find them, you will have killed grouse that you won't recover. I think the only way to decrease those odds is to used a little more gun/load than your instincts might tell you. If you see them fall, they will be easier to recover.

 

[LouMattes]

Are there any good places for grouse in Washington county anymore?

 

[Dave in Maine]

I do it without a dog - not as well as those with good dogs, but I do enjoy it and have some success.
A couple tips:
If you're walking a woods road or trail, look for places where they can come to "gravel", i.e., get some grit for their crops. They will be there mid- to late-afternoon. Mark those places in your mental map to come back to. I could have jumped one Saturday but for he was 150 yards down the trail when I saw him and saw me at 125.
Moving slowly helps. They'll often try to sneak off rather than outright run. You likely won't see them when they hold, but you can see them when they move.
Stopping and listening is key: not only can you hear them cheeping sometimes, but you should also listen for drumming. They can and do drum even during the hunting season. Similarly, if you can find a drumming log, it's a good place to visit.
Stopping and turning around is also critical. More than once I've had them wait in thick cover alongside a trail for me to pass, then cross the trail after I went by. There was once in a dusting of snow two sets of tracks alongside each other where a pair crossed less than 50 yards behind me. I followed those tracks through the cover good 75 yards until they flushed out of range.
First snow is very useful They don't remember it from last year. And you can track them.
Birches near pines and pines near birches are always good places to look. Later in the season, especially in cold snowy weather, they will "bud" the birches and fill their crop, then go into the pines to work on their meal.
Old apple trees, crabapples, grapes, strawberry leaves, raspberry/blackberry leaves - all the places to look. Old orchards a great place.
Use stronger loads - if they're wounded they'll crawl under things like logs and such - finding them is where a dog comes in real handy. You want them to hit the ground dead.

 

[SoYoCoTransplant]

It's been 5 years ago now (2012) and I was in between dogs on thanksgiving morning my buddy and I had 24 flushes in just over 2-1/2 hrs of hunting. This particular piece of property is and always will be my #1 honey hole. Since getting a new dog I have yet to ever hunt that property without a dog, and in the last 4 seasons on that property we average 8-10 flushes in the same amount of time. When I archery hunt this property it's nothing to bump 5-6 birds in and out of stand when walking in a straight line to the truck. I fully believe we are far more productive without the dog on this property but I love hunting with my dog and won't change tactics.

 

[bowbenderpa01]

Cannot agree more than with the replies by Springer Rage and Dave in Maine. If not dead in the air, they are often extremely hard to track down and find on the ground, same with pheasants. Snow is always a blessing. I've also adopted the practice of using a little more gun with slightly heavier shot/load.