I'll have some time in early September to take my Brittany grouse hunting. I've never hunted blue grouse so I'm pretty clueless on where to find them. Does anyone have any pointers on where to look or know where I should go in the Snowy Range to find them? My plan was to find and old closed logging road and just start hiking.
Blue Grouse in Southeast WY
- Thread starter jtm307
- Start date
You're about right on with finding them, just get on a old logging road and go! There are a lot of clear cuts in the lower part of the Serria Madraes just west of Blackhall where I've ran into them elk hunting. But be aware that it is archery elk season all through those parts, so you might run into some disgruntle bow hunters if you run into a bunch of grouse and pop off rounds! Good luck, if you need a hunting partner just let me know!
Brad Daniel
Member
The Madres have unreal numbers of grouse. We average about 60-80 a year. Look for roads near water sources.
onpoint
Well-known member
While chasing blues, I've crossed paths with a fair number of bowhunters over the years. Never has one (outwardly) seemed annoyed. We're all playing on public land, usually I quietly wave - mouth "sorry" and they wave back and me and the dog on on our way. For what it's worth, most serious bowhunters
aren't anywhere near where plodding birdhunters and their barrelling-through -the-brush dogs will be found. Starts in MT on Thursday. Blue Grouse are dumb and taste horrible, it's hot as hell climbing ridges, and it's really not that much fun to hunt them.......... Good luck to all headin' out.....Attachments
Just to be clear, I'm a bow hunter that regularly runs into grouse hunters and never annoyed. Didn't mean to make it sound like I was one of those disgruntle hunters, I just pointed out that there might be some people out there who might be annoyed. As a matter of fact, last year while archery elk hunting in the Madres I ran into a older couple bird hunting the same drainage I was hunting elk. We talked a while and got a long great, they pointed me in the right direction of where they had spotted elk and I pointed them where I jumped a ton of grouse. We wished each other the best of luck and went about our ways.
While chasing blues, I've crossed paths with a fair number of bowhunters over the years. Never has one (outwardly) seemed annoyed. We're all playing on public land, usually I quietly wave - mouth "sorry" and they wave back and me and the dog on on our way. For what it's worth, most serious bowhunters
While there may be some sarcasm there
- that mirrors my experience with bowhunters/muzzleloaders in the grouse woods, as well. Just make sure and put some orange on the pups in Muzzy season. More often than not, we trade notes on the various species since as it always seems to go, you see more grouse elk hunting and vice versa. To the original question - we have run into grouse here and there in the Snowy's, much more the West side than east. I almost put my truck in the creek last summer after jumping out to take video of a covey in there.
Brad Daniel
Member
Go hunt and have a fun time. Never met a bowhunter to get offended by a grouse hunter. We have a friend that will come up most years with his dogs and a shotgun. Nobody cares.
Yes, the Madres seem to have way higher numbers of grouse. More pretty too.
Yes, the Madres seem to have way higher numbers of grouse. More pretty too.
I guess I'll have to stay home with the dog and wait for pheasant season. ;-)
onpoint
Well-known member
Naw, too cold to be out during pheasant season.......:hump:
Attachments
Ugh! How miserable. Poor dog.
There are grouse all over the Snowies and many people hunt them during Sept with a firearm. I always take my .22 along in the truck during archery season. The colder the weather, with snow, the higher up the mountains they go. Try the Rock Creek Trail.
shootbrownelk
Well-known member
I ran across plenty of blues around the Pelton creek area last year while Moose hunting.
Brad Daniel
Member
Rock Creek Knoll in the Snowies always seemed to hold plenty of grouse while we were elk hunting. Usually a guy or two with dogs as well.
onpoint
Well-known member
Man, I'm glad I don't hunt birds Pelton Cr. or Rock Creek Knoll in the Snowies in SE WY..................................
I never did hunt grouse last year, but I went last weekend in CO, and I'm going this weekend in WY. Does this pic look like a good place to hunt grouse? If so, how should I hunt it? Elevation difference from creek to ridge is about 500 feet. The white line is one mile long.
