WASHINGTON, OREGON ELK FORECAST

DIFFERENT TIMES OF fall call for different tactics when chasing elk with a rifle. These tactics can also vary depending on which state you’re hunting in. If you have a general elk tag, live in Washington and will be hunting east of the Cascade Crest, you will be hunting for a spike, though there are also a few any-bull and any-elk units. For this tag, you will want to focus on locating a herd, as spike bulls generally hang with large groups of elk. They are not like big bulls that are tired from the rut and off seeking solitude. This also holds true with cows. If you were lucky enough to draw a cow tag, which seem to be fewer every year, you will focus on areas that hold herds of elk. That’s not to say that you won’t find small groups of cows, but elk love to find safety in numbers. The more eyes and noses they have, the safer they will be. The benefit of trying to locate herds of elk is that they are generally easier to see and hear the larger the group.

Now, when it comes to mature bulls, there will be a difference in how you approach the hunt depending on whether your season occurs during or after the rut. If you drew a quality tag and it is after the rut, you are going to want to hunt the steep and

WASHINGTON, OREGON ELK PROSPECTS

It will be another tough fall for most elk hunters in Eastern Washington due to continuing calf survival issues.

“The low number of calves being recruited into the population in 2021 will result in a low number of yearling bulls (spikes) available for harvest. This fall will be another below-average year for yearling bull harvest,” forecast Blue Mountains biologists Paul Wik and Mark Vekasy.

Troubles with their herd sparked a large study this year (see Northwest Sportsman, July 2021) involving the radio-collaring of 125 neonates to better suss out key factors in why elk numbers are declining.

As for the Yakima herd, it’s not apples to apples because of surveying differences, but this past winter’s calf count at feeding stations was 27 per 100 cows, up from the “record low” of 19:100 the previous February.

“There should be improved harvest in 2021 over 2020, but still below average,” biologist Jeff Bernatowicz reported.

The Schneider Springs Fire should – key word – be well under control by the start of the late October season, but Forest Service closures may still impact access to the Bethel, Bumping and Nile Units.

Northeast Washington elk aren’t surveyed due to thicker forest cover, but “increasing hunter harvest, documented expansion of elk distribution, and anecdotal information indicate that elk populations are stable and possibly increasing,” per biologists Annemarie Prince and Ben Turnock.

Elk harvest across the more open Spokane and Palouse region has generally been rising in recent years, and there are areas of strong calf recruitment, such as Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, but hunters will need to sort out access – whether through permission from farmers, permits from Inland Empire Paper or other sources – beforehand.

West of the crest, the elk kill in the western Willapa Hills is on a gradual longterm increase and without weather worries, should offer decent prospects. Take in the eastern Willapa Hills and South Cascades has been steady in recent years, though below the highs seen a decade ago when high numbers of antlerless permits were available to reduce the size of the St. Helens herd and hoof disease may not have been as widespread.

Speaking of, this fall hunters have an incentive to harvest limping elk in all Westside units and turn in the animal’s hooves for testing. Those who do could be drawn for special Westside bull tags next year if their sample is positive for TAHD.

Oregon biologists report that after more Wilson and western Trask Units bulls made it through last season, hunting should be “okay” in the North Coast units this fall. On the Central Coast, bull ratios are below goal (10 per 100 cows) in the Alsea but meet the benchmark in the Stott and Siuslaw Units, though animals are hard to find in the latter. Numbers are also above goal in the eastern Trask and Scappoose Units, while they’re close to it in the South Coast’s Sixes, Powers and Tioga Units.

While elk numbers in the Cascades are generally low, note that the general season has been moved out of October to November’s second week, which may boost harvest numbers.

In Central Oregon, the Ochoco bull ratio was above goal, but below in the Maury and Grizzly. Biologists say that late winter snows impacted local herds and calf recruitment was a bit below average.

In contrast, Baker County’s elk came out of winter “in good shape,” with bull ratios at or near goal and calf:cow ratios “good in all units,” with Keating, Pine Creek and Lookout Mountain herds growing and offering “good opportunity for hunters.”

To the west, prospects are “average” in Desolation, Murderers Creek, Northside and West Beulah, while calf ratios increased in Heppner and Fossil over 2020, “so hunters should find a few more spike bulls.”

In the northeast corner, elk numbers were reported as “stable” in Union County and “doing well” in most northern Wallowa County units. –NWS

Kalee Brown, then 19, bagged this Eastern Washington spike on opening morning of a past general rifle season. Most units east of the Cascades are limited to young bulls, but some offer a shot at cows and even any bull during the late October/

early November hunt. (COAST HUNTING PHOTO CONTEST)

deep, where large bulls find safety in solitude. These areas will typically include thick forests where they can use the windfalls as a security system. But if you were lucky enough to draw a rifle tag during the rut, you will have a huge advantage. When hunting with a rifle in the rut, it’s no secret: Find cows and you’ll find your bull. Be patient and follow herds until you find the herd bull you are looking for. He may not be with them early but eventually he will be there.

IT’S ALSO UP to you to determine through research what caliber of bull an area has the potential to hold. I have been lucky enough to guide a lot of wilderness hunts for elk. MidSeptember is generally when the rifle season starts and it almost seems like you are cheating with the advantage of the rut, but as anyone who has ever hunted elk knows, they are not easy, regardless of the season.

Hunting elk today has changed significantly from when I started hunting and guiding elk hunts over 20 years ago. For one, wolves have moved into a lot of the areas I used to guide, greatly impacting the sheer number of elk. The wolves have also changed elk habits. Twenty years ago, during the rut, the mountains would come alive with bulls screaming across every canyon. However, once the wolves started moving in, elk began to adapt in order to survive. In a lot of areas where the population of wolves has grown, elk have gone silent. The bugle will not only let us know the location of the bull, but it will also alert a pack of wolves.

LASTLY, I’LL TOUCH on selecting a rifle caliber for hunting elk. My number one rule is, do not get more gun than you can handle. During my years of guiding elk hunters, I cannot tell you the number of times people showed up at camp with any of the .300 calibers and were too scared to shoot their gun. This is the worst possible scenario.

When shooting 200 to 400 yards there are so many things that can go wrong when someone is intimidated by their rifle. Flinching and improper trigger pull can cause a lot of issues real quick. No matter what caliber you choose, you need to be proficient with the rifle and put in a lot of time at the range shooting different distances. Chasing a wounded elk is one of the worst things you could do. Elk are resilient and can cover a lot of ground very quickly, even when wounded.

I am a firm believer in having more horsepower, but you need to be proficient at shooting a larger caliber. My main elk hunting rifle is a .300 Weatherby and I shoot 180-grain Accubond bullets. The combo does a fantastic job of dispatching elk quickly. There is not a whole lot of tracking involved.

However, I have also killed a handful of elk with a .270 WSM and 130-grain Ballistic Silvertips. When hunting with a smaller caliber, it is all in how you place your shot. Indeed, we need to be smart and know our rifles as well as our own personal limitations. For instance, just because you have a gun that can shoot 500-plus yards does not mean you have any business winging a shot

Along with finding safety in numbers, elk will gravitate to thick patches of forest, typically on north-facing mountainsides, for the protection offered against those trying to sneak up on

herds. (DAVE ANDERSON)

because your gun can do it. Also, when shooting a smaller caliber, you should study and understand what your effective range is. The standard energy needed to kill an elk is 1,500 foot-pounds. Know where that number is in regard to your rifle and bullet ballistics. You just need to be smart and ethical when it comes to pulling a trigger and trying to take down such a large, beautiful animal. Good luck to you all this upcoming season. If you are a first-time elk hunter, I hope your experiences this fall will have you hooked for life. Elk are by far my favorite animal to hunt, and know this: Success will come to those who prepare! NS

While Anderson says his primary elk rifle is a .300 Weatherby loaded with 180-grain Accubonds, as a hunting guide whose clients sometimes hesitated with such a relatively powerful caliber, he advises, “do not get more gun than you can handle.” (DAVE ANDERSON)

Long Live The Mountain

As I looked into the powdery dirt at my feet, a series of By Randy King CHEF IN THE WILD expletives quickly left my mouth. There on the ground was the single best stone tool I had ever found. The spear tip was all but perfect. It wasn’t a little flake of stone indicating that a tool was made here, but a perfect Native American tool.

I called over my children, wife and mother to gander at what I had found. My dirt-stained hand almost trembled in the knowledge of what this meant. This was a hunter’s tool.

We broke into a conversation about just how long people had been hunting and living in this area. The ShoshoneBannock Tribe lived here. They hunted here, just like me. It was not lost on us just what we had stumbled upon.

We were on the mountain to bow hunt deer that weekend, following in a long tradition. That mountain had long provided the habitat that deer like, and the deer had long provided food for the humans who ventured there. MY HUNT THAT weekend was short lived. On the drive in my wife spotted some deer. I was dropped off along the side of the road and began my stalk on a small herd of mule deer does. The plan was for the family to go and unload the truck, then swing back and get me to help set up camp. Theoretically we were only 10 minutes from camp on the dirt two-track.

While this seemed like a good idea at the time, I was ill-prepared to hunt. I was wearing shorts and flip flops. I’d dressed to set up camp that night, not put on a deer stalk. When driving to a hunting spot I don’t put my boots on until the last minute, if I can help it. I find this helps me keep my feet cool and dry longer. If I put my boots on in the truck and drive for a while, I end up getting more blisters.

The discovery of a spearpoint highlighted a weekend bowhunting trip for author Randy King and his family, linking them to the Idaho mountain’s long history of providing sustenance for local peoples. The stone projectile was left at the site. (RANDY KING)

SPICE UP ROASTED DEER LEG WITH PUMPKIN SOUP

Afew years back, my buddy Hank and I broke a deer down into usable chunks. As we stood there in my kitchen with both hind legs trimmed out and in bags, I began to break down the front legs.

Hank looked at me curiously. “I just cut the shank off and freeze them whole, then roast the whole shoulder. Super easy and really speeds up putting a deer in the freezer,” he said.

I was not opposed to the idea at the time; I had just never done it. My go-to method for the shoulder was to debone and grind. So I brushed off Hank’s suggestion for a few years, but in a hurry one time I decided to follow his advice – boy, am glad I did.

A whole shoulder might seem like a lot of meat to freeze at one time. But with the size of the bones and amount of cartilage, it really is not that much “meat” at all. I have found you can get about two meals for a family of four from an average mule deer shoulder. Cook once, eat twice.

Roasted Deer Front Shoulder

1 tablespoon butter 1 front shoulder of a deer, shank removed 1 large yellow onion 1 pound carrots 10 garlic cloves 2 sprigs rosemary 10 sage leaves 24 ounces beef stock 1 tablespoon “Cajun” seasoning (optional) Salt and black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. When oven is up to temperature, place the shoulder in a buttered 13x9 cake pan. Roast for 30 minutes until the leg is evenly browned on the top.

Take the leg out of the pan and place on a cookie sheet. Next add the yellow onion, carrots, garlic, rosemary and sage to the bottom of the cake pan. Place shoulder on top of the vegetables. If any juices formed on the cookie sheet, pour them back into the pan. If you elect to use Cajun seasoning, sprinkle the top of the shoulder evenly. Then season with salt and pepper.

Cover the pan with oven-safe wrap or parchment paper. Then cover shoulder tightly with foil. Drop the heat in the oven to 375 and cook for four hours.

Remove from oven and serve with a seasonal pumpkin soup.

Pumpkin Soup

1 tablespoon butter ½ onion white, small diced (¾ cup) 1 teaspoon red chili flakes 1 29-ounce can pureed pumpkin 1 16-ounce bottle heavy cream 1/3 cup maple syrup 1½ tablespoons pumpkin pie spice 12 ounces chicken stock 1 tablespoon salt Pepper to taste

Melt butter in 2-quart sauce pan on medium. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add red chili flakes. Get them hot and let them “bloom,” but do not burn them. Add the remaining items. Stir well with whisk to fully incorporate the soup. Simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and see if it needs more salt and pepper. Adjust as needed.

Roasted deer front shoulder with pumpkin soup garnished with butter, sage leaves and roasted pumpkin seeds. (RANDY KING)

Garnish

¼ cup butter 20 sage leaves ½ cup roasted pumpkin seeds

Melt additional butter in sauté pan on medium-high heat. When the butter starts to brown, add the sage and fry until crispy. Remove from heat and reserve.

Garnish the soup with pumpkin seeds, sage and melted butter.

For more wild game recipes, see chefrandyking.com. –RK

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Curling my toes to avoid the “flop” sound of the sandals striking the soles of my feet, I snuck into about 26 yards from the herd. The willows of the ravine gave me a little cover to hide. Stepping out but avoiding eye contact, a young doe in the group turned broadside. Her tail flickered when she noticed me. The elder doe stotted off with her fawn. I thought my stalk was busted.

But the young doe nearest to me stood and watched. This was not her best decision. A well-placed arrow in her ribs sent her down the ravine.

I chuckled to myself at the silliness of it all. My attire was not suited to hunting, but here I was, finding my broken arrow on the ground and following a goodlooking blood trail. I knew I was successful by the shot placement.

It was a short blood trail. Only about 100 yards down the ravine I came upon the doe, dead under the willows. I had the deer gutted and next to the road by the time the family picked me up an hour later.

BUT NOW I was in a strange position: tagged out at the start of the trip. So it was my job to entertain all the nonbowhunters the rest of the weekend.

What to do? Well, options on public land abound. We went on UTV rides, we hunted rabbits, we cooked really good food and we talked about the tribes that made this mountain their home.

What did they eat? How did they acquire the food? What tools did they use? What about the native rocks in the area? Obsidian is not found here; they had to trade with other tribes to get it.

As it turned out, my flip-flop feather fling was the only successful hunt that weekend, so that is what my family will eat. And when we do, we will think of the land and those who came before us. It’s a long tradition that we will continue to uphold.

That mountain feeds my family and fed many generations who came before us. With proper care, it will keep feeding many generations of my family and those of others’ well into the future. NS

Sending in your dog to bust up a flock of fall turkeys, then setting up to call the birds in, is a great approach – if your dog can sit still and be quiet. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

How To Hunt Fall Turkeys With A Dog

The whites of Echo’s eyes rolled to the left as she tracked movement, but I dared not budge. In front of us, eight paces away, stood a hen turkey that had responded to a series of kee-kee calls, coming in as planned. What I didn’t anticipate was how effective the calling would be.

Echo, my then-3-year-old pudelpointer, and I sat against the base of a fat Douglas fir tree. Fifteen minutes prior I’d sent her to flush a big flock of turkeys more than 150 yards away.

The flock was feeding away from us,

into a strip of open meadow bordered on both sides by fir trees. The plan was to send Echo in to bust up the flock, call her back to me, then go in together and call the flock to us using assembly calls. It worked. But what I didn’t plan for GUN DOGGIN’ 101 this November day were so many birds By Scott Haugen responding all at once. First came a hen, which stood right in

This flock of fall turkeys is in perfect position to send in a dog from below. Hunters can’t run fast enough to bust up a flock like this, but your four-legged partner can. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

front of us. I was tempted to shoot her but knew there were several young toms and a monster gobbler in the flock of more than 50 birds. Echo was laying beside me, head near my left knee.

When I saw Echo’s eyes roll to the left, I knew more turkeys were silently approaching. She held solid, not twitching her head or lifting an ear. When a pair of jakes strode into view, 15 yards away, I eased off the safety. Then they paused. I didn’t want to swing and send a muzzle blast over Echo’s head, so I waited.

I let out some soft yelps with a diaphragm call and a hen replied with a crisp, loud kee-kee. The woods came alive. From all directions the flock started talking in their reassembly chatter. Birds started dropping from the trees, headed our way.

Surrounded by so many turkeys, I wasn’t sure how long Echo could maintain her composure. As I nestled my cheek into the shotgun, ready to pull the trigger on a jake, the big tom came striding out of the timber. A number of birds were between us and the longbeard, but when an opening developed, I fired. At 35 yards the tom crumpled.

Through a flurry of turkeys going in all directions, Echo managed to mark the big tom, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t pick it up for the retrieve. Later I found out why – the tom tipped the scales to 23 pounds.

THAT EXPERIENCE MARKED one of my

most memorable turkey hunts, not because I’d filled a tag, but because of how well Echo performed. The scenario proved how effective and fun fall turkey hunting can be with your gun dog. Note that while Oregon, Idaho and California allow hunters to use dogs in autumn for turkeys, Washington does not.

Busting up a flock and calling them back in is one way to hunt Merriam’s and Rios in autumn. There’s another approach I’ve enjoyed over the years with both of my dogs, and that’s getting them to point a turkey.

Turkeys lay down a lot of scent, and if you want to see a dog work with utmost focus and intensity, cut them loose in the turkey woods. The challenge here comes in running across a bird in the right habitat so it holds rather than runs and then flies. To best achieve this, I’ve learned the element of surprise is the ticket, for if a turkey can see you from a long way, it’ll often take off running, then fly as pressure increases.

A COUPLE SEASONS ago I was catching a lone tom on trail camera. Every day for three days it walked a deer trail between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The next day I took Kona, my male pudelpointer, to the place but we never found the tom; nor did we see it the next day, or the next. Then, things came together.

We worked into the wind, along the base of some rolling hills. Timber and hardwoods dominated the upper hillside habitat, while we hunted through dry grass laden with 3-foot-tall briar patches. The briars were sparse enough to weave our way through.

We covered over 200 yards with nothing, then Kona’s tail started wagging and he was off. He ran as fast as his nose would allow, never leaving the scent trail.

I lost sight of Kona over a hill and when I eventually caught up with him, he was on solid point, hindquarters shaking with intensity. Slowly I worked behind Kona, searching for a turkey. Finally, I found a lone tom, neck stretched out, body flat to the ground inside a tangle of briars. This is a common position for pressured toms to assume.

As I moved around for a clear shot, Kona stood firm. At the shot, Kona was on the tom, quickly nabbing the 18-pound bird and bringing it to me.

One of the most enjoyable turkey

Hunting turkeys in autumn predates today’s highly popular spring season. And while nearly all states hold a fall hunt, not all allow the use of dogs, including Washington, per the National Wild Turkey Federation. (NWTF)

Author Scott Haugen and Kona pose with their “trail cam tom,” a Western Oregon turkey they hunted four days straight before their plan came together. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

tracking moments, however, isn’t when they hold tight; rather, it’s when they get nervous and flush. Having a turkey, or flock of turkeys, erupt at your feet is an upland hunter’s dream. I’ve encountered moments like this many times with my dogs, including twice last season. It’s happened in heavy brush, fern-laden timber, tall grass – even snow. It’s turkey hunting like many folks never imagine, but would love once they got a taste of it.

Whether you’re looking to hunt fall turkeys with your dog in the traditional way, on point, or more aggressively with an intentional flush and calling birds back in, the options are there.

Just be warned, it’s an addictive, thrilling way to hunt for that holiday bird, one you won’t be able to get enough of, and neither will your dog. NS

Editor’s note: For signed copies of Scott Haugen’s popular book, Western Turkey Hunting: Strategies For All Levels, visit scotthaugen.com. You can follow Scott on Instagram and Facebook.

The delayed start of Washington’s grouse season this year may mean more are available for harvest during this month’s deer and elk hunts, an incentive to pack a Thompson Center Contender .410 pistol, like this one author Jason Brooks totes, or a shotgun. (JASON BROOKS)

Late Opener May Mean More October Grouse

Last month we celebrated Labor Day, a traditional holiday marking the unofficial end of summer for some, but for most Northwest sportsmen it is the kickoff to hunting season. First up for many is grouse – or at least used to be. I can’t remember a single Labor Day weekend where I didn’t at least go up and hike a ridge and look for birds.

This year, however, Washington wingshooters found themselves sidelined for the heart-racing flush of a ruffed or a large blue landing in a nearby tree. The Department of Fish and Wildlife decided to push back the 2021 season opener until September 15, following a four-year study on the birds. That research found that in late summer, broods were still with their mother come September 1, the longtime opener, which often led to their early demise and/ or the mature hen being taken, leaving the younger birds to fend for themselves, with

the longterm result being a decreasing population. However, I would argue that these are birds, not fawns or calves, and they don’t need their parents to feed them once they molt their subadult feathers. NW PURSUITS Some hunters pointed to the fact that By Jason Brooks Labor Day also happens to be one of the busiest hiking weekends in the Evergreen State and accused WDFW of playing politics by moving the popular hunting opportunity to later in the month to avoid hiker-hunter conflicts. Lending a bit of credence to that

particular theory, the change was approved by a Fish and Wildlife Commission that is increasingly populated with nonhunters, in particular the latest two appointees.

In many other Western states, including Oregon, grouse hunting continues to open September 1, apparently with no issues of younger birds being easy pickings.

Still, for those late-season upland bird hunters, WDFW did extend the season an extra two weeks into January, though that really doesn’t help much since blue grouse can live in high snow-covered elevations, eating pine needles and sitting comfortably above several feet of white powder where hunters can’t easily get to them.

ALL THAT SAID, it is now October and rifle deer and elk hunters should also bring along a shotgun, as there should be more grouse available than usual this fall, thanks to the later opener.

Ruffed grouse tend to be more prevalent in Western Washington and the northeast corner of the state, but they are also found throughout the region. Preferring lower elevations and deciduous trees, the ruff is a fun bird to hunt with dogs. These midsized birds tend to hold for a point and then flush, often flying out of sight. Alder, birch and oak groves are common places to find them and if you find a patch of clover, be ready, as the birds prefer to feed on the green leaves.

Like other birds, grouse also love to eat bugs and it seems ruffies really like spiders. One fall day, back when we could hunt early September, I hiked along an alder grove and kept running into spider webs. It made for an uncomfortable but ultimately successful day as I limited on ruffed grouse and flushed more on the hike back to the truck.

Blues are a favorite for grouse hunters. This can be because of the high-mountain vistas they tend to live in, or because it is our best revenge of the day when they flush. Blues might not seem like the smartest birds but you have to admit that they often flush just after walking past them, causing the heart to jump. I think my boys learned more swear words while we were out deer hunting from the flush of a blue grouse than from any other source, words often followed up with, “Now where did that sonof-a-b!&$h go?”

The “fool hen,” or spruce grouse, is even dumber than their blue cousin, in my opinion. They are also the one grouse I won’t shoot. It’s not because I have any sympathy for them. Rather, unlike blues, which eat bugs, grass, clover and some fir needles, and ruffies, which eat clover and have some of the best wild bird flavor of all of the upland species, spruce grouse primarily feed on spruce needles. The breast is dark, much like a dove, and to me it tastes terrible.

These smaller, black-plumaged birds will often just sit on a branch and never move, giving them their nickname. While grouse hunting one day, I came to a bubbling spring and knew that birds would be close. I was wearing a camo coat and as I approached the spring, three birds flushed up, two of which decided I was the nearest tree and tried to land on me. Indeed, spruces are not smart birds but I leave them alone, while other hunters I have talked to like them and often fill their limits with the species.

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A male dusky grouse struts his stuff. It can be hard to tell the difference between dusky and sooty grouse, two subspecies formerly known as blues, but range, tail feather count and color of throat patch can help. (JACOB FRANK, NPS)

BLUES CLUES

There are actually two types of “blue grouse” in the Northwest. It can be hard to tell the difference between them and because of that, they are considered one species when it comes to bag limits in Washington, where you are allowed four grouse per day but only three of one species.

“Sooty” grouse tend to live in Western Washington, while “dusky” grouse live in the eastern part of the state. However, near the Cascade Crest, the subspecies will interbreed and hybrids are common. In Oregon, duskies occur in the Blue Mountains, with sooties across forested areas elsewhere in the state.

The dusky grouse is lighter in color than the sooty, but both tend to have that “blue” or gray color to them. The only way to really tell is by their tail feathers, with the sooty having 18 and the dusky sporting 20, and the cervical apteria, or throat patch, that male grouse inflate during their “strut” in the mating season. Those of sooties are yellow, while duskies are red.

Sooty grouse like thick forest and stay primarily in trees, while dusky grouse like open timbered areas and are often found on the ground. Both nest on the ground.

You might have heard of the spring sooty season in Alaska. Hunters locate birds by hooting, listening for a response and then hiking towards the sound. Male sooty mating calls are loud and can be heard up to half a mile away and the birds tend to hoot while up in trees. Earlier this year and in response to the proposal to delay the fall season, a “hoot” hunt was proposed in Washington for the sooty grouse, but without much support it didn’t make it through the Fish and Wildlife Commission’s rule-setting process. –JB AS FOR HUNTING grouse, there are a few schools of thought. The first are the “purists,” as I like to call them, good-hearted upland bird hunters who would rather go without a grouse than to shoot one off a branch.

A good friend of mine is like this and as we hunted together one day, he toted his side-by-side Charles Daly 12-gauge. Each time we found a bird, he would approach with caution and have that double ready for the flush. There would be a quick glimpse of the ruffs as they flushed and an even faster shot. No birds were hit and he still had a fun.

Maybe someday I will follow and become a purist, but I’m an opportunist and have no problem using a .22 handgun or my Thompson Center Contender .410 pistol and filling the camp cooking pot with grouse taken off of a tree limb. That is what makes hunting the birds so much fun, especially when out chasing deer and elk. It passes the time and makes for a good opportunity.

Grouse need gravel to help digest food, which is why so many are found along logging and forest roads. You cannot shoot on or across roads, and should never shoot at birds in the road. But hiking along gated and decommissioned roads is a great way to find birds. If they run into the brush, I go after them and have no problem taking them once found.

Sometimes ruffed grouse will flush into trees, but most of the time they are gone once they get up. Blues, on the other hand, often head for a nearby tree. It is a good idea to have a pair of binoculars along to help relocate the bird. A .22 rifle with a scope is a perfect grouse gun, as you can shoot the birds in the head and also make sure that if you miss, you will hit the tree and not send a wayward bullet somewhere off into the horizon. A .410 tends to be a fantastic grouse-getter, as the shot won’t travel far, the shotgun has only a light recoil and a dozen shells can fit into your jacket pocket.

While hunting in Idaho last fall with turkey tags in our pockets, we came across a grouse. My son Ryan decided to try a shot with his Stevens .410 turkey shotgun that has a long barrel and an extra-full turkey choke. I must say at 50 yards that bird didn’t have a chance. With more birds available this October, it is finally grouse time! NS