3 Proven Ruffed Grouse Hunting Strategies

Hunting Ruffed grouse is an activity that can be as easy or as hard as you want to make it. More grouse are likely killed each year by people driving roads or ATV trails than just about any other method. There is no better strategy if your goal is to shoot as many grouse as possible. On the other hand, if you're looking for more of a challenge, I would argue there is no greater pursuit in the upland world than hunting grouse behind a dog. If you want to take it a step further, only harvest birds on the wing. Grouse in trees are easy targets, whereas a grouse darting through the trees is all but impossible to hit. I opt for the ladder, largely because of the joy I get from watching the dogs and the pure excitement I feel when a rouge shot finally connects. For me, it is much less about how many we harvest and more about how we do it. With that said, it is more exciting to find 20 grouse on a hunt compared to only a couple. Over the years, we have learned a few hunting strategies that have increased the amount of birds we find. In this article, I break down three of those strategies and talk through when and how we use them.

Strategy 1: Morning/Evening Trails

Many people hunt grouse by walking trails, and we are no exception. Hunting trails did not become popular by accident. Trail systems have a way of concentrating birds. They provide opportunities for birds that would otherwise be next to impossible to find. The main reason hunting trails works so well comes down to grouse feeding patterns. Grouse feed twice a day, both morning and evening. If given the opportunity, they prefer to feed on a wide variety of plants. You will regularly catch them feeding on clovers, raspberry leaves, berries, catkins, and a whole variety of other plants. In the woods, finding all these plants can be difficult as they grow in very different areas. Trails, on the other hand, receive significantly more sunlight than the forest floor. The added sunlight leads to increased biodiversity, making it possible for a grouse to find all its favorite foods in a small area. Grouse concentrate around trails during feeding times, giving us as hunters access to them. On top of being a highly effective hunting strategy, there are few activities more enjoyable than an evening walk in the grouse woods. There is something magical about those first few evenings of fall when the leaves are changing and the air is crisp. Regardless of the amount of birds found, being out with your dog on nights like these is time well spent.

We find that all types of dogs are quite effective when it comes to hunting trails. Flushers work great as their close working pattern keeps them in birds for the majority of the hunt. Both longer and closer working pointing dogs are good options as well. With the birds being more active, they leave plenty of scent for dogs to detect. We tend to see our closer working pointing dogs having a little more success in these situations compared to our bigger running dogs. Largely because they are staying within that 50-yard range, which is where most of the birds are anyway. Our bigger running dogs still find birds but tend to spend a little less time working the areas immediately around the trails.

Strategy 2: Mid-Day Edges

After grouse feed in the morning, they work their way back to a safe location to spend the rest of the day. These areas are called loafing areas. Grouse spend the majority of their day milling about in these areas as they digest their morning meal. The main predators for grouse are avian predators. Goshawks, for example, are so effective at hunting grouse they will catch and eat one every day. With overhead predators being the primary concern, these loafing areas usually contain a very high stem density. Stem density is just how many individual stems exist in an area. Areas of high stem density usually contain a mixture of trees and some sort of underbrush. An easy way to gauge if an area has a high stem density is if it looks miserable to walk through, it's probably the right stuff. The highest stem densities in the woods typically occur on transitions from one type of cover to another. These areas allow more sunlight in, which in turn promotes more plant growth. We find that edges of alder thickets, beaver ponds, or just grassy openings, hold a higher concentration of birds mid-day as they provide excellent loafing cover.

Birds move around less midday as they work to digest their morning meal. That leads to less scent for dogs to find. They are also more spread out compared to when they are feeding. Expect to put on a few extra miles if you want to find a bunch of birds. We find our longer-ranging pointing dogs tend to do better during these midday hunts. Their ability to range out and explore new cover helps them find areas where birds are hiding. While loafing birds can be harder to find, they also hold tighter than birds actively feeding. That means when you do find them, you're able to get better shooting opportunities. Midday hunts can be very productive, just be sure you have a nice broken-in pair of boots before heading out.

Strategy 3: First Snow Swamps

This last pattern is very niche and can be extremely difficult to time. There might only be a week or two each year where it works. If you can time it right, it can lead to some of the most exciting grouse hunting all year. When the snow starts flying near the end of the season, there is a period where it covers the ground, but isn’t deep enough to allow them to snow burrow. During this period you can find grouse loafing in grassy openings formed by old beaver swamps. When snow falls in these swamps the stiffness of the grass keeps it from reaching the ground. The grass folds over, covered by snow, creating the perfect habitat for grouse to use as makeshift burrows. Grouse will use these areas prior to there being enough snow to burrow in their normal winter cover. These openings allow you the opportunity to chase grouse in what feels more like pheasant habitat. The concentrated number of birds, combined with open shooting lanes, can make for some of the most exciting hunts all season. One important thing to consider if you decide to hunt this pattern is the well-being of the grouse. Grouse require significantly more calories if the temperature dips below 20℉. We avoid putting any pressure on grouse when the temp drops below 15℉. Grouse need all the help they can get during the harsh winter months. A grouse’s odds of survival drop considerably if forced to flush at these colder temps. Flushing a bird in these conditions might prove fatal for the bird even if you don’t harvest it. Please be respectful of the bird and consider staying home if the temps are too low. As previously mentioned, grouse need all the help they can get in the winter, and sometimes that means leaving them be.

There are many different strategies and styles when it comes to grouse hunting. That is part of what makes it so enjoyable. You can hunt them in so many different ways, you just have to pick what works best for you. The strategies in this article are great starting points but can be modified to better match your preferred hunting style. While this article focused on strategies to help you find more birds, it's important not to lose sight of what makes grouse hunting so special. There is no day wasted in the grouse woods, birds or not. It’s hard to beat a sunset sitting on the tailgate next to a worn-out bird dog, and if you're lucky, maybe a hard-earned bird or two to go along with it.