Number Of Grouse Hunters

[HD]

I was reading the Star&Tribune today....
They had an article about the grouse population.
They stated that the number of grouse is up by 49%, but the number of hunters is down.
It also stated that there maybe a lack of effort put into grouse hunting...therefore the lack of hunters.

I would like to know how they come about the number of hunters there are, and how much a grouse hunter goes out. (How hard core you are)

I very seldom hunt grouse, mostly cause it interfers with the other hunting I do.
I would not consider myself a grouse hunter. But, I do purchase a small game license every year. So, the number of license's sold should not reflect the number of grouse hunters.
Where do they get their numbers from?

Lets hear some input on the subject........

Thanks,
Hunter

[thunderpout]

Hey Hunter... Yeah, I think they are pretty much guessing as to how many of us grouse hunt...no one's ever asked me if I do anyways!   My deal is pretty much grouse hunting with a little pheasant hunting thrown in, and deer hunting is on the list only cause I dont dare grouse hunt during firearms season, and even then I sneak out at lunch at deer camp to try to get a bird or two for dinner!   I think for the most part, grouse hunting to most people is driving around road hunting and chasing them into the ditches and woods a bit.... most folks dont like pushin the thick stuff so they go pheasant hunting instead ...  I read that article also... It gives me the willies to see a full page article promoting grouse hunting... it sends all the wanna be's up north scouring the fire roads and getting all the young unexperienced birds in the ditches (and on the gravel), especially for the opener and early season, as soon as pheasant hunting starts, I start going grouse hunting... I dont mess with opener much like I used to... I just hit em harder when the pressure tails off a bit.  There's really no way to know how many true grouse hunters there are out there.. they ask ya how many woodcock you get when you get HIP certified every year,  but they dont inquire about grouse or how many hours we spend chasing them so how would they have a clue?  I think what is going on is the amount of grouse hunters decreases as the numbers decline, then only the hardcore grouse hunters chase them.  The bird numbers go up after a few years and the casual hunters come out of the wood work an jump on the ole peak of the cycle bandwagon, so to speak....  and I aint complaining by no means... the fewer hunters I see the better!

[UncleDave]

It has to be a total guess.  I am sure there are many folks who buy a small game license to hunt rabbit, squirrel, whatever and never take aim at a grouse.  I usually only go 1 to 2 times a year in the Ely area.  Going in 3 weeks.  I am stoked!

[HD]

Yea, Thunder, I don't get out and chase um on opening weekend either...just like opening fishing, I avoid it like the plege.

I maybe go out 1-2 times a month, if I have time.

I got buddies that are hard core, but they are optimistic like all the other grouse hunters that I've talked to. Maybe it's the hipe of the articles we have seen and read, that's why I put the poll up.

Who knows.....maybe it will be a boom year....or just alot of pumping up by the media, with a big let down (like it's never happened before, eh?)....only time will tell.


Hunter

[beeker]

we have one more weekend of working on deer stands (scored some green treat from lampberts that was bent and a fraction of the cost) and the hunting shack, which is intermixed with a few grouse outings and ventures over to the state land behind us. this year we plan to hunt the state stuff hard up until deer season.

[HD]

Judgeing by this poll, there does seem to be a decline in grouse hunters...

I thought that there were more of you out there. 

[thunderpout]

Hunter.... Im not sure if there is a decline in grouse hunters.... I guess there is a general decline in hunters of all species as we lose our older hunters as time goes on.... here's an analogy... Kite flyers are down in #'s.... well, are the # of people flying kites down, or is it just not windy and not good kite flying weather lately....? I think alot of grouse hunters go when the cycle is at the peak, or for years after the peak... kind of bandwagon grouse hunters if you will... at least thats what Ive noticed over the years Ive been a grouse hunter.  It seems there wont be as many people driving the fire roads, or vehicles parked at trail heads and entrances to clearcuts, etc. until at a peak of a cycle or the years following one, after the word gets out, you have to get more and more off the beaten path to find areas that havent been hunted over recently... when the numbers of birds are down, the casual grouse hunter wont put in their time for a flush or two a day.... I think its really hard to measure how many of us grouse hunters there are.  There's the core group that are out there every year, that go every weekend that they can afford to get out, saving their precious vacation time for October...and would skip deer hunting, raking leaves and their honey-do lists to get even more time out in the grouse woods if we could get away with it.... then there is the casual grouse hunter that will go grouse hunting till pheasant season opens, brings their gun with them when checking on deer stands, or maybe for an afternoon the weekend they close the cabin down for the season.... I just think there are people that have gone grouse hunting, then there are grouse hunters... although, on the other hand, there are folks that "go deer hunting", you know, they show up opening morning with out scouting, or working on stands etc. and call it a year after a day or two (if they dont bag a deer, or they just hit the bars or soak it up by the fire for a few nites and then go home )  then there are deer hunters that scout areas, put out mineral licks all year, maybe do some food plots, basically planning the whole year for two weekends...(rifle hunters anyway)  But with deer hunting, waterfowlers, pheasant hunting, bear and turkey hunting... there are specific tags or licenses that give a accurate # of folks that hunt. (or attempt to hunt )  With grouse hunting, there is no grouse license... just the small game license that includes squirrels, rabbits, and other critters... plus you need a small game license to get pheasant, turkey and dove licenses... so there really is no way to come up with an accurate number of grouse hunters, unless the DNR polled everyone that bought a small game license.  And if they did, theyd have to poll when grouse #'s are at there lowest, and When they're at their highest #'s to get a good average count.... I know its selfish, but all in all...the fewer grouse hunters out there, the better!(for me! )

[Cody Gruchow]

im hitting it this friday..

[HD]

See Thunder....That's the kinda response I was looking for!
A good honest answer!
I think you are correct in all aspects of that post. (But, that is just my opinion)  

Thank you!

[brandbll]

I was reading the Star&Tribune today....
They had an article about the grouse population.
They stated that the number of grouse is up by 49%, but the number of hunters is down.
It also stated that there maybe a lack of effort put into grouse hunting...therefore the lack of hunters.

I would like to know how they come about the number of hunters there are, and how much a grouse hunter goes out. (How hard core you are)

I very seldom hunt grouse, mostly cause it interfers with the other hunting I do.
I would not consider myself a grouse hunter. But, I do purchase a small game license every year. So, the number of license's sold should not reflect the number of grouse hunters.
Where do they get their numbers from?

Lets hear some input on the subject........

Thanks,
Hunter

Well, i clicked the first option, but i guess it depends if "times" i grouse hunt means how many days, or how many seperate trips into the woods(like multiple times a day), or how many trips i take with people for a long/normal weekend up at a cabin(i.e. once every other week)....

[Moving2thecountry]

I saw a lot of grouse while I was out deer hunting.  They seemed almost tame, let me get pretty close.

[deadeye]

Me too.  They were all around the deer stands.  But, as always, it's a different story when you go after them.

[Go Big Red!]

We hunt grouse as much as possible but other seasons get in the way.  Once gun deer seasons are done we seem to get out more.

[thunderpout]

Deadeye's right.... Im convinced that grouse know the difference between deer hunters and grouse hunters.... OR there's some communication between woodland critters that we are not aware of.

[thunderpout]

I used to think if grouse saw blaze orange they felt safe, but in my bow hunting days, I would have them landing next to me trying to figure out what I was.... during rifle season they just seem to taunt you,  cavorting around and displaying in front of you, knowing they're safe because ya have a rifle in your hand and not a shotgun...   Once I started keeping a judo tipped flu-flu arrow in my quiver when bowhunting, I never saw them!      Ruffies have more upstairs than alot of folks give them credit for... I know they're dang good at choosing the best escape paths when Im out there chasing them around!

[mahmoodmahi]

Grouse are just like people, some are just born with stupid genes. You have the grouse that think that they are hiding by sitting still in front of a boulder right off the road, and then you have the birds that think if they walk away from you really slowly you won't notice that they aren't bushes, and off course you get my personal favorite the territorial males on steroids whose first reaction when they hear you is to come out of the woods threatening you with their vicious tail flaring, I don't bother to flush those guys  . Problem is around this time of year all those birds have been shot, and all you get is the einsteins that realize they should kick up 50 yards away every time a person comes by. I think thuderpout is right, there are people who shoot grouse sometimes and grouse hunters. I personally target grouse, woodcock and snowshoe hare (all luckily found in the same realtive habitat) more than any other species, and I will be out in good years and bad. I have one friend who does the same thing, where as every other hunter I know might go out once, and would rather be hunting something else. So i really doubt there are many hardcore grouse hunters out there. Are there any hunters out there that target spruce or sharptail grouse? I only know one guy who has shot a spruce grouse, and I have never met anyone who targets sharptails.

[thunderpout]

Yep... Ive shot many spruce grouse.  Beautiful birds.... they dont make very good table fare though.  They have really dark meat, and taste kind of funky because of what they eat I guess.(pine needles, pine nuts/pine cones)  I dont target them to hunt, but find them while hunting ruff grouse near the Canadian border, and north of red lake... they usually are in the lush, boreal forest/rain forest type areas... beautiful places to hunt!