# Pine hens



## Nathanwild (Sep 30, 2012)

My brother and I went after Pine hens this weekend and didn't find any. is there any advice you could give me on where to look for them?


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Carry a gun... look for something else. You always find them when not looking for them... its one of those wierd things in nature. Took the family up for some picture taking this weekend, my 11 year old brought his 20ga along for kicks, came around a corner on a high mountain dirt road and found a big male Ruffed walking down the middle of the road. I've always concidered grouse "Targets of Opportunity".

Also I noticed with the drought, alot of food sources seem to have dried up early... maybe find spots with more moisture.


-DallanC


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

DallanC said:


> Carry a gun... look for something else.


Love it.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

paddler213 said:


> DallanC said:
> 
> 
> > Carry a gun... look for something else.
> ...


It so true though. We used to find the **** things while looking for Christmas trees when all we were carrying was a bow saw.

To the OP- at what elevation were you hunting them? What kind of trees, bushes, and other cover were you hunting them in?


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## MKP (Mar 7, 2010)

Chaser said:


> paddler213 said:
> 
> 
> > DallanC said:
> ...


We (I'm the OP's brother) were pretty high up, not far from Skyline Drive, in a mixture of thick pines, aspens and open meadows. A good strong stream for water, but I've not sure there was a lot of food around. But what do I know.


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## yakattack (Sep 27, 2010)

Ditto what Dallan said. I had a nice mature bull elk @ 40 yds on the bow hunt once and just as I was drawing back, I was lucky enough to find 4 ruffed grouse flushing right at my feet. You can imagine the magic and excitement that overcame me as my bull went crashing through the forest never to be seen again. Since that day, I've vowed to get my revenge on all grouse. Plus, they taste great!


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

It sounds like you were in the right type of terrain and cover. Maybe try looking a bit lower down the mountain. I know skyline is pretty high up. It's probably been hunted a lot this year already too. Get off the road a bit further, and keep looking. You'll find them. 

Watch for transition areas where the trees are mixed between aspens and pines. This year we even found blues lower in elevation than ruffs, but they were right in those transition areas. Don't be afraid of steep stuff too, as the birds there may have been less pressured.


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## gregkdc (May 19, 2008)

DallanC said:


> Carry a gun... look for something else.


I have seen the most grouse when looking for elk; they seem to like the same type of habitat. The last week I saw over a dozen ruffs and 6 blues while elk hunting. Right now is the perfect time to go and you don't even need a dog. The fact that the leaves have fallen and are crunchy make so you can hear them moving around and it is harder for them to hide.


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## wapiti67 (Oct 2, 2007)

I always find them on the road at 2pm


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## sittingbull (Feb 1, 2008)

Start by not calling them "pine hens" and you will find them.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

I found them mostly near water today:










Unfortunately, they were in thick timber so I could never get a shot. They'd flush and fly up into trees before I could get my gun on them. Also, it was hard to see my dog. I lost track of her a couple of times, and she wouldn't come to the whistle. Sure enough, after a bit, I'd hear a bird flush.

This year, being so dry, there's very little understory. I'd look along fringes of conifers and quakies. I hiked through a lot of new terrain today that was just quakies with bitterbrush understory, and it was devoid of birds.


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## Nathanwild (Sep 30, 2012)

thanks everyone for the comments I am sure that we will give it another try. I thing I might carry a shotgun while I am deer hunting next weekend.


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## 90redryder (Oct 10, 2011)

From my experience grouse are the only animal where you have a better chance at success when you just road hunt. Drive a low traffic dirt road high in the woods that runs next to a water source right as the sun is coming up, that is how I have killed most of my grouse. On occasion I find them when I hike through pines but not as often as I find them on the road when im not even looking for them. They really are a target of opportunity.


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## burge (Sep 11, 2007)

Pine hen isn't what they are called. I always call them pine chickens. Rolls of the tongue much smoother.


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## justheli82 (Oct 12, 2012)

(sittingbull) or pine chickens! lol i was like 16 or 17 before I even knew what a ruffed grouse was? lol " those arn't ruffed grouse, they are pine chickens", and it don't help finding them.

they are going to be in steep, tight places, because they are usually in the same habitat as elk they have been flushed and pushed to where people don't want to go.


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## Nathanwild (Sep 30, 2012)

well you all were right. I took a friend elk hunting over the weekend and the only time that I didn't have a gun is when I came across a good group of blue grouse haha it was nuts.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

Nathanwild said:


> well you all were right. I took a friend elk hunting over the weekend and the only time that I didn't have a gun is when I came across a good group of blue grouse haha it was nuts.


You mean you went elk hunting without a shotgun????


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

I call em oak hens.........that's where I find em this time of year.


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## ARCHER11 (May 26, 2011)

One time while out hunting up big cottonwood canyon for deer, my brother and I ran into 3 separate hunters all calling grouse something different. I was starting to think people were just pulling names out of their butts, so, we came up with our own name for the critters.... bush ****s... has a certain exotic ring to it.


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