# Southern utah grouse?



## ns450f (Aug 28, 2018)

Hi everyone, long time lurker here. I did some searching and didn't find much so here goes.... I'm in St. George and miss hunting blues and ruff's. I heard rumors that I could find birds on the pine valleys and cedar mountain but after 8 years of trying hard I have yet to see a grouse on either of the mountains. I have decided to try some new areas this season and was curious if anyone has had success for blues or ruffed grouse on the paunsagaunt plateau, boulder mountain, mt. Dutton, or the sevier plateau area? Thanks for any help and I look forward to contributing to the forum.


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

We always run into a lot of pine hens on the Boulder during the archery deer and elk hunts. This past weekend we saw several groups again. Our experience is that they are scattered all over the mountain...hunting them is more about lucking on to them than going to a specific area though. I have run into them on the east side of the Boulder and the west side. On the Parker, you can also run into a fair amount of sage grouse as well.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Just remember you can't shoot the sagehens without a permit. 

For me I just blunder into grouse, usually when I only have a rifle in my hand. But you never know when one might pop up as you are going through some thick stuff and once you learn what they eat and hang out at you can actually find them deliberately.


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## richard rouleau (Apr 12, 2008)

I do not know where you was hunting at I have shot grouse on ceadar mountain and pine valley they are there


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## ns450f (Aug 28, 2018)

Well I talked to some locals from Kanab and they told me that the paunsagaunt holds lots of blues. I think I will head that way for the weekend. If I can't find any I will keep going east and try boulder mountain. I am not looking for sage grouse so I will probably stay away from parker mountain. Hopefully I can report back with a success story next week.


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## Decoycarver24 (Aug 17, 2018)

Where ever you go, don't wait till 9 I the morning to fun for blue grouse. I'm my (limited) experience that are like vampires, and head for the deep thick brush once the sun gets high.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Decoycarver24 said:


> Where ever you go, don't wait till 9 I the morning to fun for blue grouse. I'm my (limited) experience that are like vampires, and head for the deep thick brush once the sun gets high.


We shot 5 today at 10:30 in the morning


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## ns450f (Aug 28, 2018)

I am glad to see someone got into some birds. I spent all day Saturday on the paunsagaunt and saw zero birds. I talked to a fish cop and he told me that dusky grouse were rare in southern utah. He recommended going to fishlake instead of Boulder mtn. So Saturday night I drove to fishlake mountain and hunted the top all day Sunday. The top of fishlake plateau was covered in berries and grasshoppers and the terrain look promising, I even found grouse feathers in a couple different spots. But I never managed to luck across any birds. Just good times with the dogs.


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

ns450f said:


> I am glad to see someone got into some birds. I spent all day Saturday on the paunsagaunt and saw zero birds. I talked to a fish cop and he told me that dusky grouse were rare in southern utah. He recommended going to fishlake instead of Boulder mtn. So Saturday night I drove to fishlake mountain and hunted the top all day Sunday. The top of fishlake plateau was covered in berries and grasshoppers and the terrain look promising, I even found grouse feathers in a couple different spots. But I never managed to luck across any birds. Just good times with the dogs.
> View attachment 132367


Dusky grouse are rare in southern Utah? Are you sure this guy is a real fish cop? I'm not saying southern Utah is a dusky grouse mecca or anything, but they certainly aren't rare. I usually see at least a few every year. My wife and I killed 4 in one weekend last year on the Zion unit. We weren't focusing on grouse either just doing some GS rifle elk hunting and happened into a few.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I'll have to mention that to the ones that I got last year up on the Boulder during the deer hunt. 

They are there, but remember you need to find their food source. Just hiking around and hoping works sometimes but not all the time. A bird dog will quadruple your odds of finding one.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

On a side note I know of a canyon up on the Plateau, not the Boulders but Plateau that you can walk through and usually come up with a limit of dusky. I found this spot by accident during a deer hunt and it is full of them. 

But if I told you where it was you know what I would have to do to you.


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

Critter said:


> But if I told you where it was you know what I would have to do to you.


Take me with you?


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

colorcountrygunner said:


> Take me with you?


I would have to leave you up there.

I will say that from the top of the ridge you can see Otter Creek.


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## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

I'm a novice (still) but definitely see Duskies on Cedar Mt without dogs. 

Went out this week with no luck but there were still some snowberries, wax currant and plenty of grass hoppers. Seems I can always find the animal that is the next season with plenty of luck though. Ran into plenty of mule deer and obvious elk bedding sites.

I think grouse hunting is the closest I've ever been to lost on the Cedar. Hand railed some trails with waning confidence all morning. My navigation was accurate but actually got a little worried for a bit. Hunting these duskies is forcing me to get to know the hill alot better.


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## knight2 (Sep 29, 2018)

There are definitely Blue Grouse on Cedar Mountain. I have been out 3 times with my dog and flushed 15 birds. 

I actually think it is easier to kill grouse without a flushing dog. A lot of times you can walk right up on them without a dog. A pointer would probably be beneficial in some areas where they hold in cover where they do not flush.

Where are you looking for them? Typically, I find them just below ridge lines in steep terrain typically in evergreen trees on Cedar Mountain above 8000 ft. I have not looked for any on pine valley. With that said, a typically day is 5 to 8 miles so that less than a bird a mile.

As for the fish lake boulder area, it has several areas loaded with grouse. I used to live in Wayne County and I try to make it over there once a year for grouse. For me grouse hunting is over. I will hunt chukars and quails but mostly waterfowl when it opens.


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