# Blue Grouse



## ted (Oct 22, 2011)

Hi everyone. New board member and new to grouse hunting. I'm looking for a bit of advice on how to find blue grouse around Salt Lake. 

I've been heading out pretty regularly over the past month or so checking out likely spots, but so far I've only bagged a couple of ruffs. The info I've come across says I should hunt edges of conifer forests (including meadows, roads, etc.) and high ridgelines. I've walked through some pretty likely country, but no sightings. Not even sure I've heard one yet! 

Any tips for an enthusiastic, but dogless newbie? Also, if anyone feels like taking a charity case out, I'm happy to exchange driving duty and fuel costs for a few pointers from more experienced hunters.


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## Speedbump (Mar 7, 2011)

Hello ted and welcome. I am pretty new to grouse hunting and dogless also. I have only this piece of advice: For the blues you have to go up to higher elevation than the ruffed. Weather is still pretty warm which keeps these birds in the high country.


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

If you want to shoot grouse, get in your truck or ATV and drive all over he** on the mountain back roads in the morning and evening. When you see a bunch, get out and chase them around a little. I have seen grouse in virtually every mountain habitat known to man. You might see them in the oaks or in the pines, at the edges of the oats, or at the edges of the pine, in heavy quakies and in thin quakies, right where the quakies and pine mix, even in willows along streams and by ponds, on the side of dry hills, in nice wet meadows, in thick cover and no cover at all. I've seen them up in trees and on the ground, they might be running, or walkin or just standin there, You're liable see see 'em at 10, 000 feet or down in the valley or anyplace in between...in short...they'll be right where you see 'em. Good luck and have fun.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

Here's a recent article on dusky grouse:

http://fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors/HTML/artic ... Grouse.htm

I killed a large one today, it weighed 2# 11oz. Anybody know how to age and sex these things?:










Pretty day today:


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## pkred (Jul 9, 2009)

I'd like to know the age and sex of that shot gun. I don't know how to sex a grouse... But, It sure looks tasty.


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## A-Weezy (Jun 27, 2011)

Where do you live? I'm always Lookin for a new buddy! Have plenty of areas to share


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## ted (Oct 22, 2011)

Thanks for the tips (and inspiration), guys. I'm gonna find some roads over 8000' and see if I can't turn a couple up. A-Weezy: pm sent.


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## cfarnwide (Sep 10, 2007)

paddler213 said:


> Here's a recent article on dusky grouse:
> 
> http://fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors/HTML/artic ... Grouse.htm
> 
> ...


From the depths of my mind, which might not be to reliable, you can tell the sex by the eye comb color. As for aging, I only remember being able to tell an immature bird from a mature bird from the dark band on the tail. If its jagged, its young, even like the one in your pic and its mature.

Its been a long time since I read that article and can't even remember where I read it. Just somewhere to start your own research.


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

> As for aging, I only remember being able to tell an immature bird from a mature bird from the dark band on the tail. If its jagged, its young, even like the one in your pic and its mature.


Good memory! The feathers on the outside of the fan come in later than the feathers on the inside of the fan. That gives the juvenile birds that "jagged" appearance you mentioned. An adult bird has fully grown feathers, which means that the tail fan is uniform.



> I killed a large one today, it weighed 2# 11oz.


That's a big bird! Blues can get great big sometimes. They can feel more like you're carrying a small goose or turkey than like a pheasant.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

pkred, that's a 16 gauge Piotti King I. I bought it new from William Larkin Moore, the sole US importer, in 1998. It's a very nice gun, it's too bad they're so expensive. I don't get it out as much as I should. I probably shoot my 16 gauge RBL a bit better, as the chokes are a bit more open.

I have read that dusky grouse get up to 3.5#; I'd like to see one that big. I wonder if you can accurately determine age?


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## StillAboveGround (Aug 20, 2011)

paddler213 said:


> ... Anybody know how to age and sex these things?


Easiest and most accurate way to age grouse is to check ossification of the skull.

Young birds (Hatched in the Spring) have thin skulls and older birds (hatched before this Spring) have thicker skulls...easy to check on dead birds by skinning the head and looking...

Fran Hamerstom described her method in her book "Strictly for the Chickens"...
She would bite the heads to see how hard they were to crack...

They also can be aged by looking at wing and tail feathers...
In general, young birds have narrow and pointed primary feathers (best seen on outermost 2 feathers) and older birds have rounded primaries..
The tail feathers of young birds are shorter and narrower than older birds...

Hard to tell with only one bird in the hand, but with experience and other birds to compare, you will get the idea... Keep a few feathers from each bird for reference, especially if you "cracked" the head...

You may remember seeing barrels at certain areas for hunters to leave wings so the biologists can get an idea of age - sex ratios...

As for sexing, the males have a red or yellow air sac (cervical (neck area))...
The neck feathers of males around the sacs are white and tipped with bluish-black...
Females have grayish-brown (with bars) on the neck feathers...

On the wings, males have more of a sooty-gray color and females more mottled brownish-gray

Marginal coverts (If you want this much detail, you can look this up) of Males are gray with little mottling, while females brown and mottled...

On the upper tail coverts, Males have black with gray flecks and white bars...
Females have black or blackish-brown coverts with cinnamon or buffy brown bars...

Sorry... Post is more involved than originally intended...
Class dismissed... exam on Monday


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## royta (Sep 26, 2007)

I shot my first grouse ever, a blue, on Sunday. My 11 and 9 year old boys enjoyed that.

Pics didn't load very well. I'll have to try from my computer another time.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

Thanks for the info, SAG, and very nice post. I saved the carcass for future ID work. Do you know anything about wing measurements and age & sex?

I think I'll pluck future birds.


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## StillAboveGround (Aug 20, 2011)

paddler213 said:


> Thanks for the info, SAG, and very nice post. I saved the carcass for future ID work. Do you know anything about wing measurements and age & sex?


Yes, UDWR's own Dwight Bunnell (retired) published a paper in the Journal of Wildlife Management in 1977...They developed a key that was 97% accurate for age & sex based on wing measurements (presumably wing chord).

The Link below shows the abstract and the 1st page (but not the discriminant data or the key), but you can see the Journal at one of the University Libraries...

http://www.jstor.org/pss/3799987

Dr Wolfe (a co-author;still at USU) may be able to send a reprint if you ask him...
I may try to get one for myself...


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

StillAboveGround said:


> paddler213 said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for the info, SAG, and very nice post. I saved the carcass for future ID work. Do you know anything about wing measurements and age & sex?
> ...


Thanks again. I'd read the abstract, which is why I asked. I wish the entire article or a table with data points was available online. I'll try to contact Dr. Wolfe, do you have an email address?

Justin Dolling said he'd bring some information on aging to our waterfowl meeting tomorrow. I may take the bird in with me.


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## StillAboveGround (Aug 20, 2011)

paddler213 said:


> do you have an email address?


Email for Dr Wolf: [email protected]


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## ted (Oct 22, 2011)

Killed my first blue yesterday, thanks to the good advice on this board. Big sucker, too. Makes a ruffed grouse look like a songbird!


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