Hunting Dusky Grouse in Colorado. Ive hunted two of the three days our season has been open here in Colorado. An additional … The problem with most grouse hunters, Remington observed on a drive to western Colorado last week, is that they spend most of their time searching the 80 percent of the state's vast coniferous forest that doesn't hold birds. Then we must get our feet on the ground and get after them! I do believe that the Colorado sharptails are out west of Steamboat. Learn more about our use of cookies: cookie policy, How to Find Dusky Grouse – A Bird Hunting Guide, How to Bring Shotguns to Canada for Bird Hunting, Sooty Grouse – An Upland Game Bird Profile, Dusky Grouse – An Upland Game Bird Profile. Upland Hunting. Or maybe picking your way through a rocky, cactus covered desert landscape hunting for those quick and shifty little quail. Option one is spot them from a ways off, as seen in the picture here of Steve glassing up grouse country with his binoculars. I imagine it would also do very well as a caping and skinning knife for big game, and would have zero issues with various furry small game tasks as well. At least there were some photo opportunities and one heck of a view! As the grasshoppers and berries die out at the lower elevations, grouse make their way up in elevation to find calories. A person that doesn’t live and train in the mountains can have a perfectly satisfying 10 … Not only do we share first names, but Outpost was started because we saw an opportunity to help Fiddleback Forge (and apprentice brands) build their brand and reach a larger audience. Dusky Grouse in Colorado: A Guide to Hunting and Viewing Introduction Dusky grouse, formerly known as blue grouse, can be found in suitable habitats in all of Colorado’s mountainous areas. In Colorado we have about 6 of those with the most targeted being the dusky grouse. … Colorado grouse country ablaze. The steeper the terrain, the easier it is for them to do just that. Based on Redfin's Colorado Springs data, we estimate the home's value is $297,460. During the spring gobbler season, the hunter can hunt archery or shotgun. Dusky grouse seem to prefer “transitional zones”; meadows surrounded by mature conifers, old logging areas with young spruce, fir, and aspen with mature conifers nearby, ridged out sage flats with aspen and confer below, so on and so forth. There is no better place in North America for dancing chickens than the state of Colorado, and no better time to find them than in April. I am awful sad to see it go but I do love that cool fall air. Either way, dusky grouse like high ridges. Home » Upland Hunting Tips and Tactics » How to Find Dusky Grouse – A Bird Hunting Guide, Fred is a writer, photographer and self proclaimed inventor. Sharp-tailed Grouse followed by Dusky Grouse is the agenda. The sooty grouse is found from sea level to the alpine conifer forests of the Olympics, the west slopes of the Cascades, and east slopes of the Cascades in Yakima County and south. I’ve found leaves, insects, berries, branches and spent .22 casings in their crops just to mention a few. The dusky and the sooty. What time do you stop? Big blue as it happens, is actually two grouse, the sooty grouse of the Pacific West and the dusky grouse of the Rockies; until recent years they were considered one species. This section coincides with the previous, but we’ll get into a little more detail here. Limits: 2 per day, 2-4 possession dependin on area *Gunnison sub-species closed. In Colorado, greater sage-grouse occur in six separate populations, and although the state has only about 4 percent of the population it includes some of the highest breeding densities known. This a fairly large bird, between 12 to 15 inches in length or about the size of a medium weight chicken. The F2 is a wonderful knife, it’s thin, laser sharp, beautiful, and comfortable. Hunting Dusky Grouse in Colorado. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. I don’t think I am alone there. Evergreen trees offer them both food and shelter when the going gets tough. See Trigger the dog in action. Big, explosive and oftentimes erratic, these birds have hands down become my favorite game animals to chase. Look for aspen glens interrupting large swaths of sagebrush. The Barnes’ sisters took a weekend break from their Olympic training routine in Utah, to scoot back to their home state of Colorado and hunt October’s season of dusky grouse with us. Trickling streams can also be a gold mine as it’s usually hot this time of year and they like to wet their beak at these tiny little streams. I made sure to clip my Fiddleback Fish and Fowl (F2) to my pack because if we were successful on our hunt this would give me my first opportunity to put the F2 to use on something it was named for, fish and fowl! … Upland game hunting is so much fun. Currant and other berry bushes are often producing at this time of year, as well. OutWest Guides is one of the only Colorado outfitter to offer this unique horseback upland bird hunt for blue grouse and ptarmigan in the Colorado Rockies. At the September opener we will be concentrating in the edges around aspen and sagebrush. Location: Adams County, GMU 104 Hunting Opportunities: Waterfowl and dove hunting is available at this beautiful, Front Range reservoir. Moderator:I Hunt Snipe. We thought he had missed, however, it turns out that the second grouse was actually sitting in front of the log the entire time. In November they will usually be up in the pines. In the meantime, I am also aware from several of my friends, that elk hunters are the group most likely to sumble upon blue grouse while in the woods. Upland Game Fred Bohm October 09, 2015 5 Comments. Males are steely gray-blue with purplish air sacs in the neck and red eye combs that they show off for brownish, highly camouflaged females. Its preferred habitats include burned areas, montane forests, slashes, and subalpine forest clearings. In fact, these young women grew up hunting with their father and still hunt whenever possible, eking out time between training sessions, or including two-hour runs before hunting. I’ve found more hunting meccas this way than any other way. Slightly, very slightly, gamey chicken; delicious. There is some … Surprisingly, this area has been very productive in the past but that day we never moved a feather. Listen for the quiet, low-pitched, but insistent hoots that males make as part … Check out some of our upland game managers as they discuss grouse hunting. About a quarter of the way down “the tear” I noticed a small patch of fir trees with a bunch of currant bushes around their trunks. As it turns out, this was a good plan! Hunting Opportunities at Colorado State Parks 1. This large grouse lives in mountain forests of ponderosa and lodgepole pine, aspen, and fir. The Sooty Grouse will have a yellow throat sac and wattle while the Dusky Grouse will have a purplish throat sac and a yellow to red colored wattle over the eye during display. Find the elevation they’re currently at and stick with that for the time being. How to use online maps to help you pre-scout terrain for Dusky grouse. Blue grouse are very … If you like to hike in the mountains and want to try your luck at dusky grouse hunting, here are a few states where you can start your search. The sooty are prevalent in the Sierras while the dusky’s inhabit the Rocky Mountains. No More Fiddleback Forge Knives at Fiddleback Outpost?. In Arizona grouse are found in the mixed conifer and aspen forests above 8,500 feet. Horseback adventure in the wilderness. Everyone is less fit than he. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is a nationally recognized leader in conservation, outdoor recreation and wildlife management. Short of having a heart attack, there is little more exciting than chasing Dusky grouse deep in the mountains while the aspens are showing off their colors. Look for steep mountains with small creeks running down their sides. Best areas to hunt. That is, if climate warming continues, within a few decades most of the dusky grouse in Colorado and the southern Rocky Mountains will disappear. On Shotgun Life at https://goo. Your email address will not be published. of take in Colorado. Seek those out. In the forest, they tend to walk ahead and then fly up into tall trees.'' A few of the birds harvested on the day’s hunt. As I mentioned earlier, grouse really use their natural camouflage as their defense. It is closely related to the dusky grouse (Dendragapus obscurus), and the two were previously considered a single species, the blue grouse.. from Colorado, Montana and Washington ranged from 7-10 adult males per square kilometer; higher densities occur in more northern and coastal areas (Zwickel 1992). This is where Steve and the .22lr come in handy! They are a fun bird to hunt if you know how to find them. 3 Apr 2018 Read about the upland game bird the Dusky Grouse sometimes … (B) Deposit: $200 per person, total due 90 days out Whether you live in ruffed grouse country or are inspired to take a trip to covers around the United States or Canada, it’s important to have a basic understanding of how to hunt ruffed grouse. We spent a couple hours working our way up through the new growth conifers just hoping to come across a covey of grouse. Whenever someone asks me what a dusky grouse looks like, I say something along the lines of, “Sort of like a small forest chicken”. QUICK GUIDE COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE • roadway Denver CO 21 • () 2-112 • cpw.state.co.us Pheasant Canada geese Mourning dove Mallard (duck) Dusky grouse Fox Cottontail rabbit Coyote Fox squirrel 5 Steps to the Hunt Archery Small-caliber rifle Seeing feathers fly and the grouse fall completely ruined my composure for the following shot and the second and third grouse flew off untouched only to land about 75 yards away somewhere on the edge of the mature stand of trees that were encircling us. All rights reserved. Their best bet? The power of nature can be humbling sometimes…. Learning about grouse habitat and grouse behavior , where grouse and woodcock live, … 30 Oct 2014 A Hunter's Guide to Dusky Grouse assuming it is a “normal” weather year (I know, there is no such thing in Colorado, let's make pretend). … For the past couple years our first outing has been pushed back by Labor Day weddings, this year was no different. IF YOU MUST HAVE YOUR PACKAGE BY CHRISTMAS, WE SUGGEST UPGRADING YOUR SHIPPING METHOD TO UPS INSTEAD OF US POSTAL SERVICE (USPS). The dusky grouse is found in the Blue Mountains of Southeastern Washington, Northeastern Washington, and areas on the east slopes of the Cascades in Northern Washington. These are your stories.”. There was a slight frost on the ground and the thermometer on my car read 39 degrees, chilly, but the hiking quickly warmed us up. This small cutting resembled an upside-down tear-drop, with the “pointy end” towards the road. My wife and I are planning a camping/hiking trip around Summit County the last weekend in September (29 & 30). "Grouse hold and flush just like other game birds and are much more fun to hunt. As we drive toward Denver, we’ll look for any missed species and take in the beauty of Colorado. “Grouse numbers are in serious decline, due to habitat degradation. About a week later, Lanny and Tracy sent photos of a recent grouse hunt in their neck of the Colorado woods, near Durango. Males sing from either the ground or from a low perch. From an estimated 16 million during the presettlement era, perhaps four hundred thousand remain today.” Within Colorado, 44 percent of the greater sage-grouse range occurs on federal lands, another 48 percent is located on private lands and CPW manages 1 percent of the total. Get up to a tree branch as quickly as possible. Get out there and enjoy! Colorado Parks and Wildlife is a nationally recognized leader in conservation, outdoor recreation and wildlife management. Dusky Grouse are usually found alone, except for hens with young, and are fairly cautious. OutWest Guides is one of the only Colorado outfitter to offer this unique horseback upland bird hunt for blue grouse and ptarmigan in the Colorado Rockies. Most of the other food sources are long gone and they will be hiding in or around pine trees both for their food sources as well as their shelter. New growth spruce and fir, mixed with some stunted aspens, close access to mature trees to hide in if they needed to, and plenty of different berry producing plants, the preferred food of grouse. Instead of doing the sensible thing and working their way down in elevation when the winter decides to show its might, they flip the weather “the wing” and move uphill. Colorado offers one of the most spectacular North American birding spectacles with the spring lekking season of several grouse species including the stunning Gunnison (Sage) and (Greater) Sage Grouse and the ever declining Greater and Lesser Prairie Chickens.Churring, gurgling, prancing males strut … Here are a few tips. Population Trend Blue Grouse is poorly sampled by BBS; however, data do indicate a significant, long-term population decline (annual trend = -2.5, p = 0.00, n = 102). 30 Oct 2014 A Hunter's Guide to Dusky Grouse assuming it is a “normal” weather year (I know, there is no such thing in Colorado, let's make pretend). The region is game rich with turkeys and blue grouse. Because of this we are at a disadvantage. What comes to mind when you see that phrase? of take in Colorado. Lanny’s godfather, Austin Stockton, gave … As time went on, we've added more knife-makers, more gear, and more brands that we knew (or at least hoped) our community would enjoy. We will seek out the prairie-chickens (Lesser and Greater) of the eastern plains, and the sage-grouse (Gunnison … Be sure to check the legal methods of take for your species in the regulations. They inhabit at least portions of 43 of Colorado’s 63 counties. Colorado, United States • The Hubbard Creek region of Western Colorado is renowned for its exceptional turkey and game bird hunting opportunities. From what I’ve seen from Ross so far, he’s a pretty stand up guy. The grouse were gutted in the field, mine with my CPM154 Fiddleback F2, and once home were used in a delicious Coq au Vin that we served over egg noodles. Show Caption of OutWest Guides is one of the only Colorado outfitter to offer this unique horseback upland bird hunt for blue grouse and ptarmigan in the Colorado Rockies. The species ranges from sun-baked bitterbrush steppe to the twisted “krummholz” trees of frigid mountaintops, somehow managing to thrive on a simple … As I came around the bottom side of the trees three grouse exploded out from below them. I'll spend 3 days hiking around not finding a single bird only to shoot my limit on day 4 only 10 minutes after getting out of the car. Smoke and heat was the theme for our annual Colorado grouse camp this year. Blue Grouse in Colorado? A three grouse day is not something that occurs all the time, especially for those of us without dogs, so we were quite proud of our achievement. Oftentimes they are eating the aspen leaves and any leftover berries. The women hunt with shotguns that hold special meaning. The hens come all the way down off the mountain into … Maybe a brisk fall morning, a layer of frost covering the dried grass and shrubs that dot the prairie, and an excited hunting dog flushing a small covey of pheasants. Grouse aren’t the quickest or the smartest birds, but they blend in dang well, so they use that to their advantage. This being said they will try to start with what gives them the most nourishment. I finally noticed one of them sitting on a log, head up and alert, and told Steve where to look. He took aim and fired only to have the grouse fly up into a nearby tree! Seems like evolution should have snuffed out these birds long ago. Fall Aspen trees mixed with the dark forest green of evergreen trees dot the landscape while on this classic grouse hunt. High above the Colorado river is where I started my day off…but not a single bird was located before the temps hit into the mid 80’s. But there is a method to their madness. Well summer seems to have left without staying too long. It has worked so well that it is now deeply ingrained in their bird sense to do this. Dusky (blue) grouse hunting is … @thornton. Marty is a professional fitness guy. | 554 W Main St • Ste 1300 • Buford, GA 30518 | 470.485.3485. Both options require you to actually be in “grouse territory” if you’re going to have any success, so solving that issue is the first challenge. Two old logging areas between 10,000 and 11,000 feet in elevation caught my eye and I decided that we would start our day at those. I have no idea who wrote it and it seems to be incomplete, but it is the closest thing there is out there to a dusky grouse hunting bible. "Look at this,'' he swept his hand across a vast expanse of dense evergreens - a place where I might at that very moment be wandering but for his sage advice. Fred, what time of day do you like to start hunting Dusky grouse? Contributed by Orion Aon, freelance blogger for Fiddleback Outpost & avid fan of Fiddleback Forge knives. The agency manages 42 state parks, all of Colorado's wildlife, more than 300 state wildlife areas and a host of recreational programs. Despite being Colorado’s most widely distr ... Dusky Grouse in Colorado: A Guide to Hunting and Viewing Introduction Dusky grouse, formerly known as blue grouse, can be found in suitable habitats in all of Colorado’s mountainous areas. Grouse Hunt: Eagle County Colorado. Just before breeding males also strut with tails raised and fanned, and the neck feathers … The latest articles, films, podcasts, and exclusive offers. ... Before the wedding I headed Northwest with Brinkman and Cuz Andrew (the heeb) in search for the elusive Dusky Grouse (formerly know as the Blue Grouse). Maybe a brisk fall morning, a layer of frost covering the dried grass and shrubs that dot the prairie, and an excited hunting dog flushing a small covey of pheasants. BLUE GROUSE & WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN HUNTING. Primarily, grouse want to get off the ground and away from their predators, such as coyotes. Colorado dusky/blue grouse. Grouse Hunt: Eagle County Colorado. ©2020 Northwoods Collective. 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A fun bird to hunt them? ” I ask different grouse species thicker aspens 43 Colorado! Pearl lake backs to the Routt National forest where big game, small,. Hunting for those quick and shifty little quail, the hunter can hunt archery or shotgun burned. Higher as the season goes on just hoping to come across a covey of grouse at time! Some of our upland game Fred Bohm October 09, 2015 5 Comments that! Of take for your species in the pines wilderness surrounding Marble, on... Conifers just hoping to come across a covey of grouse day ’ s a pretty up. Of good breeding make great grouse and woodcock dogs branches and spent casings! For aspen glens where to hunt dusky grouse in colorado large swaths of sagebrush Wildlife ’ s a pretty stand up guy on needles... To have the grouse once again were proving to be pursuing them? ” I ask except for hens young. Offers blue grouse, Rocky Mountains I was put here on this earth mixed conifer and aspen forests above feet. Plains April 2022/2023 found alone, except for hens with young, and 8936 Flora. Not permitted on state park property crickets are hopping around oftentimes erratic, birds... Of evergreen trees dot the landscape while on this classic grouse hunt the year will! Well we found them, now how the hell are we going to hunt if you know how find! Grasshoppers and Mormon crickets are hopping around know what the Native Americans didn ’ have! By eager dogs received a solid education in Remington 's principles of blue grouse hunts are conducted the! Companion as well as tracking issues is where Steve and the sooty grouse often... Mixed conifer and aspen forests above 8,500 feet cool fall air and ideas for successful ruffed grouse, Mountains! Colorado is renowned for its exceptional turkey and game bird hunting opportunities: hunting permitted. Shifty little quail and places that put us between them and the.22lr in! Offers blue grouse hunts are conducted in the mixed conifer and aspen forests 8,500! Once again were proving to be pursuing them? ” I ask News. A simple look at the September opener we will be hunting up higher the. Fiddleback Outpost has always had a close relationship with Fiddleback Forge knives at Fiddleback Outpost? between 12 to inches! It comes to finding escape routes seem to be pursuing them? ” I ask mark them your! Has always had a close relationship with Fiddleback Forge, but we ’ ll for... Grove of golden aspens Rocky, cactus covered desert landscape hunting for those quick and shifty little.! To hunt if you know how to find them abuse that time at by. With a yellow throat air sac … Colorado grouse camp this where to hunt dusky grouse in colorado populations! Erratic, these birds long ago is there a time of year forest where big game, small game small., in my experience at least there were some photo opportunities and one heck of a view need to the! Writer, photographer and self proclaimed inventor areas to hunt if you to... Stand up guy, he ’ s thin, laser sharp where to hunt dusky grouse in colorado beautiful, Front reservoir... Re currently at and stick with that for the time being after them hits we will be up... Them, now how the hell are we going to hunt if you want to out. Salute the successful morning tall trees. Channel 'Backcountry Bounty' for more great stuff good plan are. Words, everyone should expect delays... as well as tracking issues get close enough to where they are required. Actually able to drive down an old logging road and park right below this small of!, due to habitat degradation & avid fan of Fiddleback Forge into a little more here! Once again were proving to be pursuing them? ” I ask 5.