One thing I love about Idaho and the North Western states is the variety of birds that there are to hunt. One of the birds that often gets overlooked is forrest grouse. They are a fun bird to encounter and pursue and any bird hunter who wants a challenge should try and go on a dedicated grouse hunt this fall.
An Underrated Upland Bird
Upland birds like forest grouse are overlooked and not pursued as hard as a bird like a pheasant for a couple of closely related reasons. The first reason is the terrain. Grouse live in the mountains and may require a bit of a drive to get near some good hunting habitat.
With a pheasant, you just need some agricultural ground outside city limits, which is usually much closer than a mountain range.
But there is a pro and a con to this situation. For guys like me who don’t have close connections with a farmer and find it difficult to find a landowner willing to let a stranger onto their farmland, I tend to look for game birds I can pursue on public lands like national forests and Bureau of Land Management areas.
Grouse give me this opportunity. I can go to a national forest, and start walking. It’s as simple as that.
The second big reason why not as many hunters go out specifically for grouse is where they live. They tend to dwell on ridge lines in areas of the mountain that might be steep and require some effort to get to.
If you are not one for walking up mountains, I would stick with pheasant hunting, because hunting dusky grouse can be quite physically demanding.
Check out the below video by Meat Eater showing their hunt in Montana. It’s an identical environment as Idaho.
Where to find Forrest Grouse
In Idaho there are 3 dominant species of forest grouse. Dusky (a.k.a Blue) grouse, Spruce grouse, and Ruffed grouse.
The dusky and spruce grouse look very similar and most the time I can’t tell the difference. Luckily you don’t have to. The regulations don’t discriminate on which species you get, as the daily limit is 4 no matter what species.
Elevation and Time of Day
Spruce and Dusky grouse tend to live in high-elevation areas on the mountain. Try and follow the road to the top of the mountain. Follow ridgelines and look for areas of open meadows and pockets of timber. They like to roost in the trees during the afternoon and night but may be on the ground feeding during the first part of the morning.
Ruffed grouse are also a fun species to run into on the same mountain but they tend to stay a little lower in elevation. I see ruffed grouse on dark mountain roads close to creeks. They like the same areas that a turkey would like. But they can also spread out to wider areas. I often see them crossing the roads as I am trying to look for other animals.
Ruffed grouse are a bit smaller and have black-tipped feathers throughout their body compared to a much more bland grey color on the spruce and dusky grouse.
What license do you need to hunt grouse?
In Idaho, you need a hunting license to hunt grouse. Yep, it’s that simple. Another great thing about grouse is the season is from September through the end of December. But there is a catch.
While the season is long, the birds don’t get pushed down too much when it snows. And snow in the high country is going to be an issue towards the end of October.
So it’s best to pursue grouse from September through October.
Most people see grouse when they are pursuing their big game animals during the fall. If that is the case for you, you want to carry a revolver with some bird shot in it or an air pistol. I’ve even seen some guys get close enough to club one of them, but this doesn’t happen too much.
Gear
In terms of gear, it’s not too different from a normal pheasant hunt. I suggest a bird-hunting vest with enough pockets for 2 water bottles and some snacks and basic survival gear like a lighter and knife.
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For the bottom half of your body, you will want to be prepared to break through brush and walk through wet grass in the mornings. Staying dry is always key to staying comfortable in the field. A good waterproof set of boots and water-resistant pants make the difference.
Something like these Orvis Feld Pants would do great. They have a section of the pant that is thick enough to not get worn away in thick brush and it’s water resistant also.
If you enjoyed this article, here are some more helpful articles from Pinetrees And Solitude.
- How Much Is A Mule Deer Hunt? Guided vs. DIY
- What You Need For An Idaho Mule Deer Hunt
- Catch Mule Deer While They Are Active
- What Should I Bring Elk Hunting? Idaho List
- Hunting Elk In Timber: Tactics To Even The Odds
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