It is sad GN. My best day grouse hunting in south west Virginia was 20 flushes and that was in 1987. I get excited now when I see one grouse.

I flushed 2 today out in the GWNF. So I guess they're still out where I've been going.

I'm experiencing the same thing in my local haunts GN. I believe it is all about habitat and successful hatching.

We lack the continuous secondary forest. It is either neighborhood or mature forest in my local. It is almost like chainsaws are un-green.

I can't wait till deer season is over. Then yellow dog and I have some work to do.

Significant parts of southern appalachia has been continually logged and mined for the last twenty years. New second growth and succession timber and bruch is not rare. The problem for the grouse dilema is more than an issue of lack of young trees, pole cover, and vegatative habitat. Some say predators, avian and ground. Some say the turkeys are eating the same thing as the ggrouse(and in many cases they do) and that the turkeys are so much more efficient that they are cleaning out the cupboard. I dont know. I do know that if I want a walk in the woods with my setters I can have one here. if I want to kill some wild birds over my dogs I have to travel a good ways to do that on wild birds .

here is a link to a 6 minute video, which is about grouse trip to wisconsin of two virginia grouse hunters......it pretty well sums up the grouse situation in SW VA. and Tenn and Ky . Go to the lnk , then scroll down right below featured segment to "Hunting Segments" to the "huntin Buddies" video segment...click on that ..if you have hunted grouse in Va you will enjoy it

http://www.wqow.com/Global/category.asp ... nu1364_8_1

Great link. Sad but true as far as hunters and grouse in my home state of Va seem to be a dying breed. I tell friends I hunt grouse and if we have a really really good day we see (or hear) 4 or 5 birds flush. I show up with scratched up hands and face, sore knees and rubbery legs and tell them I had a great time. They just don't understand it because they don't see the reward. I think a grouse killed in Virginia is harder to come by then a spring gobbler for the most part and just as rewarding.

Sadly, That is a huge understatement with what it takes to keep a dog, find cover, find cover with grouse in it and spend the hours to cover the miles of sidehill to "flush 10 shoot at 4 and kill 1" as they say.

Exactly. I have a very small glimmer of hope for the future. I have noticed a few more birds this year in some areas. I just wish that there was more clear-cutting done in Va. Tut and I have been driving to Pa and they do an amazing job of clear-cutting in their State Forests. There seem to be plenty of birds up there.

Jumped 11 the last week of rifle checking out a new area. 6 were in one bunch and 5 singles. Jumped them all about mile and a half from the truck within a 30 minute stretch. There were a few weeds that had come up from the trees being uprooted and allowing sunshine to hit the forest floor. Had to be eating the seeds off them. Dont know what type of weed it was. Reminded me of sage brush. I havent kept count but Ive got to be above 50 flushes for the year. Most ever in the last several years.

If Sharpe tail grouse count...I saw lots in S.Dakota last month..but they would be hard to hit with a 30.06....but would be a super blast with the ole 12 ga...

Tut,

Sounds like you need to walk with TS.

Vic

statistics: seasoned grouse hunter with two excelent mature setters ...six hunts averaging three hours each. Cover is superb, age class of vegatation is perfect, based on fifty years of grouse observation in the field. total Grouse seen, three, averaging a 1/2 grouse seen per hunt. Grouse shots- Zero.

Agreed,

TS what might be the GPS coordinates on those grouse? Promise not to tell anyone, so a PM is just fine.

I believe ts is in SW va, closer to Gn than us. I did move three last sat. so they're not extinct.

Three guys with three dogs will be chasing partridge on a NH mountain Sunday.

I'm sure glad I am one of those guys and Bay is one of those dogs.

Results to follow.