Grouse Reports ! ! !

Let us know where youre finding the birds, what were the conditions, what type of terrain.

Lets here some good dog stories as well.

Can we attach pictures in this forum now?

Half way to grouse opener. Ha ha. Wondering how the winter weather treated the partridge this season. Hoping for some decent numbers in the fall. 

Grace youre bringing up a timely point. On dec 28th the snow up north took a beating, melted some then froze hard.  Not good for the birds.  Will be OK if we have a good winter but the way this rollercoaster weather is panning out I expect a lot of freeze/thaw cycling this winter. Hoping I am wrong. 

And that’s a wrap.   Great season for us.   Now back to bird dog training 

My first experience of N WI grouse hunting was in 89 it was exactly like this video birds absolutely everywhere.  Bird numbers stayed really good until the next down cycle and the following peaks have never seemed to be as high.  I also forget which year but there was an ice storm that put a substantial glaze on top of the snow tons of birds died trying to crash in the snow to roost.  YOu could see birds just laying on the ice.  For a couple of years you had to get north or south of the ice band to find decent numbers.

River. 

I’ve had maybe two days like that in 20 years.  The last time was 2017 in Chequamegon. Temps dropped like 40 degrees that morning I walked in. The leaves seemed to all come down at once. I heard/saw more than 40 grouse in about two hours. Bagged four grouse and a woodcock before I ran out of shells.  I only brought 12.  On the two mile walk back out, I kicked up another 20 or so.  I went back to the same spot two days later and flushed a single bird in about three hours of hiking.  

Does any one hunt this easy?    Ive never hunted like this.     What are other peoples experiences?

Tailsneyes,

That dog ripped the tip of a toe pad on the first cover.   She had a boot on the last hunt.   The wrap is there to tape the boot to wrap rather then boot to leg.    Nothing serious.   Just unfortunate for her.   She was a superstar on her birds yesterday 

Duffin I see a bandage on the middle one anything serious?

Hit three covers yesterday.  Two of three produced with 12 contacts.   The last cover  I hit one time/year.   It’s good winter grouse habitat.  I also like to check to see if the deer skull I put up a tree several years ago is still there 

Garden hose with screws through it????

Yes, pretty sure the dnr enforces snowmobile laws and machines as well. 

Is ATV enforcement a DNR issue?  Field staff is stretched though opinions vary.

I wrote the Hayward Area Chamber of Conference, few weeks ago and told them about my negative experience with all the UTVs in the area, and that there appeared to be zero enforcement on where they can and cant be (ie circumventing gates and berms), speed, and drinking while operating.  Anyways they did write me back and said the local trail coordinator is putting up signs to remind atv users of speed limits and he was in contact local law enforcement.  I suspect speed limits signs will work about as well as signs on the gates that say no motorized vehicles.  Its a joke, I think if maybe if more people brought attention to the issue it might help.  

Ihookem, Oneida County. Not the quiet north woods it once was. 

Bowhunterguy, what county are you in? I am around the west side of Price and eastern Sawyer co. I can't stand those ATV's. They go where ever they want with no respect for anyone.