# Grouse



## Austin1 (Sep 28, 2009)

Are the numbers up or down in your area? Been having a bad grouse year here and I have talked to other hunters who say the same thing the Pheasant season looks bleak too. I think it had to do with the cold spring and a week of below -40 last winter.


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## NYCHA FORESTER (Sep 28, 2009)

I emailed a biologist for the Maine Dept. of Wildlife and Inland Fisheries that same question. He reply was that this years brood production was better than the last two years for Northern Maine. I hope he's right....they had a fierce winter up there. Some sporting camps are closing early due to lack of deer.


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## Austin1 (Sep 28, 2009)

NYCHA FORESTER said:


> I emailed a biologist for the Maine Dept. of Wildlife and Inland Fisheries that same question. He reply was that this years brood production was better than the last two years for Northern Maine. I hope he's right....they had a fierce winter up there. Some sporting camps are closing early due to lack of deer.


I don't think the winter hert are Deer as it was Cold but not that much Snow and I see tons of them every day. But all are Grouse seem way down Especially Sharp Tails and Even the lowly Spruce Grouse, And I never got woke up by any Ruffy's this year wile camping in the Spring.


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## bigbadbob (Sep 28, 2009)

Great year here, we shot a dozen last week, one as large as a chicken, biggest I have ever seen, have heard others coming across 20 or so at one time this year!!! Am home for a dentist appointment and then back out for more.
After all our new taxes we will need them for winter food!!!:jawdrop:


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## RacerX (Oct 8, 2009)

I'll be heading to the Northern Kingdom in Vermont next week. Hopefully the numbers are better than last year up there.


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## RacerX (Oct 17, 2009)

Just got back from Northern Vermont. Although it was cold 18 degrees yesterday the birds were everywhere. Seems a good amount of flight woodcock had moved down from Canada with the onset of the cold weather. There were plenty of Ruffed Grouse too. Probably on of the best Grouse seasons I've seen in the 11 years I've been going up there.


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## NYCHA FORESTER (Oct 19, 2009)

Thanks for the news... I'll should be up by Fish River Lake (ME) the first week of Nov.


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## Austin1 (Oct 20, 2009)

Still having the worst Ruffed grouse and Spruce grouse season ever,just not finding many birds Same goes for Sharp tails the numbers here seem way down.Same for the Partridge only got three this year those would be Hungarian or Grey partridge.Spruce Grouse or [aka fools hen] very dumb birds that can usually be found easily.


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## NYCHA FORESTER (Oct 21, 2009)

Can't shoot spruce grouse in Maine.... In fact I don't think you can shoot them anywhere in the NE USA. 

How do they taste?


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## Austin1 (Oct 21, 2009)

NYCHA FORESTER said:


> Can't shoot spruce grouse in Maine.... In fact I don't think you can shoot them anywhere in the NE USA.
> 
> How do they taste?


Depends where you shoot them and how old they are. If you get them in a mixed Forrest they have a slightly gammy taste compared to a ruff and a darker meat like a partridge. If you get them in a all conifer forest they can be a bit more wild tasting especially the older ones. It is strange for a Grouse that fly's less than a Ruffy that they would have a darker meat.I was once told the more a bird fly's the darker the meat don't know if their is any truth to that.But the worst tasting bird I have ever eaten or I should say tried to eat was a Old Male Spruce grouse I almost thought I had taken a Blue Grouse he was so big! He also took off running after the dog brought him back he put the bird down and the bird took off again. Actually the dog ate most of him,as I kept chewing and the piece kept getting bigger, He was like shoe leather! We have Sage grouse here too the season has been closed now on them for a few years but they Taste like a old Antelope but they get big 6 lbs!


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## NYCHA FORESTER (Oct 22, 2009)

Nice....


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