# saltfork grouse?



## freakofnature13 (Jul 2, 2008)

Used to hunt public land at saltfork for deer and used to kick a few grouse up here and there. Its been 5 plus yrs since i was down there. Anyone know if their still down there


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## GABO (Apr 4, 2008)

Killed one there 4 years ago. Only one we have jumped there since then.


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## longhaulpointer (Mar 12, 2009)

Ohio grouse are extinct


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## joebertin (Mar 26, 2010)

I've heard some say that the turkeys are making life hard on the grouse.


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## OrangeMilk (Oct 13, 2012)

South eastern Ohio is where they are supposed to be.

I had a state biologist with ODNR tell me that Shawnee WA has them.

The Grouse are not extinc in ohio, longhaulpointer, they are just hard to find.


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## jray (Jan 20, 2006)

saw one at woodbury 2 weeks ago


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

longhaulpointer said:


> Ohio grouse are extinct


I sometimes tend to agree with you.



OrangeMilk said:


> South eastern Ohio is where they are supposed to be.
> 
> I had a state biologist with ODNR tell me that Shawnee WA has them.
> 
> The Grouse are not extinc in ohio, longhaulpointer, they are just hard to find.


They may not be extinct, but they sure seem to be in trouble. Used to flush them regularly at Beaver Creek SP in eastern Ohio, but it's been many years since that happened. Not enough hunters for them, so no pressure on the DOW. Same thing with pheasant. You can sell tags to hunt turkey, but not to hunt grouse or pheasant. No money, no interest.


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## longhaulpointer (Mar 12, 2009)

sorry, my sarcasm was lost in type. I'm not familiar with Saltfork, however i do put up decent #'s in Scioto and Zeleski. Good #'s being relative that is, i should say good #'s for ohio, terrible #'s for good states.


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## longhaulpointer (Mar 12, 2009)

I tend to agree with you on the no hunters so no interest but not for the pheasants, Go to any release area and its packed on release days. There has to be more of us than we think, just not organized


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## FLT_TUBE_JNKY (Jun 6, 2006)

I wish there were more grouse in Ohio, when the state brought back the turkey and charged 19 dollars for a tag that was the end of grouse. For 19 dollars I can drive 1/2 mile to kroger and buy a butterball. Its all about revenue to the state. I agree with Longhaul on both points we're just not organized on the grouse and pheasant are like saugeye when they are in everyone is standing shoulder to shoulder hoping to get there limit. Released pheasants are no more than pen raised chickens that can fly.


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## joebertin (Mar 26, 2010)

Pheasants don't taste as good as chicken or grouse...


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## steelmagoo (Apr 13, 2004)

No habitat, no grouse. They don't live in the big woods with no understory. Start cutting and managing the forests and maybe our kids or grandkids will see grouse when the popple and alders grow.


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## FishThis (Sep 2, 2005)

My dad and I flushed 7 grouse last year walking an old road bed down at AEP. The bad thing was, I was walking with my fishing pole and not my 20 gauge. It was awesome, we walked about 75 yards on the old road bed and they were everywhere! I haven't hunted grouse for a long while, but my dad and I really started talking about going this year.


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## treytd32 (Jun 12, 2009)

Flush up a couple birds every year or so on my property in sw ohio.


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

They like new growth woodlands. All of the old small hillside farms have evolved into mature timber- and mostly in aspens(no food source). Also, turkeys compete with them for available food and being higher up the food chain, the smaller grouse looses out! I used to hunt grouse with my dogs 30 yrs ago.(about the time the turkey programs were starting) . A 25 flush day was a bad one!! I haven't even bothered for the past ten years or so. There are a few here and there but YES, they are on there way to extinction-and the State doesn't care.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

longhaulpointer said:


> I tend to agree with you on the no hunters so no interest but not for the pheasants, Go to any release area and its packed on release days. There has to be more of us than we think, just not organized


True, the state is happy enough to put out stockers, and these areas can get pretty crowded, especially opening day and Thanksgiving! They're zoos! Back in the day the ODNR had a program to try to reestablish naturally reproducing populations of wild pheasant. I had permission on 2 adjoining farms, so I got the forms for the program and talked to the owners. They were all for it. The one owner was an elderly man. He took me outside and pointed in the woods across the road. There were some tumble down coops back there. He told he used to raise pheasant and turn them loose himself.

I turned the paperwork into the local GP, and he had the "pheasant guy" from Columbus come up to look at the property. The GP called me that night and said the pheasant guy just walked around with his mouth hanging open. Said it was some of the best pheasant habitat he'd seen in the whole state! I and my Springer had quite a bit of fun for a few years out there.

Needless to say that program doesn't exist any more. Maybe the ODNR wasn't getting their money's worth out of it. Also, try finding a Pheasants forever chapter in Ohio. My buddy did, and the nearest one to us is in Erie, PA!



joebertin said:


> Pheasants don't taste as good as chicken or grouse...


I agree with you on the grouse, but chicken? Of course, you've never had my pheasant breast satay! Notice you're from my neck of the woods. Are you the carpet cleaner?


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