# Any gun hunters flush any grouse?



## Harry1959 (Mar 17, 2011)

I still grouse Hunt SE Ohio some. Last year and so far this year I haven’t flushed a bird, only been once this year. Since the grouse numbers are so bad, very few still hunt them in Ohio. Was wondering if deer hunters had flushed any this year? Thanks


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## Flathead76 (May 2, 2010)

I flushed a pair while shed hunting in Athens last year.


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## Harry1959 (Mar 17, 2011)

Thanks FH. I was flushing 1 every 3-4 hours of hunting up until last year. I hunt Ohio mostly to get the dog out


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## Redheads (Jun 9, 2008)

This was not during deer gun season but i flushed one during the spring turkey season in SE Ohio. As a kid me and my dad would have a ball shooting them now i would be afraid of killing the last one in the state.


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## jmyers8 (Aug 2, 2013)

We used to see a lot in meigs county deer huntin would jump prolly in a weeks time putting on deer drives and even watched one drum on a log for the whole morning my first time deer huntin. Now can't remember the last one I saw there

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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

1 grouse and a woodcock this gun season. 2 grouse last gun season. I’m in Hocking county.
We used to shoot 2-4 a year at my place. Sure miss those little helicopters.


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## ruffhunter (Dec 10, 2005)

I kicked up 3, what appeared to be on the smaller side near my empty feeder in turkey season. I went ahead and put out feed block at the feeder. I also seen a momma and 5 to 7 little ones scurry away out of a food plot. Like hitting the lottery!


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

Yep... hunted Egypt Valley and MWCD around Piedmont lake this year.. kicked up 3 birds in Egypt Valley and 1 on MWCD grounds (Muskingum Watershed Conservancy)


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

While reading this Thread, I turned and looked at the fan tail I made from the first grouse I shot in 1978, Nobel County. Back then it was common to flush 10 to 15 birds a day without a dog. I used to get mad as hell at those birds when I was sneak hunting deer. Dem daiz is gone ferever.


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## Harry1959 (Mar 17, 2011)

Hey guys thanks so much for the sighting reports. Gives me some hope. I’m having carpel tunnel surgery on Thursday and a cyst removed from my neck next week, but I should be healed up enough to get the dog out a couple more times in January


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

Good luck on the surgery Harry. My gsp is too old to hunt now but I sure miss the flush of a grouse. Nothing like watching a dog work a bird and then having a mild heart attack when the flush.


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

We used to hunt them back in the 70's and early 80's nearly every Sat after the Holiday season driving south from Summit county. We actually had many 20+ flush days hunting as close as(the pines around) Atwood Lake. Never had to go farther south than say Harrison/Tusc counties to find lots of birds! Then the State started stocking turkeys! Bigger birds a couple clicks up on the food chain eating the same available forage, loss of habitat to "mature" woods, and coyotes all did them dirty!JMHO. They didn't stand a chance!(Sad state of affairs!)
Disclaimer-Those 20+ flush days likely were from "half, or fewer" that many total birds. They didn't fly far and we prob often flushed the same bird more than once! I grew up in Southern WVa and in those days, we'd flush as many as 10-12 in a covey- just like quail! As a kid, it was tough not to "flock shoot" at them! Oh, the Good Old Days!!


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## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

I have a camp in PA. Flushed 8 the first day of bear season. Haven't been able to get back up, but I'm hoping to take my GSP up over the holidays. Nothing beats that drum!

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## threeten (Feb 5, 2014)

c. j. stone said:


> We used to hunt them back in the 70's and early 80's nearly every Sat after the Holiday season driving south from Summit county. We actually had many 20+ flush days hunting as close as(the pines around) Atwood Lake. Never had to go farther south than say Harrison/Tusc counties to find lots of birds! Then the State started stocking turkeys! Bigger birds a couple clicks up on the food chain eating the same available forage, loss of habitat to "mature" woods, and coyotes all did them dirty!JMHO. They didn't stand a chance!(Sad state of affairs!)
> Disclaimer-Those 20+ flush days likely were from "half, or fewer" that many total birds. They didn't fly far and we prob often flushed the same bird more than once! I grew up in Southern WVa and in those days, we'd flush as many as 10-12 in a covey- just like quail! As a kid, it was tough not to "flock shoot" at them! Oh, the Good Old Days!!


I so miss those days!!
Learned so much country in SE Ohio chasing those birds.


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## SelfTaught (Mar 27, 2014)

Belmont County, Turkey season 2016. This one would walk around with us at camp, let us feed it, help dress out turkeys when we brought them in. Hung around the cabin for 3 weeks was awesome! It was grandmas little pet and off limits haha




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## STRONGPERSUADER (Nov 5, 2006)

SelfTaught said:


> Belmont County, Turkey season 2016. This one would walk around with us at camp, let us feed it, help dress out turkeys when we brought them in. Hung around the cabin for 3 weeks was awesome! It was grandmas little pet and off limits haha
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That’s awesome and very surprising. Did it pluck the feathers for ya?


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## ErieIslander (Jul 12, 2012)

Hunt same land in Harrison County for the last 25+ years. Haven’t flushed a grouse in 10+ years while deer hunting. We used to hunt grouse late season. Very sad situation.


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## Harry1959 (Mar 17, 2011)

Awesome! I couldn’t shoot that one either.....


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

I can't remember the last grouse I flushed in Ohio! Used to flush them all the time in Beaver Creek SP, and had a hunting spot south of Lisbon that we hunted, also without a dog. We'd just go from downed grape vine tangle to grape vine tangle, and flush grouse galore! 

The last grouse I saw (or heard) was in PA. My buddy had a trailer in a private campground that abutted a State Game Land. The Ruffed Grouse is PA's state bird, so they manipulate the habitat to suit them. We'd drive around and look for where they cut timber a year or two before that had saplings coming up. It's the successional growth that holds grouse. 

It didn't matter a bit to me that I couldn't hit them! I just loved hunting them!


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