Upland Tips

[gldenhwk]

I am pretty sure this will be a duplicate thread, and any links to those others would be appreciated. I am really wanting to get into upland bird hunting this year, minus pheasant. I have never spent any time targeting these birds ever and I would love to get some advice. I will be mostly alone, I don't have a dog yet, but once my son is older I would love to get "him" one and get it trained, but that's another thread. I have a 20ga OU that I got for a song and once it gets back from the gun smith to repair a spring I plan on shooting some clays to get an idea of how it handles.

Any tips on where to go, how to hunt, and what to look for throughout the season? I plan on hunting as soon as the season opens right through till it closes. If there's anyone in the Calgary area who would be willing to show me the ropes one or two weekend mornings that would be appreciated as well.

[winger7mm]

Its gonna be tough to find a flushed and shot bird with out a dog. Not saying it cant be done, but pay attention on where it lands!! Im sure someone in your area will be willing to have you tag along with them and there dog (I will warn you will end up with a dog sooner then you think )
If your not dead set on using a shotty, head to the hills and search for ruffies as well as spruce grouse with the .22, A head shot and the bird doesnt go far, usually drt.

As far as finding birds, its a matter of going for a drive. I will add up from 2011-currently I have hunted with a dog. Before that all I used to do was drive the oilfield roads and trails, and walk grown over roads back home until you seen a bird. Then it was a matter of putting the stalk on and getting within a good shooting distance with the .22 Harvested lots of birds that way. I find it alot easier to find birds with snow on the ground. Can even track em. Also when theres snow on the ground they spend more time on the roads eating grit.

I am also by far not a pro, so take what you want from my info some may be good some may not be that good, Thats up to you

Welcome to the sport btw Your about to find out how addicting it can be chasing birds

[saskbooknut]

we hunt abandoned farmsteads, shelterbelts and coulee thickets in S. Saskatchewan on the edge of sandhill country for Sharptails and Hungarian Partridge.
Alberta has similar country adjacent to the Sask border N of Medicine Hat.

We find birds in the same covers year after year, and other covers which look similar to our eyes, but are never productive.

It takes years of hunting to build up a list of landowners where you can get permission and those habitat islands in the bald prairie, that have birds in them. We found those locations by walking, scouting and more walking.

We are experiencing a severe reduction in bird populations in S. Saskatchewan due to severe winters. Saskatchewan has reduced the limits on Sharptails, Huns and Pheasants this year, due to low numbers. I suspect that Alberta has a similar problem with upland bird populations in similar habitat.

Upland hunting in semi-desert country is a far cry from pot-shooting Ruffed and Spruce grouse from the road in the northern forest.
In years of good grouse numbers in the forest you can collect a lot of birds by hunting the grown-over logging roads. It is even possible to find some wing shooting in the forest habitat but I think most birds are taken on the ground. It is up to you to choose how you approach your bird hunting.

Good luck in your quest for Upland bird hunting.

[bird_dog]

Well, Saskbooknut, not every upland hunter in the boreal forest resorts to shooting birds on the ground or in a tree. I shoot only on the wing, and only what my dogs point. I like giving the bird a fighting chance rather than simply filling my game bag.
To the OP: No dog makes things more difficult. I recall looking for a downed spruce grouse for nearly 15 minutes with 3 guys! And we saw where it hit the ground. Afterall the right colors and staying immobile is one of the main defence mechanisms the birds have. Good luck.

[rhuntley12]

I do a lot of horseback riding in K country and usually start to see grouse on the trails starting, well now. I did some scouting a couple weeks ago and saw quite a few not far off the road. Was out west of Millarville, take Gorge creek road south. I was off the road in some meadow areas and every copse of trees had grouse. I had my golden with me that spotted lots of them otherwise I would have missed them. Not a trained hunting dog but he is good at spotting birds. I usually mark them on my GPS where I spotted them.

PM me if you want some other ideas on where to go. Grouse are so easy to walk by without ever seeing as they don't always flush if you aren't stepping over them.

[jacenbeers]

I hunted upland a lot last fall with my shotgun and with my slingshot within an hour of Calgary with great success. PM me and we can arrange to go out together. It was mostly ruffed grouse.

[Whiskey Wish]

Here are a few tips from a lifetime of hunting the King of Upland birds - Ruffies (imho of course).

1. When walking for grouse remember to stop and watch and listen. Stop suddenly and stay on alert as frequently His Nibs will be laying low waiting for you to walk right on by him. The sudden cessation of noise will frequently cause him to loose his nerve and he will flush from cover. If you listen carefully you can hear the birds when they get nervous as they make sort of a chirping sound. (How do I properly describe that sound guys?)
Anytime you hear that sound the bird is very close to flushing.

2. As has been mentioned one of the problems with hunting them without a dog is finding downed birds. If you connect watch carefully where they go down, mark the spot and walk straight there as best you are able. You are looking for something not much bigger than a large coffee mug when they crash with their wings folded in.

3. The next problem becomes shooting doubles or triples. How do you mark the spot for 2 or 3 birds? It CAN be done but you will lose some birds.

4. Fresh young clover, white bird berries, cranberries and small gravel are all food attractants for Ruffies. The first couple of birds you get each outing open up the crop of the birds and see what is on the dinner menu for the local birds at that time. It can change week to week.

5. In cold weather and first thing in the morning the birds will tend to be on the sunny side of the road or trail where they can soak up a little heat from the sun. This doesn't mean you can ignore the shady side.

6. Watch any ant hills you find. If you see a little dish shaped depression on the top then local birds are using them for a dust bath.

7. Think in terms of "edge dwellers". Edge of field, road, trail, creek, lake, change in forest type - ie. apsen to spruce

8. Perhaps it is just me but I found I lost a lot more birds using a .22 than any shotgun. I had a significant number of birds hit with a .22 fly away and once they launch your .22 becomes a stick. A good O/U shotgun/.22 is really useful but I still prefer my 20.

9. As has been mentioned almost any dog that will tolerate gun fire can be trained to find downed birds. Even if they can't locate, or point, or do anything but drool before you shoot, if they will locate downed birds they are worth the dog food. There is something about hunting with a dog that adds a whole new dimension to hunting. Not sure how to put it into words? Dog guys? How do we explain it? Friendship, partnership, team work, hunting buddy? Although some dogs can be your worst critic if/when you miss a bird...lol. "Awwwww...come ON!! HOW did you MISS that??" look on their face.

10. I always seemed to see more big game when I quit looking for them and concentrated on Upland. Even though I was just walking, not paying any real attention to noise or wind direction and shooting at birds I would walk around a bend and there would be a nice moose or deer or whatever. Sometimes I pondered carrying a Drilling for those moments but never had the pocketbook for it.

Hope that helps a little bit. Maybe some of the other guys will put in their two cents worth.
Dave.

[gldenhwk]

Thanks for the tips. I'm pretty sure I will be getting a dog over the next few years and will be looking for one that I can take hunting as well as play with the kid. I'm hoping my O/U will get fixed before the 8th... :S

[Guy on a Buffalo]

Originally Posted by Whiskey Wish

Here are a few tips from a lifetime of hunting the King of Upland birds - Ruffies (imho of course).

1. When walking for grouse remember to stop and watch and listen. Stop suddenly and stay on alert as frequently His Nibs will be laying low waiting for you to walk right on by him. The sudden cessation of noise will frequently cause him to loose his nerve and he will flush from cover. If you listen carefully you can hear the birds when they get nervous as they make sort of a chirping sound. (How do I properly describe that sound guys?)
Anytime you hear that sound the bird is very close to flushing.

2. As has been mentioned one of the problems with hunting them without a dog is finding downed birds. If you connect watch carefully where they go down, mark the spot and walk straight there as best you are able. You are looking for something not much bigger than a large coffee mug when they crash with their wings folded in.

3. The next problem becomes shooting doubles or triples. How do you mark the spot for 2 or 3 birds? It CAN be done but you will lose some birds.

4. Fresh young clover, white bird berries, cranberries and small gravel are all food attractants for Ruffies. The first couple of birds you get each outing open up the crop of the birds and see what is on the dinner menu for the local birds at that time. It can change week to week.

5. In cold weather and first thing in the morning the birds will tend to be on the sunny side of the road or trail where they can soak up a little heat from the sun. This doesn't mean you can ignore the shady side.

6. Watch any ant hills you find. If you see a little dish shaped depression on the top then local birds are using them for a dust bath.

7. Think in terms of "edge dwellers". Edge of field, road, trail, creek, lake, change in forest type - ie. apsen to spruce

8. Perhaps it is just me but I found I lost a lot more birds using a .22 than any shotgun. I had a significant number of birds hit with a .22 fly away and once they launch your .22 becomes a stick. A good O/U shotgun/.22 is really useful but I still prefer my 20.

9. As has been mentioned almost any dog that will tolerate gun fire can be trained to find downed birds. Even if they can't locate, or point, or do anything but drool before you shoot, if they will locate downed birds they are worth the dog food. There is something about hunting with a dog that adds a whole new dimension to hunting. Not sure how to put it into words? Dog guys? How do we explain it? Friendship, partnership, team work, hunting buddy? Although some dogs can be your worst critic if/when you miss a bird...lol. "Awwwww...come ON!! HOW did you MISS that??" look on their face.

10. I always seemed to see more big game when I quit looking for them and concentrated on Upland. Even though I was just walking, not paying any real attention to noise or wind direction and shooting at birds I would walk around a bend and there would be a nice moose or deer or whatever. Sometimes I pondered carrying a Drilling for those moments but never had the pocketbook for it.

Hope that helps a little bit. Maybe some of the other guys will put in their two cents worth.
Dave.

Thanks Dave for those tips!!! I would love to try going for ruffies this year and those are great tidbits!!