10 Top Ruffed Grouse Hunting Tips

Do you hunt ruffed grouse? Would you like to take more ruffed grouse home? Ruffed grouse are not the easiest of birds to hunt. In this article, we share ruffed grouse hunting tips acquired from years of hunting the bird.

1. Listening Skills

Improve your listening skills if you hunt ruffed grouse. By sharpening your listening skills, you can hear the bird take steps before they fly away, especially when the leaves are dry and crinkly on a perfect summer day.

2. Shooting Lanes

Look for shooting lanes and position yourself for high-quality shots when a dog goes on point. If a flush happens when you are still behind a tree, you really don't have much of a chance of taking down a ruffed grouse.

3. Cover More Ground

When hunting for ruffed grouse, you should cover as much ground as you possibly can. The more ground you cover, the more birds you will have the chance of seeing.

4. Cold Weather Hunting

Hunting for ruffed grouse in cold weather can be rewarding. In late October and November when a lot of ground cover has vanished, the grouse hold tighter together and this allows you to see them better.

5. Best Time For Hunting Grouse

The best time for hunting ruffed grouse is either early morning or late afternoon. This is the time when they move around, look for food, and leave their scent on the ground. If you would like to learn more about the best ruffed grouse hunting tips, then click the link.

6. Stay-At-Home Birds

Ruffed grouse don't go far away from their homes. With this knowledge, you can always be on the lookout for their home when you spot them. Just continue to watch them and see which direction they eventually fly. Ruffed grouse don't go more than a half-mile from its home range.

7. Grouse Feathers

It is difficult for wet grouse to fly as their feathers get sticky. If it will be a hot day, watch out as the day warms up because grouse will become active as the day gets hotter.

8. Early Season Grouse & Second Shots

If you flush early season grouse and fire only one shot, don't break your firearm and reload straight away. It is possible that you may have stumbled upon a new group of grouse that was hatched the same year. Be patient and wait as one of them that might have been sitting tight may jump late and you can take it down. However, if you have fired both shells, then reload quickly.

9. Grouse & Edges

Ruffed grouse, like many birds, love the edges. When you shoot down one from the edges, try to find out what they were feeding on. This information will help you decide what to look for and where to go next in the hunt.

10. Lend A Hand

When you are bird hunting in thick cover, put an old glove on your left hand, if you are right-handed, so you can remove vines, limbs, and briars from your pathway while your right hand is free to take a shot.

Conclusion

Hunting grouse can be challenging and involves a lot of techniques and strategies. In this article, we share some ruffed grouse hunting tips to help you take more home during the hunting season. If you want to learn more about hunting, then go to www.thehuntingterrain.com.