Food, Cover, and Grit: Elements of a Successful Grouse Hunt from Maine to Alaska

Grouse hunting has always been a favorite fall tradition of mine. The opening day of “bird” season was met with as much excitement as the deer opener. In Maine, we hunted ruffed grouse, which everyone called partridge. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by virtually never-ending grouse habitat. I hunted birds as much as I could, when deer season rolled around my shotgun stayed in the truck, and many more were shot opportunistically. I’d end the season, which closes Dec 31st, with tracking partridge in the snow.

Truthfully, when we decided to move to Alaska, bird hunting was overshadowed by dreams of jumping salmon and huge bull moose. I’m not sure if I had given it much thought until after we knew we were headed north. A ruffed grouse was the first animal I shot as a kid, so naturally, it was the first thing I harvested in Alaska. Turns out the bird hunting is pretty dang good up here. I was blown away at the bag limits. We can harvest 15 birds per day in the zone I live in. At first, the thought of shooting that many birds in a day sounded ludicrous. As great as the hunting was back home, a good day was a limit of 4. A great day was a double limit shared with a friend. Filling a limit up here is totally attainable. Regardless of where the hunting takes place, I believe a successful hunt comes down to three elements: food, cover, and grit.

There are two different strategies I employ when hunting grouse. The first strategy is to focus on where the grouse are feeding. In Northern Maine, old farms are common. On most of these farms, you would find old apple orchards that are now overgrown and uncared for. These were always good areas to check for ruffed grouse. The apples gave the grouse a steady food supply that they were very fond of. I would hunt these old orchards regularly. In Alaska, we do not have these grouse honey holes, but the birds focus on fruits nonetheless. Highbush cranberries are plentiful. This past season, a small area of cranberry bushes produced a dozen birds. In a sense, I view these patches of cranberries the same way as I did the apple trees back home. Other than fruits, grouse will gorge themselves on seeds, nuts, and catkins. I have done well in the past hunting ridges with mature American beech. These trees would produce many beech nuts that the grouse love. Many birds have been harvested in birch and aspen trees while they forge on catkins. Here in Alaska, we also hunt spruce grouse, which is illegal in Maine. These birds will eat similar foods to the ruffed grouse but are well known to eat many spruce needles as well.

The second strategy is hunting them where they are getting their grit. Grit are small pieces of gravel and sand that the birds consume to help digest their food. The grit enters their gizzard, a muscular organ that crushes and grinds their food. Most grouse hunters are familiar with riding down dirt roads in the hope of coming upon a grouse picking some grit. In Maine, you can shoot from a dirt road, whereas in Alaska, you cannot fire from a “drivable surface”. Here I try to scare the birds just enough to make them hop into the trees or fly a short distance into a tree. I’m almost always able to find the bird after this. The birds are of course able to find grit naturally, away from gravel roads. My brother Cole and I enjoyed a few mornings hiking dried creek beds in the Wrangell mountains a couple of years ago. The spruce grouse were plentiful in this area, and we bagged a good number.

Regardless of the strategy, I am always thinking about cover. Birds will not be found in areas that do not have thick cover close by. At the first hint of danger, they will run straight for the thickest brush and grass they can find. They will also use trees for cover, often flying into a dense tree or crawling under the low overhanging branches of a spruce. The day I stopped looking where I wanted the birds to be and started focusing on looking into the thickest brush within view was when I began to have success. The birds will hold in the dense cover and flush when you are ducking under branches or when turned away. They are always watching. When I know one is nearby, I refuse to move more than a small step at a time. They will only hold for so long before getting too nervous and will either start chirping or take a few steps that alert me to their location. Usually, that is the last thing they ever do. Spruce grouse hold much tighter than ruffed grouse. They often let you get very close before flying or running away. It is common for them to fly into spruce trees and let the hunter walk around down below, content to let their natural camouflage conceal them from danger. If you think there is a spruce grouse in the trees, don’t give up and assume it flew further than you think. Eventually, it will move, or you’ll spot it in its hiding location.

Grouse are wonderful table fare. This has always been the main reason I hunt them. Many grouse hunters might look down on shooting birds in the road or up in their roost. Often claiming this to be “unethical” or “unsporting”, opting rather to flush the bird for a shot on the wing. I once was sharing camp with a bunch of these stereotypical upland hunters. One of the guys told me how early that day he became frustrated because the grouse were holding too tight. He and the guide had come across a ruffie in a tree. The guide had to go to the base of the tree and shake it so the bird would fly and the client could take a shot at it. In my mind, that is ridiculous. Since I am focused on putting meat on the table, the easy shots are what I look for. Resulting in clean, quick kills, it is ethical enough for me. Others are more than welcome to only shoot at birds in the air, just don’t look down on those of us who are happy blasting our future meals on the ground.

I have always used a 12ga, oftentimes with a full choke. This allows for effective shots through thick brush at a distance. Of course, many people think this is overkill and results in busted-up meat. However, I always aim for the head and rarely have a pellet enter the breast or legs.  Many hunters here in Alaska opt for a 22 rifle. 410s and 20ga are also popular. Basically, any shotgun gauge or rimfire cartridge will do the trick. No need to overthink it, especially if you aren’t focusing on shooting strictly on the wing.

I have a feeling I will always hunt grouse each Fall. It is a tradition I intend to follow. It’s a great way to spend a day with friends and family. Time spent looking for grouse is also refreshingly casual compared to the style of big game hunting that I love so much. I hope you also get a chance to chase this magnificent quarry this coming season. Regardless of where the hunt may take you, focusing on food, grit, and cover will help make the hunt a success.