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Grouse
Jul 27, 2006 6:34:32 GMT -5
Post by jajwrigh on Jul 27, 2006 6:34:32 GMT -5
What parts of the state usualy offer the best public land grouse opportunities? I have seen 2 in the brown county area, but that was years ago. Any help appreciated...
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Grouse
Jul 27, 2006 7:41:26 GMT -5
Post by eelriver on Jul 27, 2006 7:41:26 GMT -5
The sad fact is that what you are looking for; really doesn't exsist. Logging practices or lack of them has eliminated the cut over areas and stim counts grouse require. Too little large scale clear cutting takes place today so we longer have areas of 7 to 10 year new growth that is necessary for grouse.
I have done some hunting south of the fire tower at Lake Monroe and also in Owen County on state property north west of Spencer with some success. A buddy of mine hunts the forestry near Martinsville and gets a few up, but any hunt will be a long walk between birds.
If you want grouse head north. We go to Clam Lake, WI. 400 square miles of prime cover. (take your GPS) Early drumming reports for this year say population is up 58% over last. Looks as if the cycle is starting to trend up. It has been extremely dry up there this year so the hatch was good, and the leaves will drop early.
As to Indiana........we call it "taking our guns for a walk".
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Grouse
Jul 27, 2006 8:52:24 GMT -5
Post by jackc99 on Jul 27, 2006 8:52:24 GMT -5
I'll second much of what eelriver has to say. My nomination for the best area in Indiana is the Harrison-Crawford area in extreme southern Indiana. I've killed birds in Hoosier and covered most of Morgan-Monroe State Forest, Yellow Wood and Owen-Putnam. Hopefully new forestry practices on state properties will return some of the grouse but we're talking 10-20 years down the road. Meanwhile I hunt a lot of private ground from Brown County on south. Over by Crane is a good sustainable population also.
Good luck and post if you find birds. Don't need to know where just that they are still here.
Jack
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Grouse
Jul 27, 2006 9:35:52 GMT -5
Post by DEERTRACKS on Jul 27, 2006 9:35:52 GMT -5
Yellow Wood offers some bearable numbers in the NW Brown Co. / NE Monroe Co. area. You better be in shape though, as the birds don't come easy. Oh, don't forget to bring some bandages. The sawbriars are thick.  |
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Grouse
Jul 28, 2006 7:35:56 GMT -5
Post by Ahawkeye on Jul 28, 2006 7:35:56 GMT -5
You guy's mentioned new growth and clear cutting. Would controlled burns that left trees in place and cleared underbrush for new do the same job or is clear cutting the only way to achieve the right habitat?
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Grouse
Jul 28, 2006 7:49:36 GMT -5
Post by Woody Williams on Jul 28, 2006 7:49:36 GMT -5
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Grouse
Jul 28, 2006 8:17:05 GMT -5
Post by eelriver on Jul 28, 2006 8:17:05 GMT -5
Burns won't work. Woody has it in his link. Prime grouse cover is saplings from thumb size to wrist size that appear after a clear cut. Burning the grass/brush but leaving the trees doesn't create the stim count you need. If anything burns would harm grouse cover.
Until the "selective" harvest tree huggers figure this out we will not have decent grouse populations. Best cover I ever saw was in Owen County. On private land they clear cut almost 400 acres. In six years, the cane briars and saplings were 10-12 feet tall. Grouse started showing up. For 11-12 years after that we found very good numbers, would flush 8-10 birds in a single day. An Indiana limit (2) was common. Now this acerage is starting to mature, and now we flush 2-3 birds on a good day. As in all game species, it is habbit.
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