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Post by kylelew on Oct 20, 2012 7:17:40 GMT -5
Hello All,
Just wanted to see if there were any other crazy people out there still grouse hunting in Indiana?
Would love to hear some good Indiana grouse stories....if there are any?
Kyle
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Post by fieldking on Oct 20, 2012 20:40:13 GMT -5
I shot 29 yesterday!!!! just kidding! I have not seen a Grouse in Indiana since about 1992 or so, I would love to go here in Indiana if I could find them in huntable numbers!
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Post by parrothead on Oct 22, 2012 13:07:06 GMT -5
I have only seen one in IN in my lifetime. That was 4-5 years ago in Jefferson Co.
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Post by whitetail1 on Oct 22, 2012 17:59:59 GMT -5
Haven't hunted grouse in Indiana in years. If I knew of any in the areas I used to hunt, I would personally leave them alone.
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Post by antiwheeze on Oct 22, 2012 19:20:47 GMT -5
i am the only Indiana hunter I know that ever took a grouse with a bow. It was about 30 years ago near Nashville. Was the most yummy game I have ever had. Haven't seen one in years..
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Post by Jamie Brooks 1John5:13 on Jun 20, 2013 20:06:20 GMT -5
I actually saw a grouse in April of this year when I was doing some early scouting for turkey. It was by Tucker Lake. I think they may call it Spring Valley Lake now in the Hoosier National Forest. It was so cool seeing it. It was sitting on top of a fallen log. As I walked towards it, it jumped off the log and walked away from me. It walked about 20 feet then flew into a nearby tree. It was great!
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Post by Jamie Brooks 1John5:13 on Jun 21, 2013 11:32:04 GMT -5
i am the only Indiana hunter I know that ever took a grouse with a bow. It was about 30 years ago near Nashville. Was the most yummy game I have ever had. Haven't seen one in years.. Thirty years ago??? I know that the older I get the better I was. LOL This is great antiwheeze! I can see how one could shoot a grouse with a bow if my encounter was typical. This one I saw was just sitting there and I was about 15 yards away. If deer season wasn't the same time as grouse, I'd go back to get him ...but I wouldn't take my bow.  I hate the thought of bothering a deer hunter on public land. It also can be a little dangerous. |
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Post by setterman on Jun 27, 2013 18:11:45 GMT -5
I hunted grouse often back n the eighties and nineties. We worked hard for our birds, but there were good numbers then at Morgan-Monroe, Yellowwood and Owen-Putnam State Forests. As the woods grew older, the number of birds dropped. The last time I grouse hunted in Indiana was around 2006 or 2007. We hunted a spot in Morgan-Monroe we always called grouse holler. No birds there or anywhere else we hunted that day. All my other hot spots had grown to old too. I haven't hunted here since. I'm sure there are still a few here and there, but it's an awful lot of up hill hunting for a shot at something I feel guilty about trying to kill.
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Post by Jamie Brooks 1John5:13 on Jun 28, 2013 9:54:54 GMT -5
I hunted grouse often back n the eighties and nineties. We worked hard for our birds, but there were good numbers then at Morgan-Monroe, Yellowwood and Owen-Putnam State Forests. As the woods grew older, the number of birds dropped. The last time I grouse hunted in Indiana was around 2006 or 2007. We hunted a spot in Morgan-Monroe we always called grouse holler. No birds there or anywhere else we hunted that day. All my other hot spots had grown to old too. I haven't hunted here since. I'm sure there are still a few here and there, but it's an awful lot of up hill hunting for a shot at something I feel guilty about trying to kill. Hello setterman, Will you help me understand why you'd feel guilty about shoot a grouse? I'm new to hunting. Is it because there aren't many of them left? Had it been in season, I would have shot that grouse I saw, but I don't want to do something that I really shouldn't be doing. Thanks, Jon Snow |
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Post by throbak on Jun 28, 2013 10:12:03 GMT -5
Last grouse I shot at was 3yrs ago Missed with a bow It flew up and sat 5 ft from me looked at me and I swear it said Why you trying to kill me, It sat there for an hour. wouldnt even think about shooting one now just seeing one is reward enough
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Post by Jamie Brooks 1John5:13 on Jun 28, 2013 11:06:28 GMT -5
Last grouse I shot at was 3yrs ago Missed with a bow It flew up and sat 5 ft from me looked at me and I swear it said Why you trying to kill me, It sat there for an hour. wouldnt even think about shooting one now just seeing one is reward enough Help me understand why. Are they just cute or are they rare to see now? It was fun to see it, but it's fun for me to see any animal in the wild. This was actually the first wild game bird that I've seen. I really want to understand hunter ethics, and operate in this manner. |
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Post by goosepondmonster on Jun 28, 2013 12:38:00 GMT -5
As I understand it grouse numbers are very low in Indiana. I believe the area that they inhabit is just a small pocket in the Greene, Owen, Monroe and Brown counties area.
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Post by setterman on Jun 28, 2013 15:04:35 GMT -5
Shoot away. If the bird is in marginal habitat, it's likely not going to live long enough to reproduce. If it's in good habitat, trust the DNR. They make the season and limit.
I hunted them when they were near their peak and then through the slide. My last day out without moving any where once there were many was a sad day; like losing a good bird dog and never being able to get another. I never felt like I was hurting them, but every season, with no logging, I felt like the birds were hurting. I'd like to hunt hem again, but I'd have mixed feelings about killing one.
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Post by Jamie Brooks 1John5:13 on Jun 28, 2013 17:49:32 GMT -5
Thank you setterman!
I saw it on public land and grouse season is the same time as deer season. I don't want to go tromping around bothering deer hunters.
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Post by throbak on Jun 29, 2013 7:09:37 GMT -5
Its not that I wouldnt if the Numbers were there But they are not . I dont believe like setterman the possibility is there that that bird could reproduce' Slim chance but it could happen Kill the lone bird and there is NO chance . I developed my farm to try for Quail. had my Neighbors killed the last bird they saw I would not have the pair that did breed and the 10 quarter sized little ones I saw 3 days ago. Now with a little luck if someone in the area developes their land for Quail, I will be supplying the satalite birds to make that possible for them..That Idea to me is more satisfying than getting to Kill Quail
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Post by Jamie Brooks 1John5:13 on Jun 29, 2013 8:37:38 GMT -5
This area that I was in didn't have many big trees, but I don't know why.
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I hate the thought of bothering a deer hunter on public land. It also can be a little dangerous. 
