doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Channing Will-Picture

Sure Ian, rub it in! Rose and I are heading for Huatulco, two weeks today. Palm trees and pina coladas, instead of 10 degrees F and shovelling. Give me a ding when you get back.

I've had two up close and personal experiences with Grouse.. Both in the area I hunt in northern PA. I have had a Grouse fly at me while I was motoring on my ATV and I've also had What I assume was the same bird (because it was the same location 4 months later) follow me pied piper style while walking in the spring.

I was also once able to pick up a grouse and introduce it to my first Gordon Setter "Eli". The Grouse was in the road and refused to yield it's space to me in my truck. I stopped and walked to the bird, picked it up and put it inside the breast of my coat. I then introduced it to Eli when he was about 8 mos old. I then placed the Grouse on the steep bank next to the road, where it proceeded to attempt to walk up the bank. It stumbled 2 times as if drunk - I believe it was as there was a bumper crop of fox grapes and I could smell their pungent aroma. I believe the grouse had had a good dose of the fermenting grapes? Don't know for sure. I suppose the bird could have been dazed from being hit but there were no feathers amiss? It's a couple of situations I'll never forget. Kind of like feeding Chickadees from my hand.

There are several similar photos of grouse. Pretty sure I recall one of a grouse sitting on someone's shoulder (and that was back before Photoshop). The Ruffed Grouse Society magazine will run them from time to time.

They're funny critters. You can bust brush hunting them for hours, maybe hear a few flush but never get a shot. Then you'll be driving down a two-track and one will stroll right out in front of the truck. You can open the door, load the gun, and walk to within a few feet of the bird before you'll get it to flush.

Pheasants seldom act quite that way, although I did have a rooster flush once, land in a tree, and proceed to sit there scolding my dog as I approached. I waited until he flew out of the tree before I shot him.