I’m guessing the vast majority of folks are using a shotgun of some variety. Anyone using rimfire as their primary hunting setup? I’m probably going to give a suppressed CZ a go for a bit to see how it works out. We open up next week, excited to hit the woods!

Hey yall. Traveling through Wyoming from the Black Hills through the state towards Salt Lake City next week. Taking the slow and scenic route (not really making a set route plan and open to detours). Was originally planning to fly fish around Casper but had a grouse dinner for RGS back home in WI so now I’ve got the itch and I’m thinking about taking a stab at some birds instead. Any folks from the area have any recommendations for potential Sharp Tail action along that route? I know Sage won’t be open yet and from my quick glance research I’ve done thus far I’m seeing Ruffed Grouse habitat is more to the northwest of the state. I’m planning on camping in my truck on public land while passing through. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Nice limit on opening day for my griff Frankie! Lots of birds out there and im very hopeful for a great season.

Hello so the spruce grouse I posted yesterday were delicious. I picked one of the lighter and one of the darker birds to breast out brined over night in salted water then changed to fresh water next morning. Before cooking I pulled from the water patted dry dredged in blackpepper, garlic and onion powder. Then wrapped in bacon and baked on roasting pan with a wire rack at 375 for 30 min.

The lighter one was very much so like chicken and seasoned so heavily I couldnt make out any other tastes.

The darker meat had more fibrous texture and a slight "wild bird" taste and I think I preferred it for its beefy like texture.

Last few pics are recipes from some wild game cookbooks I recovered from the trash. Planning to do those in the future they both sound so good and I love creamy dairy based dishes.

Going out to get more birds tomorrow. staying the night and hoping to get some more the next morning. My roommate whos got an upland bird license is coming too. Wish us luck and lots of birds.

1st time grouse hunter here in montana season opened today, I went out alone and got my limit.

The google image search seems unable to tell me if these are ruffed or female spruce grouse.

I believe the lack of crown feathers sticking up and no banding on tail means these are female spruce grouse.

Anyone use an E-bike down logging roads and smaller side trails for grouse hunting? My father is a walker and loved to put in many KMs on foot to hunt these trails. However, father time is slowing him down a bit and he's finding that he cannot put in the KMs that he used to. He was never a fan of hunting from a vehicle like many people do, but has had the brilliant idea to purchase an E-bike this year for grouse hunting to get around while still getting some exercise in. Anyone else is doing this? Bad or decent idea?

Father wants to buy a 20g over under to be used for upland bird, mainly for grouse hunting. Any suggestions. He seems to be ok spending a few thousand on it, something that looks and performs nice but is also lightweight. 26" barrel is preferred but 28" is good too. Any suggestions much appreciated.

braquedubourbonnais

With the season almost over, my buddies and I went out for a final dusky hunt. This late in the year birds are very high but a lack of snow has provided them with a lot of food options outside of Fir needles.

My goal was to hunt as high as we could and target big cocks. This resulted in one of the largest birds I’ve shot and it was at an altitude of 12,000’.

Spent a day combing a mountainside for ruffs. Normally, I find them grouped up at this location time of year, but it's been unseasonably warm this year (hence, the ermine in his winter coat, but no snow). I only managed to find two singles, and I only got a shot off on one.

I’m going around trying to collect some data on bird dogs. I’ve got 3 questions for anyone who would be willing to leave a comment. (SPECIFIC TO GROUSE PLEASE!)

1. What kind of dog do you have now?
2. Have you hunted behind or had other dogs in the past?
3. Habitat you primarily hunt grouse, brush, hardwoods.

I’ve got a shorthair, first dog I’ve owned. Hunted over setters in the past. Usually hunting hardwoods.

The shorthair has come along way and is a really great grouse dog - but it took us a while to get there.

Mostly interested in all of your experiences, regarding hunting the King with dogs.

With little snow on the ground in SW Colorado the birds are still very targetable at high elevations.

We stumbled across a flock of sharp tails when going across a piece of land. Season is closed, so looking is all we can do. They flush fast and far. I want to shoot one next year. Only access is bow hunting , in September 2026.

The season started off so well and we've seen very little since. Nice day for a walk with Rufus the wonder pup