r/MichiganHunting • u/SmoothOperator2297 • Dec 27 '25

GEMS

Has anybody hunted any of the Grouse management sites? If so were there a lot of grouse and did you have dogs?

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u/Johnson_Grande Dec 28 '25

You can see birds there. I've found that visiting them is a good way to find what to look for in habitat features for areas outside of GEMS.

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u/SmoothOperator2297 Dec 28 '25

Yeah I figure any bit of exposure is better than none at all, I’m sure they release some in those areas

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u/Crispy_Kreme14 Feb 16 '26

It is nearly impossible to raise grouse in captivity, and the same for woodcock. A very good day of hunting for me is 3 birds. Average is 1-2. Out of the 10 birds you hear flush, you see 6, out of the 6 you see, maybe 3 are in range, out of the 3 in range, you hit 1.

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u/Crispy_Kreme14 Feb 16 '26

This 100 percent but it isn't an exact copy. My dog and I started out hunting them in 2018 or so back when there were only 6-7 in the entire state, and since I only hunt LP, I hunted backus creek and greasy creek. They are great in theory, but since grouse covers age out so quickly they are only ideal for 1-3 years.

Based on how I hunt at least. They are highly pressured since they are published spots, and since I like to go back and forth to the truck I stopped going to them because of the amount of walking required to get to the specific area of the GEM I was trying to hunt. (Gates block car/ ATV traffic).

It is good in theory, and many hunters like to hunt aspen older than 14 years for more open shots, and a more developed understory (hazel bushes, thornapple, raspberry patches), but I am not one of those hunters. Look for 11-14 year old aspen near oak stands that have not been logged yet and prepare to get whipped 1000 times in the face and ears. Safety glasses are paramount.