sooty grouse hunting california

Ruffed grouse are a rarer species found mainly in the highest western corner of California. These grouse are very seclusive any other time of the year, but they are very active during the early archery season, primarily the first week of the season. Hunting grouse with dogs during deer season is a risk in and of itself. Sooty grouse occur in the Sierra Nevada, Cascade and northern coast ranges while the ruffed grouse is restricted to the northwestern part of the state. I usually load my shotgun with #6 for the first two shots and #4 for the second. Hunters are responsible for knowing the exact current boundary locations as described within the California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 300. I’m looking forward to a grouse meal soon! Just two different names. Eurasian Collared-doves: General, Archery, Falconry 10. Muskegs and a… Sooty and Ruffed Grouse: General, Archery, Falconry 6. Unfortunately, some hunters shoot first and then try to identify the animal. Note in the photos below that these Ruffed Grouse have a funny looking tuft of feather on the top of their heads, look like a cross between a quail and a chicken and have a black band on their tail. If they have moved up into the trees they can be almost impossible to hunt. They can be a lazy mans bird. There are plenty of small streams and trickles that these birds hold in during the morning. © 2017 by Everything Electronic, proudly created by Stacy, Upland Game Bird Hunting in California: Sooty and Ruffed Grouse, If you are having trouble finding the grouse, they have probably either been hunted too much or too much vehicle traffic in the area and the have moved out and/or moved up. Most grouse hunting in California is done in hot weather and it would be a real shame to lose a bird to spoilage. If you are not going to cook them up and eat them immediately put them on ice as soon as possible because they will go bad fast. California hunting license sales have dropped steadily from 767,149 in 1970 to 273,391 in 2016. Sooty grouse are common in the forested mountains of the Sierras and coastal forests of California. A dog, any dog even the family pet with no formal bird dog training can “pop-up” one of these birds. Forest grouse includes sooty (blue) and ruffed grouse. If you see one and it walks off the road and you can't find it, look down, if it didn’t fly off or you didn’t see it run off, it’s probably by your feet. Sooty grouse inhabit extreme western Nevada along the California/Nevada border in mountain ranges such as the Carson Range, Sweetwater and White Mountains. If you are hunting Grouse and Pigeon at the same time just use #6 steel. If they moved out they will be around food and water usually berries and water. Sooty (Blue) and Ruffed Grouse Hunt Zone [ds1341] Mapped hunt boundary is an approximation of regulations using best available data as of September 2015. You walk up to where they were and watch for them to start walking or flush. I have found that most of the grouse in Modoc county are in the west side of the South Warner Mountains. Sooty grouse inhabit extreme western Nevada along the California/Nevada border in mountain ranges such as the Carson Range, Sweetwater, and White Mountains. Usually they walk away silently or hold tight. Chukar: General, Archery, Falconry 4. But I do really enjoy archery hunting these guys. If you are hunting during shotgun season and using a dog, you will have to be fast on the draw. From September through December The dominant land cover for Unit Sooty (Blue) and Ruffed Grouse is evergreen forest. Sooty (Blue) and Ruffed Grouse Hunt Zone [ds1341] GIS Dataset Until recently, this and the Dusky Grouse were combined as one species, under the name Blue Grouse. Spotted Doves and Ringed Turtle-doves: General, Archery, Falconry 9. The mountains around Trinity, Humboldt, Shasta, Siskiyou, Modoc, and Lassen counties all hold plenty of birds. The archery season here in California is in full swing, and after many years, I finally nailed one with my bow (plenty in the past with shotgun). As you are driving along through the mountains along a dirt road and you see a grouse. They love to hide in blackberry thickets and feed on other low hanging berries. The first upland bird season to come upon us is Archery Season for Sooty or Blue Grouse and Ruffed Grouse season. California has two species of native forest-dwelling grouse: the sooty grouse and the ruffed grouse. Everything you need to plan your California hunting trips for 2020. They prefer mountainous areas with running water and green vegetation. Dusky grouse inhabit central Nevada from around Austin, east to the Nevada/Utah border and north to the Idaho/Nevada border. They are hard to find but once you find them they are consistent about staying in the same areas and habitat year after year, so if you find them there one year you can usually find them there again the next year and so on. They are known to occur in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, as well as most of British Columbia. The Sooty Grouse is a large game bird of the wet mountain forests of the Pacific Coast. A leading cause of this drop is the loss of hunting opportunities and access. Sooty grouse occur in the Sierra Nevada, Cascade and northern coast ranges while the ruffed grouse is restricted to the northwestern part of the state. Open them up, gut them, toss the guts to the side and place them in an ice chest. Grouse are usually shot on the ground when using a bow. A need remains to estimate harvest for resident upland game birds and small game mammals in California, and the Department has investigated several different approaches for conducting these surveys. Get a discount when you purchase via gaiagps.com. If they have moved up into the trees they can be almost impossible to hunt. Hunters are responsible for knowing the exact current boundary locations as described within the California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 300(a)(1)(E)3:3. Practically every island and cape has a population of these fine birds, although, oddly enough, there are no authentic records from Prince of Wales Island. The general hunting season for both species extends from Sept. 14 to Oct. 14 this year. I will not archery hunt grouse with my dog it’s just too dangerous. You can only shoot two a day (read the regulations before you go out). Hunting these birds with a dog can be very productive. Trinity Alps above Hwy 3 has always produced grouse for me hunted or they get nervous they usually. Hunting license sales have dropped steadily from 767,149 in 1970 to 273,391 in 2016 t make sense, they... 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