Chasing sharp-tailed grouse sure is exciting! These birds, known for their quick flight and caution, provide a nice test for field bird hunters. Ready to tackle this challenge? This guide covers all you need. Learn about their behavior, understand how to clean your game effectively, and have a victorious hunting season!

Contents Highlights

Getting Ready for Sharp-tailed Grouse Hunting

Before you head out into the field, it’s crucial to be prepared. Here’s what you need to consider:

Understanding the bird

Check out these medium-sized grouse. Their pointed tails and speckled brown plumage are hard to miss! They love places with lots of grass, and don’t mind the odd shrub or tree. Why? Because it’s where they find their food and hide. You can see lots of them in North America, especially in the Great Plains and some parts of Canada.

Hunter with binoculars scouting for sharp-tailed grouse in a prairie

Common Habitat Types

Habitat Type	Description
Grasslands	Open grasslands dotted with tall grass and random wildflowers are perfect.
Meadows and Pastures	Areas with some trees and bushes serve as great escape and roosting spots.
Shrublands	Places having shrubs, say, sagebrush or willows, offer good food and hiding places.
Riparian Areas	They sometimes visit stream and wetland edges for tasty insects and berries.
Agricultural Lands	Grain fields may serve as a food source, particularly during winter.

Get to know sharp-tailed grouse habits if you want a good hunt. These birds are busy during dawn and dusk, they eat seeds, bugs, and berries. Mating season (usually spring) makes males do fancy “dancing” shows in empty spaces, known as leks.

Seasonal Activities

Springtime sees male grouse show off with lek displays for mating
In the fall, youngsters mature and grouse gather into groups.
Winter pushes them to look for available food reserves and protect themselves from extreme weather.

Knowing these seasonal patterns will help you time your hunt strategically.

Hunting Regulations and Licenses

All states have unique rules for upland bird hunting. It’s key to get a proper hunting license and know the specific regulations of your hunting zone. This involves understanding bag limits, season timings, and needed permits. You can often find details on licenses and rules on your state’s wildlife agency website.

Gear Selection

Gear Item	Description
Shotgun	12-gauge is most common, with high-quality birdshot (#7 or #7.5 shot)
Camouflage Clothing	Browns, tans, and greens to blend in with prairie environment
Insulated Boots	Waterproof and warm for varying weather conditions
Binoculars	8×42 or 10×42 magnification for spotting at a distance
Hunting License	Valid license required for your state
Game Bag	Breathable material to transport the harvest
Cooler with Ice (Optional)	Maintain freshness during transport

Hunter's backpack filled with shotgun shells, camouflage clothing, and binoculars

There’s certain gear that’ll make your hunting trip easier and more productive. Here’s what you need:

Firearms and Ammunition: A 12-gauge is a common option for hunting sharp-tailed grouse. Pick a fast, light shotgun that fits your shooting style. Use top-quality shells packed with #6 or #7.5 shot – these work best for grouse hunting distances.

Clothing and Camouflage: Comfy, breathable gear blending with our prairie landscape is key. Aim for browns, tans, and greens in a camouflage design. Don’t neglect warm layers for chillier weather.

Decoys and Calls (Optional): Decoys and calls aren’t a must, but they can help attract grouse. Smaller flock decoys can be especially helpful. Calls that echo a hen grouse’s cackle can tempt inquisitive birds closer.

Scouting and Locating

Looking for sharp-tailed grouse? You need to think like a detective. Here’s how to boost your hunting success rate:

Identifying Potential Hunting Grounds

Public Hunting Areas: Many regions have public hunting lands that are great for pursuing. Look into wildlife management zones (WMAs) and hunting-friendly grasslands in your specific region.

Private Land Hunting Permission: If you have the right permissions, hunting on private property can net good results. Always be mindful of property owners and suggest helping with tasks or sharing some of your catch in return for entry.

A hunter stalks sharp-tailed grouse in their natural grassland habitat

Scouting Techniques

Got a spot in mind? Great, let’s get scouting! Keep an eye open for hints of grouse movement:

Habitat Signs: Look for places mixing grasslands, bushes, and a few trees. Keep an eye out for droppings, scratch signs, and dusting spots (shallow pits in the dirt for grooming).

Observing Grouse Activity: The best times to see grouse are early mornings and evenings. They’re often feeding or resting in open spaces. Use your binoculars to watch fields and meadows from afar to not scare away the birds.

Hunting Strategies

You’ve found some grouse, now let’s try some hunting strategies. Offered are a few tactics:

Utilizing Hunting Blinds (Optional): Set up a portable blind for extra cover if you’re hunting over grain fields or similar food sources.

Employing Decoys and Calls (Optional): In fall, a group of decoys can draw inquisitive birds. Use calls occasionally, imitating feeding sounds or hen clucks to entice grouse nearer.

Sharp-tailed grouse perched on a shrub branch in a field

Hunting Tactics

Approaching Grouse: Identify your target first and then devise your approach. Quietly move downwind, utilizing the surrounding environment for camouflage.

Flushing Techniques: Get close enough, and slowly rise up. This action can scare the grouse. Be ready to fire rapidly, grouse are quick to take flight.

Taking the Shot: Aim for a pristine dispatch on the grouse’s side, for a swift, humane conclusion. Sharp-tailed grouse are small, so use the appropriate shot size (#7 or #7.5), this helps prevent meat damage. It’s crucial to stay within your safe shooting bounds and adjust for the grouse’s movement if it’s fleeing from you.

Field Dressing and Cleaning

Once you get your grouse, correct field dressing is key to keep the meat high quality.

Right Field Dressing Methods:

Suspend the bird by its feet with a gambrel or a branch.
Cut a tiny notch across the chest and cautiously take out the insides.
Be careful not to pop the intestines or gall bladder—it could spoil the meat.
Dispose of the crop (found near the neck).
Clean the body cavity with a wet cloth.
Let the grouse chill totally before bringing it back home

Tips: Keep your disposable gloves handy for when you’re handling birds. Also, have a cooler filled with ice ready. This helps keep your birds fresh while you’re moving them.

Cleaning and Preparing for Transport

Now, you’re home again, and it’s grouse cleaning time! Grab these tools:

Sharp knife
Cutting board
Clean container
Cleaning and Preparing Grouse for Transport:
1. Pluck extra feathers off the body, wash its inside with cool water and dab dry with towels.
2. Take off the wings and legs at the joints if you want.
3. Bundle your game separately in plastic or butcher’s paper.
4. Keep in the fridge for a max of 2 days or freeze for keeping it longer.

Additional Tips for Successful Game

Want to enhance your sharp-tailed grouse hunting skills? Here’s how.

Hunting with a Guide (Optional): Think about getting a local guide, especially if this area is new to you. They’ll reveal top grouse hunting spots and give handy tips for hunting in this area.

Importance of Hunter Safety: Always remember safety first. Observe these four core gun safety rules:
1. Respect every gun like it’s loaded.
2. Don’t point a gun at anything you wouldn’t damage.
3. Hands off the trigger until you’re set to fire.
4. Know your target and what’s behind it.
5. In hunting season, dress in hunter orange so other hunters can see you.

Ethical Hunting Practices: Appreciate the resource, stay within the rules. Only take what’s necessary, don’t leave wounded birds. Show respect by leaving the site tidier than you discovered, remove any trash or used shells.

Conclusion

Chasing sharp-tailed grouse is an adventure for bird hunting lovers. You’d boost your hunt’s success if you study how these birds act, abide by hunting laws, and use smart strategies. Ensuring respect for nature, wildlife, and other hunters is an important part of hunting ethically and without risk.

Now that you’re informed and ready, take advantage of the cool fall breeze. Start feeling the excitement of pursuing these impressive prairie birds!

Author
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Eric Hale

Author & Chief Editor at AskHunting.com

Eric Hale, a veteran hunter with more than a decade of experience, imparts his knowledge via AskHunting.com. He offers guidance for hunting, adding strategies, and delivers in-depth guides for the novice and the old hand. He loves family camping sessions, watching Marvel films with his spouse, and going on thrilling road journeys.

Sharp-tailed Grouse Hunting Guide