Hunting PA Next Week!
Last time we were there...(click to see way bigger).
Next week we’ll be hitting a patch of eastern PA forest we haven’t hunted for a couple years. In many ways it’s where we (or at least Jay, since he started late) cut our grouse-hunting teeth. Lots of grouse, even though we were assured by many knowledgeable folks (including DNR folks) that almost no grouse were there….
Anyhow, should be interesting to say the least because now that we’re a bit more educated by our furry chicken friends, we think we know where we’ve left some unmolested birds. Notably swamp edges, but basically anywhere that isn’t textbook – which is kind of what that whole area is: not textbook. But a decent number of birds, at least last time we were there.
Also should be interesting because that area got a recent dumping of snow. Since we don’t own snowshoes (yet), we figure we’re in for a wet, cold time. But what the heck – we can’t recall being comfortable grouse-hunting.
Getting Bombed
Quick story about this place: One cover we call “The Bomb Area” – here’s the story.
We were hunting it one day, and all of a sudden we heard someone yell something. Up until then we’d had no idea anyone else was in the woods.
Jay said, “Did he just say, ‘fire in the hole’?” Brendan of course said, “What? Nah.” So we just kept walking.
Sure enough – BOOM!
We hit the deck, looked at each other and wondered if we’d wandered into some sort of military training ground (we were in state forest!) or a bunch of kooks in the woods. Brendan popped off a shot or two to let them know we were there.
Turns out there’s some unexploded ordnance where we were, so from time to time they do that sort of thing.
Made us careful where we walked for a bit….
Last Week But Not Last Hunt?
Next week will be the last week of the PA grouse season, so: Regarding yesterday’s post about late-ending grouse seasons down south, at least one of us will be hunting there – probably Tennessee – before the season’s out.
Category: PA, Ruffed Grouse, SBH
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
Snowshoes are a nonstarter for grouse hunting…even in extremely deep snow. I have regularily hunted with 35-40′ of snow on the ground & it is physically demanding. It is impossible to walk through thick cover with snowshoes or to turn around quickly to shoot a bird flushing from the snow behind you. Save the snowshoes for nature walks.
I’m curious when you talk about lots of grouse in your eastern PA area what kind of numbers are you anticipating or have you found in the past. This is my second year of serious grouse hunting in the foot hills of the Oregon Cascades. I am finding less birds this year than last.
Breaking this years season in half (28 hunt days total to date). 1st half averaged 7.42 miles and 4.14 flushes second half average 5.76 miles and 1.57 flushes. The snow has definitely slowed my efforts over the last month. My area has not been prolific but it beats sitting on the couch.
Snowshoes work great if you get the right size that are light and small enough to maneuver in. I was fortunate enough to get these for x-mas awhile back and they are BOMB! I use them all the time late season hunting in Wisconsin. I would recommend the Tundra series: http://www.northernlites.com. Little expensive but worth the money if you are going to use them. Nice for Ice fishing too. Way better than trudging through deep snow and I am not going through thick aspens in the winter; I stay on the edges of tags/spruce swamps. Slow and steady wins the race in the winter!
Gaiters work great for keeping the snow and moisture out of you pants and boots too.
http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=725623&destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fproduct.jsp%3FproductId%3D755894%26type%3Dproduct&WTz_l=YMAL;BC;IK-940779
This is just an example of some, I would shop around.
I challenge anyone to pound through an alder swamp in any type of snow shoes. Snowshoes are only a viable option when birds are in the relative open. However, if you’re anaeorbically challenged, they be your only option. Get a pair of Gortex hunting pants & Gortex boots and “let the workout begin”. I gave up gators 10 years ago. After hunting late-season, feel free to run a marathon…you’ll be in shape for one!
Heard the same thing about bird numbers in western Pa. ( from game comm. and local land management ). Bottom line is you have to put your boots on and find out for yourself. I hung up the bow and hunted grouse( on public land ) with two shorthairs as often as I could. We found plenty of cover and more than enough birds to enjoy. I encountered only one other grouse hunter the entire season ! I believe there is nowhere near enough people looking for birds to make any determination
If you decide to come to Tn to hunt e mail me @watts22@bellsouth.net..I will be more than happy to guide you all…..with my dogs or without whatever you prefer.
I am not saying you should take your snowshoes through thick tag alders in the winter. I am saying you can save energy and cover WAY more cover efficiently if you follow frozen river/creek bottoms, trails along or going threw cover, and on the edges of thick cover. If you want to go threw deep snow in thick tags, then let that be your prerogative, but I try to take a more reasonable approach (to each their own) and it seems to work nicely for me late season in snow. Another thing I like to do, is blaze a trail threw thicker cover, if the above options don’t present themselves, and come back to those same trails over and over, so you have a packed trail throughout late season. I guess I don’t feel it has to be as much work as your making it sound like. Slow and steady wins the race.
I am not saying you should take your snowshoes through thick tag alders in the winter. I am saying you can save energy and cover WAY more cover efficiently if you follow frozen river/creek bottoms, trails along or going threw cover, and on the edges of thick cover. If you want to go threw deep snow in thick tags, then let that be your prerogative, but I try to take a more reasonable approach (to each their own) and it seems to work nicely for me late season in snow. Another thing I like to do, is blaze a trail threw thicker cover, if the above options don’t present themselves, and come back to those same trails over and over, so you have a packed trail throughout late season. I guess I feel it doesn’t have to be as hard as you make it sound. Slow and steady wins the race.
Snowshoes are pretty much the only way you can cover any ground when the snow gets deep. They definately take some getting used to and you will fall over hidden logs and sticks, but the alternative even more work or stay home. I have a hard time believing anyone can even walk through waist deep snow (K Fjelstad), let alone cover the amount of ground necessary to find grouse in the winter. I have found a good pair of gaitors to be very helpful at preventing snow from getting up inside your pant legs; once that happens, eventually moisture will work its way all the way up your legs and then if/when you stop for a break it will freeze and you’ll now have the added fun of trying to walk with stiff pants. My vote is for snowshoes with gaitors when the snow gets deep. Now if I can only figure out where the birds actually are…