Thought I would start a new thread. How is your season going so far? I have been out hunting upland birds all over northern Minnesota. It’s been a great fall. Weather has been nice, colors were great, and having fun chasing birds in the variety of habitats in the northern 1/4 of the state.

We got out for a weekend of grouse hunting. Not as successful as last year, but still enjoyable. Weather was actually rather hot for late October. Not sure if that had an affect.

Did you grouse hunt canoe country? If so which side?

Started MN Pheasant on 10/15.








Then will hunt IA Pheasant every weekend for the rest of this year, starting 10/29.

timatkn: "Started MN Pheasant on 10/15.








Then will hunt IA Pheasant every weekend for the rest of this year, starting 10/29.

"

I plan on heading down to southern MN next week. Has the pheasant hunting been good?

Sorry missed this. The hunting has been great in MN, but each experience is all about the weather, habitat, and some luck. From what I’ve heard MN is better than Iowa these days.

Where I hunt in MN is public land near the Twin Cities. Often I am the 4th person/group to walk the field that day so the birds are tough. They run out, don’t hold for my pointer, but I adapt by keeping him in closer, so when flush wild I have a shot…maybe :)

Southern MN there is more land and less people so better, but the drive is longer for me than heading to Iowa where I grew up so once the IA season starts I am down there.

Any grouse hunting updates? I’ve hit a few spots in and around the BW and have had some good luck. I’ve bagged mostly spruce grouse.

I’ve been been out 3-4 days a week in and near the BWCA. I’ve been having pretty good luck.

Great weekend of grouse hunting over 3 days, daily limit on 1 day and possession limit in 2.5 days (7 ruffed, 3 spruce). Lots of grouse this year.

Nothing near the BWCA/Q but just back from an epic snow/ice/cold hunt in NW SD for Hungarians, Sharpies and Ditch Chickens. Best bird numbers I've seen in 20 years of hunting the Dakotas.

Also tagged a giant MN buck about 8 days ago.

Starting a SD hunt today. Hopefully I have similar luck.

Came home from East BEARskin in early October without a bear.

Walked four miles with my bow the day before firearms season opened and never saw a fresh track. Woods were thicker with grouse than I've ever seen.

Walked six miles last Saturday with my levergun and saw a single yearling deer track. Woods were thicker with grouse than the previous outing.

Checked in the vicinity of one of my stands today and saw no evidence that any deer (or even wolves, now) ever inhabited the area.

OTOH, a 12-point buck has taken up residence on our non-huntable lot in Duluth.

Don't ask again. ;-)

Finnboy: "Starting a SD hunt today. Hopefully I have similar luck."

Shot some roosters in SD.
Doing a little deer hunting now and then back to bird hunting.

Wow! Last weekend was great grouse hunting in and around the BWCA. In one area I flushed 8-10 grouse but couldn't hit any! My head was spinning.

egknuti: "Wow! Last weekend was great grouse hunting in and around the BWCA. In one area I flushed 8-10 grouse but couldn't hit any! My head was spinning. "

It was a great weekend to be out! Do you drive a black Crosstek?

Yes!

egknuti: "Yes!"

Pretty sure I saw you parked at a couple of spots. I was out hunting and was surprised to see someone else out who looked like they were bird hunting.

Finnboy: "

egknuti: "Yes!"

Pretty sure I saw you parked at a couple of spots. I was out hunting and was surprised to see someone else out who looked like they were bird hunting."
Last year I was skiing! With the lack of snow I thought I’d go hunting. How did you do?

egknuti: "

Finnboy: "

egknuti: "Yes!"

Pretty sure I saw you parked at a couple of spots. I was out hunting and was surprised to see someone else out who looked like they were bird hunting."
Last year I was skiing! With the lack of snow I thought I’d go hunting. How did you do?

"

I did well. Limit one day and should have had my limit another day. Haven’t gotten skunked this year.

With the lack of snow I headed out for grouse and they didn’t disappoint. Flushed over a dozen and managed to get my limit today.

I was out Christmas Day grouse hunting. Beautiful day. Eerily gray out. I’ve seen three great gray owls in the last month while grousing. Fun to see.

Tis the season once again.
Good luck all!

I’m itching to get out in the field for some grouse in ~6.5hrs.
Driving down Moose Lake Road Wednesday evening I saw a juvenile grouse & thought to myself that open season is just around the corner & it is looking to be a good one, then BAM! first grouse of the season in the bag. I don’t get to take credit though, my SUV earned that kill & now I’m playing catchup with an automobile haha.

I think I’ll be heading to Virginia, MN this weekend to pick up a .22 for pursuing snowshoe hare this winter & I’m hoping to get out on Lake One (& up around Wood Lake once the closure is lifted) to pursue some early goose next week & other waterfowl come October once I’m back in town.
Anyone about the Ely area feel free to hit me up for a hunt if you’d like, besides a few weeks in Sept/Nov I’ll be around all season.
Cheers!

Edit: Last season I limited out in a couple of hours - fingers are crossed for a repeat!

Four days on the southern edge of the B-Dub earlier this month, focused on taking a bear by Bear bow. No bears. Knocked tail feathers off a huge grouse, put another one over a grouse, missed the first grouse again (!) when he came back to his stomping grounds.

And then the trip was saved by this experience on the last evening when I came down from my tree stand. ”How the hell did someone get that duck blind in there today without me hearing it?! Oh.”


Creek Bull

(Duplicate.)

Deer opener found me hunting grouse in the BW. I didn’t see a soul. I broke through a little ice but it was no trouble. Spotted one doe on a portage and shot 5 grouse.

I harvested a nice buck just outside the Bdub on Saturday. Saw a few grouse too. Beautiful weekend out there.

Saw a brownish F150? heading to an entry point. Was that anyone here?

Finnboy: "I harvested a nice buck just outside the Bdub on Saturday. Saw a few grouse too. Beautiful weekend out there.


Saw a brownish F150? heading to an entry point. Was that anyone here?"

Not me, I drive a black Crosstrek. Congrats on the buck!

Who's getting ready for the Grouse Opener?

I’ve been out running the dog the last few weekends. Buggy!

I hope to get out this weekend, but I may have to wait until the end of the month.

Spent all day in one of my usual places, and I heard one bird drumming and saw another. That was it. This morning I went out for a few hours and managed to bag one Sprucer and got a 2 for 1 on ruffed grouse.

I went out both mornings. Got 4 yesterday and missed on my only opportunity today. Maples are beautiful right now. Not a lot of traffic on the backroads.

Went out on the opener carrying a bow, three blunts and a broadhead, resolved not to shoot a deer in the heat. Saw a half dozen ruffies in very thick cover, flushed one and didn’t even attempt a shot at the others.

As I headed back to my truck, the luckiest forkhorn in Minnesota stood up, crossed an opening in front of me and stood broadside at 30 yards, staring at me. I will admit I started thinking about taking a shot, but I restrained myself. He moved on, way too calmly for his own good.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I walked over 12 miles each day. 2 ruffed grouse on Friday. 2 Spruce on Saturday and 5 ruffed grouse on Sunday. I walked a lot of new areas and a lot of old. I’m not seeing the numbers as I have the last few years, but they’re out there.

I’ve been trying to get out in the mornings before it gets too hot. It’s been spotty so far. Hoping for some cooler weather.

I walked a few hours (7-9) this morning and flushed over a dozen grouse, but I didn’t hit a single one!

Love -the hunting updates.

Hunted the last 4 days. I walked over 11 miles each day except for this morning. Surprisingly, I’m seeing more Spruce Grouse than Ruffed. I think I got 5 ruffed for the weekend. This morning I flushed over a dozen, but the area is tough to shoot and didn’t shoot any. I’m going to blame the windy hot weather on my lack of production. Lol.

I’ve been out 3 of the last 5 days. The weekend was so windy and the woods are getting a little crunchy. Mature birds tend to be jumpy in those conditions. It was definitely a challenge to get flushes in range. We should be seeing the woodcock migration picking up. The next 10 days are usually peak in my neck of the woods.

I

I have video, still photos and uncooked turkey parts in my fridge as evidence for the following less-than-likely tale.

Tuesday my wife and I hiked around my grandparents’ now-vacant farm, in a town with a name too embarrassing to mention here. In one of the grassy fields, I saw a large deer passing out of sight a few hundred yards away. Then I saw some ravens on the ground. I took a few steps and realized they weren’t ravens. And there were six of them. Forty miles from the Canadian border. (My cousin had trail cam pictures of them a couple years ago, but I had dismissed that evidence as not worth pursuing.)

Thursday I was back at o’dark hundred with a deer cart loaded with my hunting pack, two popup blinds, a longbow, some sharp sticks and a couple of sorry looking, cheapo decoys. I dropped the cart on a woods road a couple hundred yards from where I saw the birds on Tuesday. Looked for them in that field but saw nothing.

Went back to fetch the cart. As I was entering a smaller field on my way back to the Tuesday field, movement to my right caught my eye. They were coming off a pine ridge for their breakfast. I grabbed an arrow and stood with my bow inside the field edge for thirty minutes as they fed out of bow range.

When they continued into the Tuesday field, I crossed the smaller field, set up a blind and brushed it in. I figured at the end of the day I might intercept them on their way back to their roosting location, About an hour after setting up and eating an early lunch, they came into view to my right. I hadn’t even started calling. I thought it would take much longer for them to find their way back to their roosting location.

When they appeared, I was able to track them the whole time through my see-through blind and call them to my two decoys with my feeble calling skills. Once they made the turn toward me, I picked up my bow and got ready for what turned out to be a six yard shot.

Yeah, I’m now hooked on fall turkey hunting.

gravelroad: "I have video, still photos and uncooked turkey parts in my fridge as evidence for the following less-than-likely tale.


Tuesday my wife and I hiked around my grandparents’ now-vacant farm, in a town with a name too embarrassing to mention here. In one of the grassy fields, I saw a large deer passing out of sight a few hundred yards away. Then I saw some ravens on the ground. I took a few steps and realized they weren’t ravens. And there were six of them. Forty miles from the Canadian border. (My cousin had trail cam pictures of them a couple years ago, but I had dismissed that evidence as not worth pursuing.)


Thursday I was back at o’dark hundred with a deer cart loaded with my hunting pack, two popup blinds, a longbow, some sharp sticks and a couple of sorry looking, cheapo decoys. I dropped the cart on a woods road a couple hundred yards from where I saw the birds on Tuesday. Looked for them in that field but saw nothing.


Went back to fetch the cart. As I was entering a smaller field on my way back to the Tuesday field, movement to my right caught my eye. They were coming off a pine ridge for their breakfast. I grabbed an arrow and stood with my bow inside the field edge for thirty minutes as they fed out of bow range.


When they continued into the Tuesday field, I crossed the smaller field, set up a blind and brushed it in. I figured at the end of the day I might intercept them on their way back to their roosting location, About an hour after setting up and eating an early lunch, they came into view to my right. I hadn’t even started calling. I thought it would take much longer for them to find their way back to their roosting location.


When they appeared, I was able to track them the whole time through my see-through blind and call them to my two decoys with my feeble calling skills. Once they made the turn toward me, I picked up my bow and got ready for what turned out to be a six yard shot.


Yeah, I’m now hooked on fall turkey hunting.













"

Yes Turkey hunting is adicting. I like cutting the breast in small stribs than cooking just like a grouse. Awesome,to cook like a tame turkey I thought it was to dry and not much taste. Keep the reports comming.

Headed up this weekend to do some scouting for deer season anyone seeing any rubs or scrapes yet in there travels?

SwampBuck19: "Headed up this weekend to do some scouting for deer season anyone seeing any rubs or scrapes yet in there travels?"

There just starting in Crow Wing county-bucks moving a lot more but at night.

They must have reintroduced ones with the right genetics back in the early 80's to get that far north.
I wonder what they are eating during the winter.

inspector13: "
They must have reintroduced ones with the right genetics back in the early 80's to get that far north.
I wonder what they are eating during the winter.


"

I’m guessing you’re referring to my turkey hunt report.

The original efforts to reintroduce wild turkeys in Minnesota failed . The later successful efforts used wild birds captured in Missouri and other states.

The DNR used to have a map of MN with a line drawn demarcating the northern area that was deemed unsuitable for stocking. The birds walked up that line a decade ago, squatted on it and kept marching north.

It turned out that winter food sources, not snow and not cold, were what determined turkey range in MN. Many of the birds winter near farmsteads with grain-fed livestock and crop residues. Feed put out by humans also plays a significant role.



2017 range map (sic)













2025 reality on the ground

I saw a Turkey just east of Winton 2 weeks ago. I saw one by Fenske 2 years ago.

Recent grouse hunting report is slow and steady.
Ducks have been moving through and may have passed the peak here.

Finnboy: "I saw a Turkey just east of Winton 2 weeks ago. I saw one by Fenske 2 years ago.


Recent grouse hunting report is slow and steady.
Ducks have been moving through and may have passed the peak here."

I was driving east on the Fernburg Road a few weeks ago and I thought I saw a giant grouse, it turns out it was turkeys.

Just returned from a four day hunt off the echo trail was i worst I've seen it since I started hunted up there in 2014 very little sign and very little tracks saw one doe better luck next yr

SwampBuck19: "Just returned from a four day hunt off the echo trail was i worst I've seen it since I started hunted up there in 2014 very little sign and very little tracks saw one doe better luck next yr "

I feel your pain. Sat today in Normanna and never heard or saw a thing. Ditto on my several outings (archery and firearm) over the last ten days. Firearm hunters have generally bailed on the same area after the opening day.

And it looks like Duluth and environs will finish with a snowless firearm season unless something miraculous occurs next week …

SwampBuck19: "Just returned from a four day hunt off the echo trail was i worst I've seen it since I started hunted up there in 2014 very little sign and very little tracks saw one doe better luck next yr "

Much of the BWCA the DNR is saying there is like 1-2 deer per sq. mile or less. Meaning almost nothing left.