Chapter 8

How to Hunt Ruffed Grouse

The ruffed grouse, more commonly known as “partridge,” is found in every section of the State of Maine. It is probably more abundant and more widely distributed here than anywhere else in the country. The bird is found deep in the big woods and in covers only a short distance from towns and cities.

There are two kinds of grouse in Maine—smart and foolish. The latter are so tame that they can be shot on the ground or on the limbs of trees with a pistol or rifle. These are the birds found in the big woods. They are identical in every way with those found in the settled areas except that they have no fear of humans.

This classic Maine Hunting Coat was passed down through three generations of hunters who hunted near Alligator Lake, Maine, before it was donated to the L.L.Bean archives.

The grouse of the inhabited sections are much smarter than their backwoods brethren. We don’t shoot them with rifles or pistols; we don’t always hit them with a shotgun. They have been well-termed “the smartest upland game bird that flies.”

We Maine hunters look for grouse in farming country.

BILL GORMAN: > When early settlers in Maine first cleared forest-lands for farms, grouse in huge numbers were often reported.

We expect to find them in alder and birch thickets, around the edges of fields where berries are plentiful, under wild apple trees, on the oak ridges in acorn years, even in softwood growths. But we also know we are likely to find them where least expected. There are more than fifty different kinds of food eaten by these birds and finding them is a matter of finding food sources, and, of course, suitable cover.

In the early part of the season we frequently find the birds in flocks of three to six. Later on in the Fall, singles and pairs are more common.

While most hunters prefer to use dogs the birds can be hunted successfully by “walking them” up, as we say. But this requires fast shooting.

Most hunters prefer to use a good dog when hunting Ruffed Grouse.

Although grouse are more abundant during the first part of the season than the last, many hunters prefer the last two weeks for hunting. That is because the leaves are off the trees and one has a much better chance to see, and hit, these fast-flying birds. They are also likely to be found in more open country, in old apple orchards for example, than during the early part of October when there are many more kinds of food available.

However, one who plans to hunt grouse in the northern part of the State of Maine will find the birds more plentiful the first part of the season.

One of the best ways to hunt ruffed grouse in the wilderness sections of Maine is to walk slowly along old tote and logging roads. If you flush a grouse and don’t get a shot, be on the alert as there probably will be at least one or two additional birds in the vicinity.

A bird dog is not absolutely necessary when hunting Ruffed Grouse

Either a .20 gauge or .12 gauge Shotgun will serve your purpose. If you use a double, load one barrel with a No. 7 shell and the other barrel with a No. 6 shell. Use the No. 7 when you shoot at birds nearby, and No. 6 at longer range.

Learn to shoot “on the wing.” If you are a fair skeet shooter, you will get your share of the ruffed grouse that you flush, especially where the “territory” is open. Learn to “lead,” this knowledge is gained by practice at skeet shooting or using a hand-trap.

When you kill a ruffed grouse, examine the contents of its crop. That will give you an idea as to what the birds are feeding on, and you can then hunt in the vicinity of the places where such food abounds.

Most sportsmen prefer to pluck their game birds, but partridge and woodcock are more easily skinned and taste equally as well.

BILL GORMAN: > It’s interesting to note the number of women in these photographs. While the overall number of hunters has declined slightly in recent years, the number of women hunters is growing. More than 16 percent of all hunters in the United States today are women.