Grouse Dog on a CC?

[Gridiron and Grouse]

95% of the birds around me are grouse and therefore 95% of the bird hunting I do is for grouse. When i get my pup i'll be looking for a good grouse dog and working it primarily on grouse.

I've read a decent amount (and I'm going to keep reading a learning) about working dogs on wild birds. I really can't imagine working a young dog on ruffed grouse and being able to keep it on a CC. Between the downed tree tops, briars, blow downs, etc i just have no idea how you could do it. It would work fine on the lumber roads, but as soon as the dog left the lumber road (which you would want him to do) I think it would catch on everything there is, and at the very least be impossible to hold onto.

I'm sure some of you have worked with a lot of primarily grouse dogs. Any suggestions on how to start them, introduce them to grouse, etc.

Thanks!

[slistoe]

If you buy a quality CC from TBI or Gundog Supply the dog can trail it through darn near anything and it will not hang up. If you use any old piece of rope you will be trying to find your dog and unwind it all the time.

[grousehunter08]

Just do your training in the off season with quail or what ever you can get then come hunting season let the professors take over and really teach him to steady up. A grouse will teach a dog to be cautious. Let the cc go in the woods when your hunting.

[KY Grouse Hunter]

agreed. the woods and the grouse in them will teach your dog about 75% of what he will need to be a good grouse dog. My dogs and dogs in the past have learned their range by just being in the woods and hunting while trying to keep with me. If your dogs have what it will take, nature will ultimately be the best teacher.

[gonehuntin']

Do all of your yard work in the yard, then transfer it to the field. Grouse are difficult to train for at best. Just train the dog as if he were a quail dog then finish him in the grouse woods. Understand a couple of things here. 1) Grouse are the spookiest and most difficult of birds to train on. 2) It's going to take a while to make that grouse dog. Most of the time, you'll never know if he bust a bird, you won't be sure when bird's flush wild on him.

Most of our grouse hunting is from logging roads so a dog has to learn to hunt them. The ideal is if you have a dog that windshield wipers a road, hunting 50-75 yards in each direction on each side of the road. Never let him just potter on the road; keep him in the brush.

It takes 2-3 years if you hunt a lot, to train an average grouse dog. Don't get discouraged and keep at it.

[Ruffshooter]

I generally use the quail and chuckars for the basic training of the dog. I plant birds in the woods once I have the basics done and the dog is fairly reliable at hunting the cover with purpose. (Always on a check cord. (Good stiff braided no knot in the end.)

Then I travel the tote roads and logging roads looking for the road birds. WHen I find one I drive by, it will walk into the woods not spooked. Then ,I bring the dog out, on a check cord, to the place where the bird went into the woods. Let the dog get a snoot full. Walk him in a ways him tracking. You will probally see the bird, maybe not let the dog go. Let the dog learn. After a while he will start to realize he can not catch them you will be able to reenforce your training that you did at home. After a while you will just let the dog go in likely grouse areas on acheck cord etc.

It is difficult to train a dog on just wild birds here in the north east unless you have nothing else to do. Right now is good also because the wood cock are back. Good working there too.

Good luck

[Rick Hall]

Prior to leaving it in my mid-thirties, I lived in your general area (Ohio and WVa) and was a bonafide grouse addict who managed to hunt them virtually daily for one eight year stretch. (Just so you know this isn't all wild speculation from a Louisiana duck hunter.) And I'm thinking a checkcord would be counterproductive to your purpose in the grouse woods. Never mind that a slick, stiff one should snake through the woods well enough without hang-ups. Whatcha gonna do with it?

Walking up behind a dog on point just makes it more nervous, especially with all the clatter of moving in the woods, and seeing and hearing you coming from the same direction as its original problem, is going to make br'er grouse jumpier, too. And more apt to run, tempting Pup to break, or blow out early. So trying to get your hands on Pup's checkcord would likely do far more harm than good.

Were I you, I'd want to do my yard work on whatever pen-birds are available to you and get "whoa" solidly in place, as an "invisible checkchord" that can be used from anywhere, before going grousing. And once in the grouse woods, I'd keep as quiet as possible - especially when Pup's on point - and let the dog enjoy its work to the fullest.

As long as he stays locked on point, do not say a word to distract him or spook his game. (Save that solid "whoa" for if Pup tries to creep.) And approach the scene in an around-about manner, so Pup can see you and be steadied by your presence, rather than be unnerved by what's going on behind him. Such approach should also help convince the dog's game that its new problem is unaware of its location and help hold it in place until you're in a position to help block thoughts of running as you turn in to flush.

[Gridiron and Grouse]

Thanks for all the input and advice. i really appreciate it. I'm just trying to soak up as much info as possible so that when the time comes i'm ready to roll.


Beautiful dog Rick, i grew up with a deadgrass chessie, great dog. We never hunted her unfortunately, but my parents have a big pond. She loves that water, it's unreal.