No more 'Blue' Grouse???

[Shoey]

Just happened to pick up a copy of British Columbia Magazine on the hour-and-a-half of suicidal boredom on the ferry yesterday, and I caught a snipet of an article about Blue Grouse being broken up in to two seperate species.

Anyone else heard about this?

[Jelvis]

Shoey, I'll break up a Blue grouse into two-spieces after I cook it good in butter and split it down the breast bone. Do you know how big they get? Size of a butter-ball turkey. One blue can feed two men and a girl they are tastey too.
You can find blue grouse in semi-open timber south facing slopes like Savano, North-Thompson above the south faced valley side. And lots of other spots.
Blue grouse do the opposite of other grouse concerning migrational seasonal move-ment. Going up in fall and winter in elevational steps so if there in one area this week could be in another area next week.
Where ever the elusive adaptable mule deer live that is where grouse live. your free outdoor know-how, from Jelv

[Dannybuoy]

Mmm Mmm right on Jellybluegrouse! Well written !

[Schutzen]

There are two sub species of Blues... The Dusky and the Sooty is that what your wondering?

[Jelvis]

There are several different kinds of grouse hunted hear in B.C. the ruffed grouse, spruce grouse, Franklin-blue-dusty-sooty inhabitat pine and fir forests. The sharptail, pinnated grouse, or prairie chicken, hungarian partridge in a pear tree. REMEMBER that grouse are seldom far from water Amigos. Look for them by small creeks and springs. Grouse like man-made trails or roads they get the gravel needed to Grind their food. Shortstuff. They also get this, like mid-day baths in what? Dust friend-a-mine. If you find heavily used dusting ground you know YOUR in GROUSE- country. One more free hint thrown in for good measure, a downed bird will be located some-times by their fluttering wings hunter. That's all I can say 4 now for you feather flushers. Jelson-Blue hey-don't where black until your after the blues.

[The 'Hummer']

The Blue Grouse on the island seem to be just a little larger body size than the Ruff Grouse. Yet the ones I've got in 5-15 when I lived in the area and the few I've got the last number of years while there on Moose hunts are about twice that size. Is that because there are two sub species? For the most part the colours look very close to the same but there is a significant difference in size.

[Chuck]

Well I don't know about the sub species - all I know is that they are pretty darn elusive and hard quite hard to find in the W. Kootenay. I've seen'em now and then when up high hunting mulies with a rifle, but then go back tomorrow with a 12 guage and they're no where to be found. I've seen hens down low in the spring, actually right in down town Nelson, with their chicks.
Someone I know bumped into ptarmigan on the pass between Kootenay Lake and Kimberley. I've only seen ptarmigan on TV. But what I'd really like to see is a Sasquatch - ya!

[rishu_pepper]

Wikipedia :roll: explains it like so:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Grouse

What I want is a big serving, sooty or dusky I don't care! :razz:

[ryanb]

All the blue grouse I've shot have tasted a little bit weird. Big they sure are, tasty though, not so much.

[frenchbar]

All the blue grouse I've shot have tasted a little bit weird. Big they sure are, tasty though, not so much.All the blues i ate last year were tasty . I marinade them in a kraft salad dressing for an hour then give em a quick fry.

[frenchbar]

ive yet to find better blue grouse hunting than in the Camelsfoot range in reg 3.

[Jelvis]

Our B.C. Grouse
We have strong grouse populations and minimal hunting pressure.
The blue the spruce and the ruffed.

The blue is the largest of the tribe, citizen. Would you believe a whopping over four pounds on the butcher's scales.
A blue can be either brown or almost black. It's pretty hard to mistake a blue for something else, jocko.
Come fall they head up, in the winter they go up to sub-alpine regions -- loafing in tall trees hombre, nibbling on conifer needles.
What blue grouse want is large tree stands with good streches of open ground beneath them, r u with-me?
Berries, shrubs and succulent grasses is what really turns a blue on, Jock.
Learn to walk up slopes, cause you will earn a blue grouse.
Remember blue grouse are bigger than your average bird. Jelly-blue-bottoms-fly.

[The 'Hummer']

By far, my favorite upland game bird, especially for taste or flavour are Ruff's. As I remember from the interior, 5-15, Blues weren't bad, but we usually had to go high for them. This years Spruce or 'Fools Hens' were ok however, if we saw a Fools Hen sitting on the road and if it looked as dark as a gum boot, we'd leave it. Usually they were older previous years birds and as such had probably feeding on evergreen needles and if they looked like a gum boot, that's how we found the flavour. When I was a kid living in the area we left any attempts for Ptarmigan until winter, especially until in the swamp areas after there'd been a thaw, then a freeze forming a hard crust you could walk on. Thinking back on it now, in all likelihood the season was probably closed, but what the hell, we were kids.

[Jelvis]

Blue grouse are sometimes called " hooters " because of the low pitched hooting sound the male makes during the mating season. Court ship and mating take place from April through June.
The hardest part of hunting blues is climbing mountains to find them. During the fall blues don't stray too far from water sources, so open ridges, brushy draws or timbered areas near water are likely spots. If you find some blues, there could be lots of them in that particular area sometimes dozens so slow down and look hard. Jelsonblue

[hunter1947]

I saw about 50 blue grouse when i was out at Port Renfrew on the long weekend camping they were everywhere. They had the roads dug up and scats in them from where they were doing there matting calls http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif .

[shotgunjohn]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/TRV58/bluegrouse.jpg

woooo---woo-woo-woo

Or something like that.

[Ehv]

I heard all the Trophy Blues come from Clearwater.

[Jelvis]

LOL trophy blues that really cracked me, from Clearwater good one. hooot hooot hooot like that kinda sounds like an owl abit.
The ruffed grouse hits it's wings against it's body to attract females like a drumming sound. flap--flap-flap-flapflapflapflap. slower to faster sound and really quick-slick. Jellyflap

[The 'Hummer']

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/TRV58/bluegrouse.jpg

woooo---woo-woo-woo

Or something like that.
Great picture!! Thanks for sharing.:-)

[115 or bust]

Anyone else here ever been attacked by a blue grouse in the spring when they are breeding. We used to do a 3-D shoot on Forbidden Plateau in the spring and several people including myself were attacked by male blues lol. There was one in particular that would ride the chairlift up and down doing his calling lol.

[johnk]

Anyone else here ever been attacked by a blue grouse in the spring when they are breeding. We used to do a 3-D shoot on Forbidden Plateau in the spring and several people including myself were attacked by male blues lol. There was one in particular that would ride the chairlift up and down doing his calling lol.

Huh, that's funny. I actually had one charge me last spring and then turned away at the one foot mark. At the time I thought, "what the heck is wrong with that freak?"

[johnk]

All the blues i ate last year were tasty . I marinade them in a kraft salad dressing for an hour then give em a quick fry.

Who the heck can wait that hour?:p

[Jelvis]

Blue Grouse

Other common names for a blue grouse are dusky grouse, sooty grouse, pine grouse, pine hen, mountain grouse, gray grouse, fool hen, and hooter.
Second largest grouse the biggest being a sage grouse.
can be 22 inches long hunter.
As the fall approaches males and brood-less females move first from summer ranges to higher elevations, followed by singles or small groups of juveniles from broods. The broods disperse and climb to higher elevations. They live on evergreen needles during the winter. Dense Douglas fir trees for protection mate.
Go hunting early in September for the best results before they migrate to higher elevations. They prefer to fly down-hill when flushed. Jelsun-Blue

[Dannybuoy]

Blue Grouse

Other common names for a blue grouse are dusky grouse, sooty grouse, pine grouse, pine hen, mountain grouse, gray grouse, fool hen, and hooter.
Second largest grouse the biggest being a sage grouse.
can be 22 inches long hunter.
As the fall approaches males and brood-less females move first from summer ranges to higher elevations, followed by singles or small groups of juveniles from broods. The broods disperse and climb to higher elevations. They live on evergreen needles during the winter. Dense Douglas fir trees for protection mate.
Go hunting early in September for the best results before they migrate to higher elevations. They prefer to fly down-hill when flushed. Jelsun-Blue
Eek Jelvis , I fear you have made an error ! Fool Hen = Franklin grouse or spruce grouse , dumb as they come and easy to get with a rock .... quite the opposite of the flighty Blue grouse Hmmm ?

[Shoey]

Ok...

I know what a blue grouse is, I know what they look like, I know in what regions they can be found, and what areas they prefer, I know how to hunt them, and afterwards how to cook them.

I know they nicknames, and the different feather colorations, I am aware of there mating patterns and have seen there funky little dances...

And yes, I know they are ****ing huge.

All I'm asking is if anyone has heard that they are being seperated in to two seperate sub species. Seems to me this would affect the hunting regs.

Perhaps I'll just go buy the magazine...

[longwalk]

Best blue grouse hunting in the province with the biggest birds, even bigger than the ones in my secret spot have to be region 8, behind Midway in the hills close to the border. Last year flushed coveys of over 20 birds several times, some birds so big they were poor fliers. My contribution to the upland bird hunters on this site.

[mrdoog]

Don't care if they are called Purple Herbies; as long as it's legal to bang them, I'll be banging them.

[Shoey]

Don't care if they are called Purple Herbies; as long as it's legal to bang them, I'll be banging them.

Let's try and keep the conversation about grouse... :tongue:

I am running out the door right now to go purchase the magazine, when I get back, I'll try and type out the article, it wasn't very long.

[mrdoog]

Don't pick up shaved Grannies by mistake!

[The 'Hummer']

Don't pick up shaved Grannies by mistake!
Wel l l l l l l l, I won't comment 'til I see her. The one sitting beside me looks pretty good.:p

[mrdoog]

"The one sitting beside me looks pretty good."

-you deserve a spit shine for that compliment!

[mpotzold]

[quote=Jelvis;285189]. Do you know how big they get?
Shot a huge BG with my 308 norma mag back in '72. (Needed a brain shot). It was so heavy that Doug & I had to take turns carrying it out.:oops: It fed Dougs family for Thangsgiving.
The way to get rid of the pine needle taste is to use LOTS of garlic!
Nothing beats a ruffed grouse that has fed on farmers grain.

[hunter1947]

Anyone else here ever been attacked by a blue grouse in the spring when they are breeding. We used to do a 3-D shoot on Forbidden Plateau in the spring and several people including myself were attacked by male blues lol. There was one in particular that would ride the chairlift up and down doing his calling lol.
I had one attack me on the weekend it was real mad at me when I was calling at it. The pic of the blew grouse is in the gallery and in the island thread.

[115 or bust]

Haha so I'm not alone lol too bad they don't do that in hunting season it would add a whole new aspect to wing shooting lol :-P

[Jelvis]

There are four grouse species in B.C.---blue, ruffed, spruce and sharptail. One of the most widespread in B.C. the blue. Parts of the Boreal forests in the North-East of B.C. don't have blue.
You won't find blues in a thick second growth forest. Jel

[Poguebilt]

Blue grouse!!!

Love em!

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/IMG_06592.jpg

[The 'Hummer']

Blue grouse!!!

Love em!

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/IMG_06592.jpg
Love the pup!! I've had a few German Shorthair Pointers, great on upland birds. For me they tend to work closer than say an English, have a great nose and soft mouth. Actually they've also worked well for me on water foul although it would help having a thicker coat to keep warm but there's ways around that as well. Thanks for sharing the pic.:)

[Fisher-Dude]

Blue grouse!!!

Love em!

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/IMG_06592.jpg

That blue is big enough to lay a whoopin' on that pup!

I don't find as many blues around as I used to, but all the ones I've shot have been Deee-licious!

[shotgunjohn]

Hey Shoey,

Sorry to get off topic. The blue grouse here on the Island are definately smaller than mainland birds and look a little different but I don't think that's where they want to make a distinction. Not sure what they are saying is different between the two. Ruffed grouse also come in two colour phases but are still the same bird.

[Jelvis]

There are four recognized sub-species of blue grouse which occur in B.C. Two coastal and two interior, with distribution including dry forests south of Williams Lake, and into the West Kootenay.
They often sit close on a tree branch and if you don't see them they take off like a small turkey, wings pounding heavy, can make ya jump.
A bird on the table, is better than two, in the bush. lol. Jelly-tells-know-how

[Shoey]

There are four recognized sub-species of blue grouse which occur in B.C. Two coastal and two interior, with distribution including dry forests south of Williams Lake, and into the West Kootenay.

Five now! Just got a copy of the magazine, I will re-type the article when I get a chance.