# grouse hunters of north Georgia



## ruff hunter (May 28, 2014)

Would like to hear from the grouse hunters out there and how your season went??...... I live in east Tn and I figure we hunt about the same country....... does anybody hunt NC??


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## birddog52 (May 29, 2014)

Quit hunting in ga long ago due to lack habiat what few birds we got anymore. I just leave them alone about same western north carolina need alot oftimber cutting to take place for it to every come back just go north every fall can afford it just to find some grouse


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## The mtn man (Jun 16, 2014)

^^ Yep NC no different than N ga. no habitat, not many birds. What birds are there, most that care about them just want to leave them so they don't go completely missing.


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## NCHillbilly (Jun 17, 2014)

Used to be infested with grouse in my part of western NC, don't see but a couple in a year's time now, hardly ever hear one drumming. They're pretty much gone.


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## ruff hunter (Jun 18, 2014)

I guess I'm the last of the breed then or just plain dumb, but I'm still going after them..... I got a new puppy last fall and he will be ready this October so I'm going...... got some places in NC and as long as there is one then I'll be going....., hunted them since I was 13  ( 44 now ) ...... I'll keep going.....


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## coachdoug87 (Jun 18, 2014)

I have talked to some people who hunt in some
Of the WMA's that I haven't been to and they say
They are back somewhat from where they were a
Few years ago. I want to try this season in some
Of those areas. By the way, there was an article
In the Gainesville Times a few days ago which
Said even some of the environmental groups are
Ok with some cutting at Coolers Creek. They are
Complaining about some specific parts of the plan,
But even they admit some cutting is needed. I guess
That is a step in the right direction.


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## The mtn man (Jun 18, 2014)

ruff hunter said:


> I guess I'm the last of the breed then or just plain dumb, but I'm still going after them..... I got a new puppy last fall and he will be ready this October so I'm going...... got some places in NC and as long as there is one then I'll be going....., hunted them since I was 13  ( 44 now ) ...... I'll keep going.....



There are a few  around the far western part of Cherokee co. NC.


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## birddog52 (Jun 20, 2014)

if i had a new pup and wanted to put it in alot of birds i would takem north  UP Or maine maybe canada


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## Coach K (Jun 30, 2014)

birddog52 said:


> if i had a new pup and wanted to put it in alot of birds i would takem north  UP Or maine maybe canada



I hear  Maine is the place to go.  #'s much higher.   MI will be tough again with very late snow again & wet spring


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## ruff hunter (Jul 3, 2014)

True those faraway places are great...... been to Northern Wisconsin and the UP myself a few times , but I love hunting in these mountains ..... so this fall let's hunt harder than maybe we normally do .... they just might be there !!!!


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## Boolywooger (Jul 18, 2014)

Wouldn't the "clear cuts" caused by the tornadoes we had a few years ago cause a rebound in the grouse in the N Ga mountains?


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## cohuttahunter (Jul 22, 2014)

Ruff Hunter, just curious, what breed of pup did you get?  I am looking to get one soon.  I have had one before, a Brittany, and it was a close worker.  I think that is good for a grouse dog, just wondering what breed you settled with.  I hear lots of grouse drumming while turkey hunting in the spring, but they seem to be scattered more in the fall and winter.  They don't seem to common, but I'm with you they are definitely worth hunting.


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## ruff hunter (Jul 23, 2014)

Cohuttahunter, I have 2 dogs ..... my old dog is a llewellin out of Bob Bailey's Straight Creek and I got my puppy last fall.... he is a Hemlock Ryman from Pine Mountain Setters..... I have always wanted one of these dogs, so I got one. I hunt a lot of clearcuts and laurels and needed a closer working dog...... you can go to pinemtn setters website..... and I'm with you man, they are worth hunting


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## coachdoug87 (Jul 23, 2014)

I have a Straight Creek Lewellin myself. How do the Hemlock dogs
 Compare?  Also, I am glad to hear somebody say they have heard
 Grouse drumming on Georgia this year.


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## ruff hunter (Jul 23, 2014)

Coachdoug, I really don't know.... this is my first hemlock ryman but I don't think he will need a beeper.... my llewellin was close but needed a beeper..... Bob's dogs in my opinion are the best grouse dog a man could get for hunting in the Southern Appalachians but I had some health problems and I still want to hunt so I wanted a closer working dog...... I could care less about style so I found the guy who has pinemountainsetters and I gave him a call and I got Gus!!.... and I'm gonna give him every chance and I will let everybody know how I think he is doing..... I can't complain so far!!


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## Rebel's Dad (Jul 24, 2014)

Boolywooger said:


> Wouldn't the "clear cuts" caused by the tornadoes we had a few years ago cause a rebound in the grouse in the N Ga mountains?



Maybe very locally.  Salvage logging of the damaged areas would help.  They are salvage logging in some of the areas.

The problem is that in the big scheme of things those are essentially very local areas, separated from other areas of disturbance (whether caused by tornado, fire, logging) by distances too far for grouse to travel when the family groups disperse.  So those other areas (if they even exist) won't be populated/repopulated.

That's a big part of the problem--a 20, even a 40 acre area of fantastic early successional habitat that's an island in the middle of a mature forest does very little for the health of a species dependent on ESH, because even with perfect conditions the holding capacity of the area is quickly reached and the birds cannot disperse into other areas of suitable habitat.  Those areas are simply not close enough together because there are so few of them.


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## birddog52 (Aug 11, 2014)

you can thank alot of the tree hugging groups and the usfs not wanting to do anything forest mangement wise. ( plus most if not all of north ga usfs lands have been declared a urban forest ) TIMBER CUTTING NOT ONLY HELPS GROUSE BUT ALOT OF OTHER GAME& NON GAME SPECIES A LIKE YOU NEED  A DIVESREIFIED FOREST TO HAVE  HEALTHY FOREST AND WILDERNESS AREAS DO NOT PROVIDE THAT


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## ruff hunter (Aug 12, 2014)

just me personally, I think there is more logging taken place in western NC than in Tn..... although there are some project near where I hunt that are in the works!!


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## birddog52 (Aug 13, 2014)

Thats good but the franklin north carolina district is been averaging cutting about 1 million board ft a year( heck my ole man when he was sawmilling from the 40s up until the early 80s averaged cutting that much with a peckerwood sawmill. Each of these usfs service districts ran as different as day& night. Cutting timber more in the sumter natinal forest very little in tallulah district in ga. But the goverement has basical put the small time logger out of buisness


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## ruff hunter (Aug 13, 2014)

well hopefully the USFS will get busy again , it doesn't matter ..... I have a young dog ( 1 yr old ) and this is his first season so I'm committed..... don't really care about going up North anymore..... just gonna try to enjoy East Tn and WNC!!'


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## The mtn man (Aug 13, 2014)

ruff hunter said:


> well hopefully the USFS will get busy again , it doesn't matter ..... I have a young dog ( 1 yr old ) and this is his first season so I'm committed..... don't really care about going up North anymore..... just gonna try to enjoy East Tn and WNC!!'



Look me up this fall if you need a partner in wnc I don't have a dog but like going and I know where all the best habitat is in my area


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## ruff hunter (Aug 14, 2014)

I'll do it if you don't mind a green pup on his first season!!


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## Coach K (Sep 16, 2014)

Coach Doug,

xerxesllewellins@gmail.com

or on fb:  https://www.facebook.com/xerxes.llewellins


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## winchester pre64 (Sep 17, 2014)

Ruff hunter I'm going to be hitting the WMA as hard as i can this year myself good luck.


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## Boolywooger (Sep 18, 2014)

I've only been grouse hunting one time back in the late 90s, in WNC.  I did manage to find 6 or 7 grouse (didn't kill any), but my kids came along and my priorities changed.

I have a new Brittany and am going to give it a try this fall in N Ga.  If anyone wants to get together to go, just let me know.


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## coachdoug87 (Sep 21, 2014)

Coach K, sent you a Pm. As a matter of fact, I accidentally sent
It twice.


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## ruff hunter (Sep 23, 2014)

2 weeks from this coming Saturday is the opener here in East Tn........ I can't wait........ the terrain will be unforgiving and the bird numbers  ( who knows ) .. but I can't wait!!!!!!'m


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