MN Ruffled Grouse

Many trappers mark trap locations or “nearby” locations with marking tape.

Conibear traps are used above the waterline. Coninbear and conibear cubby traps pose a greater danger to dogs in Minnesota than people realize. MN DNR limits the size of the trap above the waterline, but that size is still large enough to get a dog. I would say snares (for coyotes) and leg hold traps (fox) are more common in ag land.

The trapping organizations are trying to educate their members to be more cautious in their use but it just takes a few guys out there running aggressive old school. Most dogs killed in MN appear to be dogs of rural people running off leash but bird dogs are not immune from the danger.

Wisconsin rules are a bit more stringent and greatly reduce dog’s being hit.

Large plastic zip ties work really well in opening the jaws but can become brittle at cold temperatures.

Conibear traps aren’t that scary. Education goes a long way. They won’t kill a dog immediately. They can suffocate the dog if you don’t get it off on a timely manner. They’re easy to remove if you know how.
The main thing you need to do should your dog get caught is to stay calm. That will help the dog stay calm.
Carrying a 2ft length of 1/4″ rope can speed up the removal process.
If you have bird dogs and are concerned, do yourself a favor and go buy a 220 conibear. Spend time getting to know how it works and how to release the springs.

Yep – we have already been discussing practicing opening them … use a sandbag or stuffed toy to trigger the trap. The plastic zip tie works extremely well and there are videos showing how they work. Finding the large zip ties with enough strength to do the job is another story. Mine are 24″ by 3/4″ and work.

The reason that most dogs that die are owned by rural people taking their dog for a walk down a gravel road or trail or letting their dog run loose is they are not aware of the danger. City people take their dogs to state parks where these traps do not exist.

This danger can be almost completely eliminated by requiring conibears to be set in deeper recessed cubbies or elevated. Fur prices remain rather low and not may longliners out there. Again most trappers that operate in populated areas or bird hunting areas are cognizant of the issue and work to avoid it. Not all trappers though.

If you hunt where snares are used (mainly ag land for coyotes) … the Felco C7 wire cutter works well … no chance they work on the steel conibear …

The first two weeks of October is a good time to hunt ruffed grouse. Again Octobers seem warmer and windier than they used to be. Leaves are turning and even dropping the further north you go. Aspen trees are one of the first to lose leaves so that is a plus.

Dry year hunt low …

Check crops … identify food sources and adjust accordingly.

Grouse move around quite a bit morning and evening. Likely nap mid-day.

Brittman wrote:

Yep – we have already been discussing practicing opening them … use a sandbag or stuffed toy to trigger the trap. The plastic zip tie works extremely well and there are videos showing how they work. Finding the large zip ties with enough strength to do the job is another story. Mine are 24″ by 3/4″ and work.

I got a free set of zipties sent to me by I believe it was the MN trappers association. I can’t find the link now but maybe others can with some searching. I signed up with my name and address and they sent a nice 1 pager of info on getting dogs out of traps as well as a few heavy duty zipties for free.

Kudos to whoever it was in that organization who decided to set up that initiative. It went a long ways in my book. Anyone hunting with a dog should have something similar in their game vest.

Edit: found the link for the dog release kit

Dog Release Kit (BE SURE TO CLICK FREE SHIPPING IN THE CART)

Brad Dimond wrote:

ahandgun in wolf country.

Why wouldn’t you just use your shotgun? Clearly a shotgun has more stopping power than a handgun, not to mention the accuracy thing too.

Not saying you can’t legally carry or use a handgun, but the idea of dropping a shotgun loaded with bird shot to use a handgun doesn’t make much sense to me.

Less likely to hit your dog.

Youbetcha wrote:

Less likely to hit your dog.

Less likely to hit the wolf too

Gitchi Gummi wrote:

Less likely to hit the wolf too

No worries, I’ve seen John Wick multiple times

I will admit I carry #3 buck shot (available for my 20) when hunting in wolf country and at times have carried a few slug rounds too. Both are available in 5 pack boxes.

Some 15 years ago, as I came over a small rise, I had a Brittany standing face to face with a coyote in ND about 5-10 yards apart they were just starting to circle about 30 – 40 yards away from me. The minute the yote spotted me he was off to the races in the other direction.

My Britts spend most of their time hunting with in 20 – 50 yards when in the woods. I usually have visual on them much of the time. I have am not loud, but I am not in stealth mode like I hunt pheasants either.

If we run into wolves the plan is to get the dog back on heel and walk out. If this is a pack that decides to follow … I am prepared.

Most (certainly not all) of the dogs killed by wolves are bear hounds in Wisconsin which tend to stretch out a long ways. Bear hounds are especially vulnerable to wolves when they are training / hunting in August when wolf pups are still associating with their den.

Crawdaddy … grouse hunting is actually a lot of fun. If you have a bird dog along there are certainly dangers out there, but they are very rare.

In the last 20 years I have seen more porcupines in ag country than in the woods. I have had two dogs quilled in the last 40 years. One dog twice over 3 years so she just could not let them be.

gim wrote:

7 1/2 shot won’t make much of an impression on a wolf at more than 15 feet if your shotgun is choked skeet/skeet.

The traps thing I got covered and well educated on ever since I started hunting with a dog 7 or 8 years ago. Carry a large zip and a special rope looped at the end, both work well on conibears. Looking at the trapping season, I will miss it(exception of rabbits), as most don’t open till late October at earliest. Seems like biggest worries are ticks, sharp sticks, and hot weather. If it’s still really green and leafy up there I’ll probably hunt more walking trails but if some of the vegetation has died back I’ll dive into the woods. I’m not a handgun guy, but don’t see that as necessary. The dog hunts pretty close.

I did a bunch of research last night marking spots on the map. It’s a little overwhelming, all the public land up north. A lot of it looks like impenetrable swamp and large blocks of old growth not much use for grouse hunting. All the county forest I think is labeled “tax forfeit” for onX. There’s lots of roads going through these places, which might be what people call “old logging roads.” I called the DNR but they couldn’t answer the question about roads on county land. Really I’m just trying to figure out where I can and can’t drive. Doing this research is fun though. Maybe I’ll get up over memorial day for a combination scouting trip mixed with fishing.

Brad Dimond wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>gim wrote:</div>

7 1/2 shot won’t make much of an impression on a wolf at more than 15 feet if your shotgun is choked skeet/skeet.

I disagree. I bet it would make you think twice. No different for a wolf.
Even with a skeet choke bird shot will still hurt like hell out to 50 yards

Given a choice, I’d use the shotgun. Not a handgun. Solely based on the accuracy and distance. You aint shooting a moving wolf with a handgun that’s 50 yards away.

Crawdaddy-
I got checked by a CO on Aitkin County tax forfeit land a couple years ago.
I asked him what the rules are for the logging/ forest service road use. He told me that if it’s not gated or if the gate is open that is OK to drive on. His word of caution was that they’re mostly winter roads so they could be wet or blocked in by downed trees. With no turn around areas, one could get back in somewhere and reach a dead end and have no choice but to reverse back out potentially miles depending how far in you’ve gone.

Thanks grubson, very good info. Doing online research for pheasant or prairie grouse is a lot easier, less land types and people to talk to. WMA, WIA, WPA, and nat’l grasslands is about it. Game Warden, DNR biologist, and PF biologist covers people.

For Ruffies it’s county land, state and federal forrests, plus wmas and paper company land. Add to the above contacts state and fed forresters, county land managers, RGS biologists, etc., seems a lot more moving parts. That’s ok, the research is enjoyable and leads to satisfaction later in the hunt.

Last year when I went for prairie grouse out west I was worried about snakes as the temps were still warm. I educated myself on their primary habitats in order to avoid them, and found a 24/7 vet that carried antivenin always. Thankfully we never saw one. The dog did step on a couple cactus, but they were easily removed. Probably the scariest thing I ever saw out hunting was a sign warning a cyanide traps that would be fatal to dogs in minutes if triggered. Signs were well posted, and I turned the truck around from the area without ever getting out. These are used in areas where coyotes have been proven to eat baby cows and sheep and must be legally signed and checked every 24 hours.

I’m not trying to be a baby in posting all this stuff, I just think about it because the dog is my best friend and I do everything to make sure she has a safe hunt.

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You sound like a good dog owner crawdaddy. I do many of those same precautions for every hunting trip. In my opinion, you owe it to your dog to do all that stuff and you’re doing them a disservice if you aren’t.

crawdaddy wrote:

Probably the scariest thing I ever saw out hunting was a sign warning a cyanide traps that would be fatal to dogs in minutes if triggered. Signs were well posted, and I turned the truck around from the area without ever getting out.

That is wild. I would have done the exact same thing. No way Jose

Those dead end trails described in the few posts above… I would park and walk it with dog if the cover is right.

Thanks for the kind words Gitchi, no greater compliment than one about being good to a dog.

My other two questions about grouse

1. I hear a lot about pine trees, it’s that where the grouse sleep at, or do they roost in the ground?

2. What is the best time of day to hunt the birds, or what are the differences in their behavior and location throughout the day?

Thanks in advance.

It really depends on time of year. One of my favorites is later in the season on cold sunny days. Once that sun comes up it draws them to trails like none other. I think you said early season so im not great on that as i usually avoid it.

Ruffed Grouse tend to roost in trees. If you try hunt them really early in the morning many grouse have not flown down yet and you go right by them …

Fun thing about deer hunting in a stand is when a few grouse are around in the morning. Watching them wake up, start to peep a bit and flutter or fly down. Same in the evening … watching them fly up feed a bit and then settle in for a night sleep.

In the cold, cold part of winter ruffed grouse will roost more in balsams and if the snow is deep enough they are known to roost on the ground under the snow.

Acorns are a good food source for grouse in the few areas where they exist in northern Minnesota. Aspen and alder catskins are a major food source for grouse in the winter … that is why you need older aspen trees and not just wrist diameter aspen clear cuts. Dogwood berries are a source of food in areas where they are prevalent.

Grouse are hunted year around by hawks, owls, fox, bobcats, to name a few…

I once found a ruffed grouse frozen on a balsam limb. I think a few days before it had dropped down to around -40F … no telling how long it has been there.

Brittman wrote:

I once found a ruffed grouse frozen on a balsam limb. I think a few days before it had dropped down to around -40F … no telling how long it has been there.

that would have been an interesting find!!!