However, their reputation is only partially deserved. These birds become far more wary with dogs on the ground. Clearly, they evolved to avoid canids and big cats, not humans. If you want a sporting hunt for dusky grouse, a dog is all you need to make it interesting.

In 2006, taxonomists recognized distinct genetic and morphological variability in two major groups of blue grouse. They renamed the birds of the interior Rockies dusky grouse (Dendragapus obscurus), and named the occupants of the coastal mountains sooty grouse (Dendragapus fuliginosus). Within each species, multiple subspecies are recognized.  

During my childhood in southern New Hampshire, kids competed to shoot a limit of “pa’tridge,” my brother and myself included. I admit, I lost just about every time to my older brother. However, we thought shooting the limit was a good idea. After all, it was the 80s.

These birds gave an air of boundless existence. Hunting the droves of ruffed grouse in the Berkshires of Massachusetts when our grandfather was setting up a stand seemed almost too easy. We believed the grouse there and in the woods by my father’s house would be there forever.

But we were wrong. We never thought to ask ourselves, should I shoot that limit?

While staring out my kitchen window one morning, I watched Rudy, my resident yard rooster, come sailing through the sky to land in the orchard down below my house. I quickly finished my morning tea and grabbed my two setters to see if we could rouse Rudy from his hiding place. 

As expected, my two girls slammed beautiful points in the morning light. Of course, the place Rudy settled in was a native Montanan rose thicket. Cursing, I set forth to flush him from the brush, kicking and stomping as my annoyance grew with each broadening circle. Damn, was he holding tight this morning.

Suddenly, off to my right, I saw a small movement of branches. 

Every bird hunter reaches a point in their life when they desire to travel to a different state and hunt a new species. There are too many intriguing birds and landscapes to stay satisfied with hunting near home. Alternatively, in some states, one must travel to find success. While the culmination of a good bird hunt is ultimately the point, flush, and successful taking of the target species, getting to that point on an out-of-state hunt can be difficult.  

Similar to many upland game species, the northern bobwhite has experienced range-wide declines over the last century. These declines are primarily attributed to changes in land use and habitat loss. However, many unanswered questions remain regarding the sustainability of populations exposed to an annual harvest and associated hunting pressure.

Something about side-by-sides speaks to the grouse hunter in me. My personal journey into side-by-sides is likely similar to others’ amongst the under-45 crowd finding their way into them today: nostalgia seeped into my veins. Although I wanted one, I hesitated to buy a vintage gun because I lacked confidence and the knowledge of how to select one that functioned properly and was fairly priced. I had never even shot my great-grandfather’s Belgium-built hammer gun, even though I always meant to take it to a gunsmith to learn about the barrel condition ad proper loads. 

Learn to avoid these simple mistakes before you step foot in the uplands again. 

There is a decent amount of talk about training once hunting seasons end. Oftentimes, that talk turns to dogs—honing skills or learning new ones. There are also discussions about their human counterparts staying sharp, specifically with our shooting. 

Firsts can come at any time. For long-time waterfowl hunter Steph Lane, her first snow goose hunts were that of disappointment and heart-beating, exciting redemption, respectively. 

A West Virginia University wildlife and fisheries student joins experts from the U.S. Forest Service, Ruffed Grouse Society, and West Virginia Division of Natural Resources on an interagency project outside of Elkins, West Virginia. Through this visit to the worksite, it's clear that multispecies management via interagency collaboration is a successful model to bolster successful conservation practices.