How To Convince Your Wife To Go On A Grouse Hunting Trip 😎

"Want to see some beautiful fall colors?"

I should probably start by explaining how Alexis wasn't intimidated by the idea at all. And that the title is a tad misleading...

Early October is just a flat-out awesome time of the season to be out appreciating fall. It didn't take much to convince her into adventuring out on a weekend to go camping in Betrami Island State Forest. October grouse hunting will lead you to the middle of the woods where tall trees filter small streams of sunshine and leaves dance across the ground. Toss in a tent, campfire, warm sleeping bags, a few cups of coffee, and I'd bet anyone would consider joining just for the ambiance.

If you're new to this, you might be surprised to learn that "grouse camps" are actually a thing. Camp can be anything from tarps, tents, and pop-out fish-houses to RV's and Icecastles. A very similar scene happens later in November for deer season. On average, 80,000 grouse hunters hit the woods annually in Minnesota to pursue the best tasting game bird out there. Over the course of our weekend we saw a few of those hunters buzzing up and down roads on ATVs and UTVs. (One dude had a Honda Civic.) Other than that, hunter density looked to be isolated to campgrounds and roads.

Alexis and I hunted by foot on deer paths and trails mainly within a mile of camp. Saturday was fairly slow; other than for a few red squirrels, no game was taken. The weather was great and we had fun chatting quietly while traveling around, but we were never on the right path on the right time. Nonetheless, being we were in beautiful country on a gorgeous day, we took plenty of time to enjoy the forest. We even drove to a fire tower that's still in service so we could see some more scenery (pictures below). After an overnight low of 26 degrees, the grouse where very active on Sunday morning and Alexis was able to harvest her first bird. I was definitely the proudest husband on earth.

Sometimes hunting grouse isn't so easy.

Hunting pressured grouse late into the year can be extremely hard. They'll be on high alert the second they notice a hunter walking through the woods. My brother and I were in an area once that had been hit hard with hunters and I remember spotting grouse that were all stretched out like bowling pins sitting on branches. Those birds were super shy and flushed well beyond our shotgun range. I guess that's why you can also hunt grouse with a .22lr.

Non-educated grouse, such as the ones deep into State Forests, are far less challenging to hunt. I have many memories taking multiple grouse from a single group with a single shot 20 gauge. I even had to extract a shell that didn't fire. I still hunt grouse with a single shot H&R, although now its a 12 gauge with Mini Shells (thank you, Eric).

Anyhow, if you're looking to find more ways to include family, your spouse, or friends into your hunting life you'd probably have an easy time convincing them to come grouse hunting. And, they'll be far more likely to come again if it's easy hunting. Also, it helps if you let them take the shots ;)

Bonus: Minnesota DNR has great information on hunting Ruffed Grouse.

A simple, beginners guide to grouse hunting will be coming soon!