Winter ruffed grouse in the Adirondacks?

[bigbore442001]

I would really appreciate some good advice. I am aware of a winter camp out gathering in the Adirondacks during the MLK weekend. I was thinking about attending and thought about doing some sort of hunting.

I checked out the NYS website and was amazed to discover that the state's ruffed grouse season runs through January. As a kid in Massachusetts our grouse season went to mid January and the late season hunts in the snow were a lot of fun. I'd get a few birds. Now the season has been significantly shortened from October to the end of November.

Anyways. I would like to know if it is worthwhile to buy a small game license and hunt for three or four days in the middle to end of January for ruffed grouse in the Northfield area. Would I be wasting time and money or should I go for it? I would like some advice from NY state hunters on this topic.

BTW. I plan to use my TC Black Mountain Magnum 12 guage muzzleloading shotgun. I want to use something a bit different. Thank you for an

 

[Rancocas]

I'm not familiar with the Northfield area, but I did live for a while in Malone, NY, on the north slope of the Adirondacks. The snow gets deep. I saw 5 feet of it on the level and some drifts in open country went over the telephone poles. My dog couldn't handle it, and so I had to leave him home. I hunted on snowshoes. Awful cold! Had some good grouse shooting up there, but you had better be real sure of your surroundings. Getting lost in a blizzard could be deadly.

 

[brew]

Can you tell me more about this winter camp out gathering in the dacks?

 

Big Bore
I lived in the Adirondacks until 97 when I retired.
Northfield? doesn't ring a bell with me. The only one I know of is in Delaware Co, and thats quite a hike .
The grouse hunting in Jan is usually very hard.
Snow and cold have driven them into the cedar swamps and other cover that is nearly impossible to get through.Snow shoes are useless in such thick cover.
My Mom says that she hasn't seen a "patridge" this year and very few Red squirrels. There are a few sets of rabbit tracks around her place however
Of course she lives in the Minerva/Newcomb area and the same conditions may not apply to other places.
Good luck if you go.(Any time I get to hunt is the right time)
Dan

 

[Vaino]

Having lived in northern Minnesota for a few winters, I combined grouse and snowshoe hare hunting and snowshoes {footware} were always a necessity. Usually started around 9AM and went to food cover that grouse frequented {alders and hazel}, but on extremely cold, snowy days, just walked around this same cover and every once in awhile a grouse or two would explode from beneath the snow cover and offer a fairly easy shot. The country I hunted was desolate w/ no farms or residents and was very hilly w/ trout streams in the valleys {also deer hunted this area}.On the extremely cold days, shot like noises could be heard from the exploding birch trees. Later in the day {2PM} I started to hunt snowshoe hares and looked for tracks to find areas that held snowshoes and in the good years, the pickings were plentiful and easy. Despite the sometimes cold temps and deep snow this hunting holds fond memories because of the "aloneness" felt in a big, wild country. Hope you have the same feeling on your hunt.....Fred

 

[Protrucker]

Northfield is closer to the Catskill mountains than the Adirondaks. It's between Walton & Unadilla. Unless we have a very hard winter (lot's of snow) you should probably have some fun hunting around there.

 

[bigbore442001]

There is another forum I belong to that has some members conducting a winter campout in that part of the Empire State. I querried about hunting ruffed grouse or other small game and someone stated that they plan to hunt as well.

I figured that if all goes well I could attend and do some hunting to boot. I was wondering if people from the Empire State could let me know if it was waste of time.

 

[RC]

way outa my area, but ain't never a waste of time if yer gonna be here anyway :thumbsup: what's NYS charge fer a small game license?(that would be my deciding factor...)good luck!

 

[rabjr]

One thing I miss about huntin up there. There was a tree they liked right next to my stand that they always roosted in. Many a morning I watched them stir and start walking around on the the branches, then fly down as the sun come up. Used to watch them work the area till they went out of site. Used see a few Spruce grouse up there too.

I agree that time of year it has to be tough to hunt em. Better have a good pair of snow shoes.

 

[bigbore442001]

I believe a small game license is $55. It would be different to go to that area just for something like that.

 

[brew]

Hey RC,
Doing the PA thing?

 

[Stumpkiller]

Anyways. I would like to know if it is worthwhile to buy a small game license and hunt for three or four days in the middle to end of January for ruffed grouse in the Northfield area. Would I be wasting time and money or should I go for it? I would like some advice from NY state hunters on this topic.

I would say "yes", but then I am addicted to ruffed grouse.

There is grouse hunting, and then there are those other kinds.

It's double tough hunting them with a m/l; at least the way I do without a dog. You have to be on your game to get the gun up and lined up and the hammer back before it jinks a tree between you. The double is no advantage ove a single (IMHO) as by the time the smoke clears it's all over.

This year I had CoyoteJoe cut a jug-choke (#2 skeet - 50 to 55%) to play with on my New Englander. Previously it was straight cylinder (40% +/-). I use 1-1/8 oz #6 shot and 75 gr FFg. Similar to a low brass field load. Grouse don't take much killing, but you do have to hit them.