doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com No Grousmas in PA this year?

Late grouse cancelled in Pennsylvania? Is this true?

Just looked it up. Closes December 23rd no grouse after Christmas.

Well...I guess I'll just have to do without this year, which is a bit sad. Did they give any reason for the change? I wonder if it has anything to do with those studies they did recently on the birds with West Nile virus?

Yes, the late season was closed as a "feel good" measure, IMO. Every study I've seen over the years bears out the same conclusion- hunters have no additive effect on grouse mortality. They simply closed it to give the appearance they are doing something.

The GC has failed miserably at their own stated goals for creating ESH laid out in their most recent "Grouse Plan". The only thing that man can do to aid grouse is create the habitat they need to survive and we simply aren't doing that anywhere near what's prescribed in their plan. IIRC, the last number I saw was they are cutting/burning somewhere between 7-10% of the amount of hardwoods on gamelands that they said they were going to do. Lots of excuses.

I'm not of the belief that WNV isn't impacting grouse populations, just not convinced it's the boogeyman that the GC is trying to make it out to be. It seems like an easy excuse to blame the disease for the decline in grouse numbers as opposed to actually managing our forested areas like they are tasked to do.

I believe the last I heard, IF it is reinstated, it won't be until the 2020-2021 season. Don't hold your breath.

Sorry it messes up your Grousemas Lloyd. You're not alone in your disappointment.

**One positive is that there does seem to be a good bit of cutting being done by the DCNR on state forest lands. I have no accurate accounting of the acreage, just my observations from the areas in the northern tier I've been hunting over the last few years.

I just talked to a gentleman who hunted at a grouse forever event outside of Kane PA. He said there were twenty pairs of hunters with guides hunting for two days and they killed 6 grouse.
CHAZ

Terribly disappointing. One of the biggest reasons I had to be in the woods after Christmas. As Marc said, and in my view as well, instead of creating more habitat each year, they seem to shrink the various hunting season more and more each year. Without Sunday hunting, it is drastically limiting the time hunters can be afield.

That's why I bought a 12 gauge pump and switched to waterfowl. September through the end of February, can't beat that.

Should have bought a Model 21. Talk about scarce.

it would be interesting to hear reports from other bird hunters in the northeast re the grouse situation...it is my understanding that northern maine is the only area left with huntable populations of birds...and the decline of the ruffed grouse in the northeast pre dates the appearance of the west nile virus by several decades...

That can be rectified if you have the $. There are few good 3" ones on GunsInternational now. One with flat-side receiver and 32" will be most desirable, therefore, most expensive to buy. The prices are high because Winchester boys have deeper pockets than many out there. From practical point of view you will not be able to use Tungstem-Nickel-Iron-Tin shot because it is not compatible with old guns having soft-soldered barrels and tight choking. I have no experience with this shot, but years ago Sporting Gun had an excellent article on the stuff. It is heaver than lead and not perfectly round shot adds to pattern density at long range. It was reported that one can actually go down in size and still kill dead at same range as with lead which is exactly the opposite of what poor folks using steel have to do. It is too be used in modern guns with proof of at least 1200BAR choke modified or less. To avoid barrel damage they suggested using only cartridges which hulls in fired state equal to chamber length of the gun. The cost per typical shell is $4 or more.

I never bought a modern firearm off of gunbroker, just a few muzzleloaders. I'd rather buy local.

Bought an old pump. A Model 12 built in 1927, but I wouldn't use steel if I could anyway. That stuff sucks.

I went to a local gunshow with a table full of Model 12s, they were around that table 10 ten deep all day long. They pick over all the good ones so only the 'Beaters' were left. So I bought a beater.

Jagermeister, we're going to start calling you Captain Obvious.