138 Northwest Sportsman AUGUST 2019 | nwsportsmanmag.com
careening through the alders. My
father referred to it as helping put the
shotshell manufacturers’ kids through
college. I concur, Pop. I concur.
As many of you know, the
Northwest is home to three species of
forest grouse. There are ruffed – note:
not ruffled – blue (dusky and sooty) and
spruce. Of the three, it’s ruffs and blues
that hunters most often encounter,
with the ruffs normally being low, and
the blues at higher elevations. Seasons
and bag limits on both sides of the
Columbia and into Idaho are liberal,
with Sept. 1 or thereabouts opening
day and an end-of-the-year closure.
Oregon, however, continues through
January 31, 2020, which is a nice way
to finish up the season. Washington’s
limit is four in the aggregate (but no
more than three of any one species);
in the Beaver State, it’s three. In Idaho,
grouse season begins on Aug. 30, and
closes either in December or January,
depending on the region, with a
generous daily bag of four.IT’S QUITE NICE, I must say, to start bird
hunting in September here in the
Northwest. The weather’s generally
pleasant, the woods are quiet, and
the only contact you might have with
another human – grouse hunting,
that is – may be with the occasional
bowhunter. Or mushroomer.
Early geese, doves and grouse are
also an excellent way to introduce
young or new hunters to the field.
Geese and doves often provide plenty
of shooting opportunities throughout
the morning, an element essential to
keeping nimrods interested. Grouse?
Perhaps not so much in the way of
shooting; however, a trip into the hills
with a new hunter can be a fantastic
all-around learning experience for
them, what with the chance to
do a little fishing, berry picking,
’shrooming, salamander hunting, tree
identification, and on and on and on.
After all, it’s the outdoors. There’s
a lot to be learned, even for us old
dogs. NS