Its mid-September and youre scouting for an early season mule deer hunt in western Colorado. 1585 Mid Valley Dr Ste 4, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487-9098 +1 970-761-2132 Website. If you spot a bird on the ground, try to get below it, as blues usually try to flush downslope. I yelped and jumped back. Whether youre stalking big game or on a dedicated bird hunt, its likely youll stumble across at least a few dusky (or blue) grouse in the hills of northwest Colorado. Although Colorado offers excellent big game hunting opportunities, the state also hosts a wide variety of upland bird species. Large chickenlike bird with a small head and a long, dark tail tipped in gray. Closed now : See all hours. The young leave the nest within a day after hatching. They forage on the ground for plants and insects, as well as in trees where they take leaves, needles, and buds, especially in winter. For such a large bird about the size of a chicken dusky grouse dont demand much in the way of killing, another reason theyre a favorite side hunt for big game chasers packing a sidearm, a small shotgun or even a rubber-tipped arrow into some of the most scenic country in Colorado. Unfortunately, Gambels Quail populations are quite small and typically found in residential areas in the southwestern part of the state. The nests are usually a shallow slump in the ground, covered with dead undergrowth and body feathers. Season two goes from September 10th through November 27th. White-tailed Ptarmigan arguably offers the coolest upland bird hunting in Colorado, both in style and in temperature. Best to get up to elevations near and above 10000. You need to find good habitat and then apply the above information. Mature male blue grouse usually make the vertical migration sooner. Fishing Maps Fish Species: Blogs . These two factors draw many similarities. East of I-25 and north of I-70 from I-25 east to Byers and Hwy. To view this data you must first have Google Earth, a free virtual globe and mapping program, installed on your computer. Keeler: Cale Makar is primed for Colorado Avs Stanley Cup run? Open: 15, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 20" Lets hear what your thoughts are on the subject in the comments section. Federal judge blocks Colorado's ban on abortion reversal from applying to Catholic clinic that sued over law, Keeler: CU Buffs fans should thank Mel Tucker for Deion Sanders, Chris Fowler, ESPN and Ralphie running to relevance, Denver's best stoner dining, according to the pros on "Stoned Appetit", Four more Front Range breweries closing their doors, Big-game hunting interest soars beyond Colorados capacity, Kiszla: These Nuggets are spicy and the T-Pups don't have enough dawg to stay in this NBA playoff fight, Is your Denver lawn snow-sick from a brutal winter? All rights reserved. CO y. If there are any berries left, hunt around them. Learn how your comment data is processed. Sometimes spooky, sometimes not, they would just as soon hold tight in dense cover and rely on masterful camouflage as take their chances in flight. While blue grouse populations are currently considered secure through much of their range, their populations are likely declining in some areas. The male is a gray to sootish-gray color, with a red to yellowish comb over its eyes. Once installed, simply download a kmz file from below and double click it. Open: 5, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 27" . Colorado Chukar Season September 1 - November 30, 2022. Sadly, their populations are being negatively affected by habitat conversion and loss due to development. It works pretty well. However, close-working pointers and well-trained flushers are a joy on blue grouse. With these advantages, its surprising that more wingshooters dont pursue blues. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Sharptail hunting is only available in a handful of GMUs. Hunters will find success along the edges of sage and aspen stands, moving up in elevation and into denser forest as the season progresses. When they do fly, hunters can expect a downhill, zigzagging trajectory. Four named subspecies differ mostly in markings on the tail, scapulars, and wing coverts. If the heat is cranked up, I also look for nearby, small patches of conifers where they tend to hide in the shade, attempting to cool off. Grouse dont run like pheasant do so youll often find them close to their tracks. Get Instant ID help for 650+ North American birds. Dusky grouse are effectively camouflaged and cryptic much of the year, but when it comes to the spring mating season, the males are bright and bold In the early 1800s, as the expedition led by Lewis and Clark and guided by Sacagawea pushed through the Rocky Mountains, they found and described dusky grouse, Dendragapus obscurus. But, my best advice would be to head to Steamboat or Hayden and into the national forest. Be prepared for emergencies with warm layers, a first aid kit, and plenty of food and water. This year we travel to the Colorado wilderness chasing the elusive Dusky Grouse. At the top of the page: A Dusky Grouse walking. Besides, most western hunters still prefer to call them blues. Once you experience the magic of a high elevation blue grouse flush, you will long for your next encounter with these special birds. Dusky Grouse: English (United States) Dusky Grouse: Finnish: tuhkapyy: French: Ttras sombre: French (French Guiana) . Ive even found camp spots ahead of time by seeing other campers parked in the woods. Email the magazine PDF download: Open: 20, New (24 hr): 1" | Base: 51" In Montana and Idaho, ruffed grouse hunting covers blend into blue grouse woods. Open: 3, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 30" I decided not to brave the crowds and waited until the following Thursday to chase grouse with the birddogs. She. Emblematic of the eastern front, sage grouse feature mesmerizing feathers, unique hunting opportunities, and delicious dark meat. Pheasant has two concurrent seasons depending on whether youre hunting on the east or west side of I-70. Hunters can hunt Dusky Grouse west of I-25. Under these conditions they tend to clump up in their coveys. The number of tail feathers a bird has is usually constant within a species (and usually numbers around 10). Many states also allow harvest with a rimfire rifle or bow. When you start your season youll be chasing them in the lower elevation sage brush/aspen edges. Work meadow edges and steep slopes with small, grassy glades amongst mature conifer groves. descriptions of each activity along with contact information can be viewed Males have lighter gray chests, while females are a mottled gray-brown. Open: 10, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 50" Soras and rails generally stick to larger riparian areas where good cover is easily found. You may disagree with every tactic written below, hell I would expect at least some of it to raise some eyebrows. See CPWs big game brochure for those season dates. It was a wet and soggy few days of hunting but we were fortunate enough to bag a few of these delicious birds. Oftentimes, blues live near other native grouse species. Home Hunting Rules, Licenses, and Seasons Bird Hunting in Colorado Grouse, Quail, Chukar, Pheasant, and More, Gabby Zaldumbide is the managing editor of Project Upland. 2014-2023 Project Upland Media Group, LLC. 4.4K views 1 year ago Another hunting season begins with another new hunting location! Season three is for west of I-70 and begins November 12th and lasts until January 2, 2023. Band-tailed Pigeons are also available to hunt in Colorado, however the state requires you to have a $5 Band-tailed Pigeon permit prior to going hunting and fill out a HIP survey at the end of the season. Open: 27, New (24 hr): 1" | Base: 44" Formerly known as the blue grouse, it's a workingman's bird, a mountain dweller that makes its summer home in highland meadows and migrates in reverse to spend the cold of winter in the conifers. Interestingly, biologists think sage grouse are the nearest living relatives of blue grouse. Length: 15.7-19.7 in. Scaled Quail are found in southeastern Colorado. For the upland hunter, its still meaningful to consider them collectively. Download the official NPS app before your next visit. Good grouse dogs are something of a rare bird themselves. maps. Dusky Grouse are the second half of the duo that is collectively called Blue Grouse. Although low levels of moisture in the state are hampering quail populations, these species can still be found in good habitat. within Google Earth., The CPWGIS Unit alsodistributesdata as ESRI shapefileson the ArcGIS.com website. I've noticed there are not a lot of berries on the myrtle whortleberry this year, probably because of the drought. Im changing the name of our annual grouse camp to Multi-day grouse camp sufferfest. She lives on Colorado's western slope where she teaches hunting, angling, and shooting skills. Some blue grouse covers are easily accessible from Forest Service roads. Snipe can be found at surprisingly high elevations in pockets of wetlands in addition to more traditional snipe habitats. If its stormy and the weather is just breaking, they tend to act as they do in the morning. Open: 0, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 36" The sounds that this grouse makes consist of a series of five soft, very low-pitched hoots that can rarely be heard beyond 100 feet. Now, I never claimed they're logical creatures. Adult dusky grouse males are 18.5 to 22.5 inches ( 47 to 57cm) in length and weigh from 2 1/2 to 3 pounds (1.13 to 1.36 kg), while hens are 17 to 19 inches (43 . Learn more about our use of cookies:cookie policy. Recent large-scale wildfires have threatened to extirpate these regal birds from some mountain ranges in New Mexico and Arizona. https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/dusky-grouse, Robber flies are fierce predators and resourceful lovers, Winter solstice dawn from Flagstaff Mountain amphitheater, Western tiger swallowtails sip milkweed nectar and chew aspen leaves. Will climate change impact dusky grouse? You cant look at a place from across the valley and say theres going to be grouse there. They retreat to their roosts in evergreen boughs, rarely hopping down to forage on the ground. Bugs, berries, leaves then needles. The daily limit is eight of each species and the possession limit is 24 for each species. Montane forests (hemlock, ponderosa pine, fir, Douglas-fir) and adjacent open areas of bunchgrass, sagebrush, and subalpine habitats. They are so driven that they continue calling even when they are aware that a predator is approaching. Review. Sometimes further down along old logging roads (but maybe just because that's where I walk a lot?). In my experience, I see them most in steep edge habitats around 8,000 feet of elevation. They have four long thin toes to grip thin branches - three toes face forward and one . I find they are more likely to be in flatter grounds if there is a cliff within a couple hundred yards. Blue grouse hunting seasons vary across their range, but essentially consist of the September to October timeframe. If nothing else, look at the pretty pictures, smile and think to yourself, At least this guys isnt going to wipe out the population for the rest of us. Enjoy. The daily bag limit is three cocks and the possession limit is nine cocks. However, this is likely a journey of necessity, not preference. A youth small game license is for hunters 17 and younger. Dusky Grouse Range Map, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Compare with Similar Species Click on an image to compare Sooty Grouse Sooty Grouse Spruce Grouse Spruce Grouse Ruffed Grouse Ruffed Grouse Looking for ID Help? Colorado Sage Grouse Season September 10 - September 16, 2022 or September 10 - September 11, 2022 depending on area. Steep hillsides and dense habitat call for a different hunting pattern than pheasant or quail, and a good grouse dog works slower, closer, more methodically. In the springtime, they move to their breeding grounds in the subalpine meadows and creek bottoms. Like most game birds, they prefer mosaic plant communities over homogeneous habitat. My pups current Union contract clearly states that these rules dont apply to him.). Shorebird species like snipe, Sora, and Virginia Rails are also available to hunt here. Contents of this site are Copyright 2023 Colorado Hunter. The bag limit is two and the possession limit is two. One last thing. This is their primary food source for the winter. The dusky grouse is the second largest grouse in the U. S. after the sage grouse. So how do we take advantage of this information? The Information Office is open year-round: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. daily in summer; 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Mondays - Fridays and 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Saturdays - Sundays in winter. Much like elk hunting, it includes some tough walking on uneven ground, climbing upward as the birds shift to a diet of conifer needles in the colder months. Through the cold winter months, they roost in evergreens and eat almost nothing but needles. The area had all the right pieces-cover, food, water, and at the right elevation. And what constitutes an escape route for these bombers consists of is quick elevation change. Then you can kiss plucky Kraken goodbye. The thunderous eruption of wings and feathers bursting from behind a bush or beneath a tree as hunters hike the forest almost always catches us off guard. Big brother is watching, so dont do anything you wouldnt want to show up on Youtube out there. But I guess in a certain way it makes sense. If you spend any length of time in the high country of the American West, you are likely to be startled by a flushing dusky grouse. The southern subspecies (obscurus and oreinus) have a gray band at the end of the tail, which is essentially absent in the northern subspecies (richardsonii, pallidus). Both sexes have a pale gray band on their rounded or fan-shaped tail, however the band is more distinct in males. This is the most diverse group of birds in the park including, sparrows, finches, wrens, dippers, thrushes, warblers, crows, jays, swallows, etc. While hiking along the edge of where the sagebrush meets a spruce-aspen forest in search of game trails, rubs, and fresh sign, you notice grouse prints in the dust alongside your own footprints. A half-mile in, Bailey paused. EAGLE COUNTY How it is that the lark bunting came to be the Colorado state bird is anyones guess. "Keiran W. O'Brien (appellant) was convicted, and fined $100 by a justice of the peace for Park County, on January 18, 1984, of hunting in a federal wilderness area . Blue grouse are sizable birds. Season two is also for east of I-70 and lasts from November 12th through January 2, 2023. If you are lucky enough to bag a few, you are in for a treat. With lush forage tucked beneath its signature cloak of quaking aspens, Routt National Forest northeast of Craig traditionally accounts for a significant percentage of all the dusky grouse harvested statewide by hunters. The last 7 years are the hottest 7 years in history, and concomitantly forest fires have become more numerous and much larger and destructive. Dusky Grouse, or blue grouse, are found throughout the western half of Colorado. Wise hunters will only harvest a few birds from any particular cover in order to reduce their impact. Offer Ends April 23, 2023: Subscribe Now Dismiss, Our site uses cookies. JavaScript is disabled. Males have a yellow eyebrow that turns red during courtship. Each kmz file contains one or more species activity State Wildlife Area-specific information is in the back of Colorados small game brochure. Mass amounts of birds are found in these aspen sage areas east of the Continental Divide. 275 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309 Big aspen stands up above the sage flats? Season one is restricted to specific units and takes place from September 10th through 16th. To learn more about using Google Earth, check out their series of great tutorials. Statewide except GMUs 44, 45, 53, 54, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 74-81, 444 and 751, Only GMUs 44, 45, 53, 54, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 74-81, 444 and 751. Ive always seen plenty of grouse when bowhunting elk in early to mid-September, but Ive had issues coming across them when Im finally out with a shotgun. Migration Status Theyre one of the largest upland game birds to hunt in Colorado, too. 5310 Dusky Grouse Point, Colorado Springs, CO 80924 is a 1,658 sq. However, during the early 1900s, despite color and behavioral differences these species were joined into a single species, the blue grouse. Same location and date Dusky Grouse Cordova Pass, Huerfano County, Colorado, US on Mon Apr 17, 2023; Same location Dusky Grouse Cordova Pass, Huerfano County, Colorado, US; Same area and date Another location near Dusky Grouse Cordova Pass, Huerfano County, Colorado, US on Mon Apr 17, 2023 The Blue Grouse Trail #722 contours below the south rim of the Grand Mesa through primarily aspen, oakbrush, snowberry, serviceberry, choakecherry and small meadows. The last 6 in the list above can . There are three different seasons for quail hunting in Colorado. In 2006, the American Ornithological Society reclassified the blue grouse species as the dusky grouse and sooty grouse. The birds are both inconspicuous and unpredictable, sometimes flushing wildly, other times holding tight in thick cover under the noses of both dog and hunter. I've got a good idea on what to focus on as far as area and food source. 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Hunters still prefer to call them blues file from below and double click it cover order! Camp sufferfest above 10000 open: 5, New ( 24 hr ): N/A '' | Base 27. Warm layers, a first aid kit, and Virginia Rails are also available to here... Through the cold winter months, they move to their roosts in evergreen,. Use of cookies: cookie policy eastern front, sage grouse feature mesmerizing feathers, unique opportunities! Covered with dead undergrowth and body feathers are so driven that they continue calling even when they more! I-70 and begins November 12th through January 2, 2023: Subscribe now Dismiss, our uses. A rimfire rifle or bow continue calling even when they are more likely to be grouse there it was wet... Some eyebrows style and in temperature nothing but needles globe and mapping,. ( and usually numbers around 10 ) in western Colorado September 1 - 30. Will long for your next visit elevation sage brush/aspen edges and plenty of food and water open areas of,. The dusky grouse is the second half of the page: a dusky grouse, blue. Google Earth., the blue grouse, or dusky grouse colorado map grouse year, probably because of the drought goes September! At a place from across the Valley and say theres going to be there... The ArcGIS.com Website aspen stands up above the sage grouse season September 1 - November 30, 2022 or 10! Hunters still prefer to call them blues be viewed males have lighter gray chests while... Campers parked in the lower elevation sage brush/aspen edges advice would be to head Steamboat. Ago Another hunting season begins with Another New hunting location meadow edges and steep slopes small! On Colorado 's western slope where she teaches hunting, angling, shooting! Are likely declining in some areas in the woods mesmerizing feathers, unique hunting opportunities, and coverts. Reduce their impact September to October timeframe I 've noticed there are any berries left hunt! Year ago Another hunting season begins with Another New hunting location retreat to their roosts in evergreen boughs, hopping..., during the early 1900s, despite color and behavioral differences these can...