Grouse Report: Mille Lacs WMA

[rucker]

I went grouse hunting for about 3 hours today at the Mille Lacs WMA. I went in near Dewitt Pool.

I saw 7 grouse and had decent shots at 3 of them. On one of them I was swinging through to a perfect going away shot and my barrel bounced off a little tree I have no excuse for coming home empty handed

[ttousi]

But it was a beautiful day to be outside. Besides the grouse will be there next time.

[Pat]

I went grouse hunting for about 3 hours today at the Mille Lacs WMA. I went in near Dewitt Pool.

I saw 7 grouse and had decent shots at 3 of them. On one of them I was swinging through to a perfect going away shot and my barrel bounced off a little tree I have no excuse for coming home empty handed

How was the ground up there? I was also thinking about doing some grousing in the MWMA on Saturday, but I figured that the woods would be pretty mushy.

[rucker]

I went grouse hunting for about 3 hours today at the Mille Lacs WMA. I went in near Dewitt Pool.

I saw 7 grouse and had decent shots at 3 of them. On one of them I was swinging through to a perfect going away shot and my barrel bounced off a little tree I have no excuse for coming home empty handed

How was the ground up there? I was also thinking about doing some grousing in the MWMA on Saturday, but I figured that the woods would be pretty mushy.

The whole place is a giant bog, there is water absolutely everywhere. I was wearing light hiking boots, not very tall, and I stepped in water that went over my boots several times on the trail! Wear your tall boots!

[Pat]

I hunted both the north and south ends a couple of weeks ago, before the all this rain. It was absolutely beautiful, though still too many leaves on the trees. I could just feel the little devils watching me from under all that cover

[Tabsr]

Thanks for the report, I will be in the longville area next weekend and hopefully dry out by then.

[rucker]

I went again on Saturday but to a slightly different area. I went in just south of Dewitt Pool on some minimum maintenance road. This time I saw 5 grouse and actually got one It was also much drier but still soggy in some areas.

I had a question for anyone familiar with the area. Are there more than one type of grouse in that WMA? The one I got was a ruffed grouse but are there also spruce grouse there?

[Pat]

I went again on Saturday but to a slightly different area. I went in just south of Dewitt Pool on some minimum maintenance road. This time I saw 5 grouse and actually got one It was also much drier but still soggy in some areas.

I had a question for anyone familiar with the area. Are there more than one type of grouse in that WMA? The one I got was a ruffed grouse but are there also spruce grouse there?

Hey! Leave some for the rest of us, will ya?

I grew up not too far north of the MLWMA. Only ruffed grouse around Mille Lacs. The DNR manages the WMA specifically to promote prime ruffed grouse habitat. If you get a chance, pick up an old copy (now out of print) of "The Ruffed Grouse," by Gordon Gilliam. He was a prof at the U and made quite an in depth study of ruffed grouse in the MLWMA.

[DeanC]

There aren't many spruce grouse left due to their incredible stupidity.

[jp2]

We went out last Saturday south west of Cloquet. After four hours with a good dog we flushed one grouse. Last year when we hunted the same area we got our limit of grouse, shot woodcock and saw many more of each, so we were a little disappointed. This weekend we will be pheasant hunting in the Pipestone area while the deer hunters are in the woods.

[tex]

If you go another 40 miles north you may get to see a sharp-tail. Aitkin county has been trying to maintain a sharptail population. There have been a lot of classes for timber management to increase their habitat. I know guys who have seen one or two but haven't managed to get any increase in population. Usually management means you open the area up so the owls and hawks can see them better.
Kind of like digging 'wildlife ponds' for ducks and geese. All those ponds do is make fat predators.