News
Grouse season draws near
Sioux City Journal
If you've never hunted prairie grouse, this just might be the year to do it.
Populations of sharptail grouse and prairie chickens are doing well in the grasslands of both South Dakota and Nebraska.
And, there are plenty of public lands in each state carrying a lot of birds. Permission to hunt private property is also much easier than during pheasant season. September 15 marks the opening day of grouse season in both states with hunting lasting until Dec. 31 in Nebraska and Jan. 6 in South Dakota.
If you hunt grouse, be prepared to do a lot of walking. And during September, temperatures can be very warm. Bring plenty of water for both you and your dog.
Grouse will be found throughout the grasslands and you never know just where you will encounter them. The key is to cover a lot of ground.
During warm weather, cover becomes important. The birds will like to sit in the shade of plum bushes, chokecherry, buffalo berry or other short shrubs.
Any cover at the bottom of ravines could hold birds during the heat of the day.
Yet, you just can't depend on cover producing grouse. Much of the time you'll find them on hillsides or ridgetops, especially if there is a light wind.
Early in the season, the birds will be fairly easy to approach. They will be mostly in family groups then and don't seem to adopt their wild, evasive ways until colder weather. Pointing dogs won't be much help in grouse hunting. The flocks will usually fly away when the dog nears them. However, a dog is invaluable early in the season and for finding downed birds any time.
Grouse are very easy birds to knock down. Usually they'll fall if hit by only one pellet. I prefer size six shot early in the season and later may drift to 5s or even 4s if we can't get close to the birds.
Prairie grouse shooting is excellent exercise in beautiful grassland surroundings.
Their meat is dark and may not be for everyone. It is important in warm weather to eviscerate them right away and hang them in a carrier on your belt and not in the game bag. You want them to cool off quickly. Put them on ice in a cooler when you get back to the vehicle.
I like to breast them and grill them. Cut slits in the breast and rub them with lemon pepper and garlic powder and grill to medium rare.
Another easy way to fix them is to marinate them in Italian dressing for an hour or two and then grill. That works well for just about any wild game.
If you're anxious to get that scattergun burning powder, consider a prairie grouse hunt this year.
