Many hunters’ idea of ruffed grouse hunting looks like an image of a regal English setter on point, tail held high as the shooter moves in to flush a cooperative bird. The grouse then vaults into the air and flies away in a straight line, presenting an easy, going-away shot.
It’s pretty neat when things work out that way, but anyone who has spent more than a day or two among the aspens and alders knows that in reality, hunting these deep-forest birds is more often an unpredictable challenge. Spooky birds that flush in wild, rough terrain, and dense foliage all combine to frustrate even the best hunters.
Once you get past the idea that not every grouse brought to hand is the result of a picture-perfect “gentleman’s” hunt, and that the best you can hope for in the grouse woods is controlled chaos, going after ruffs with a flushing retriever makes a lot of sense.
It stands to reason that if your retriever is a good performer on other bird species, it will be a great help in flushing ruffs. You can maximize success by putting in some time preparing and training your retriever to hunt efficiently in heavy cover.
Let’s look at a few things to consider that will help both you and your dog be more successful.
Teach skills in open areas before transition to tighter cover. (Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Karls) Perparing a Flushing Dog to Hunt in the Grouse Woods Successful upland hunting with a retriever requires that it patterns well , quartering in front of you and staying within shooting range. It’s also important, in any upland scenario, that your dog will stop on command and reliably come back to you when called.
That all holds true whether you’re pheasant hunting in the grasslands of the Plains states, or grouse hunting in the alder swamps of the Upper Midwest. Therefore, even if you intend to upland hunt solely in heavy cover, I recommend you start upland training out in the open, where you can see your dog and it can see you so that you can train more effectively.
Working in the open is simply easier. You can put a check cord on a young retriever and walk a field back and forth, guiding your dog as it learns it can run a zig-zag pattern and always be within the range that you require. Also, and this is really important, you can use the rope to prevent your dog from circling back behind you. The goal is to help it understand that in front of you, but not too far out, is the sweet spot.
Trying to nail this concept while fighting through thickets, downed timber, and the like is just not going to be productive. Work on the essentials in the open. Later, if you’re training or hunting in the woods and a problem develops (hunting out of range or ignoring the whistle for example), take your program back out into the open where you and your dog can see each other at all times, so when you give a command there’s no mistaking what you want.
Using edges is a great way to teach a young dog to get into and hunt heavy cover. (Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Karls) Training a Dog in the Grouse Woods You want your retriever to learn that seeking out and hunting deep cover is always a good thing because that’s where birds will be. You help it make this association by planting training birds in that type of cover. I’m not going to go into bird introduction here due to space limitations, and because I’ve covered this multiple times over the years (most recently on the topic of introduction to pigeons in the Spring 2024 Gun Dog), but suffice to say that in your dog’s journey to becoming a great upland dog, it needs to be a feather fiend. Introduction to feathers, pigeon work, and introduction to gamebirds should all be completed. And you teach this where? See previous section: In the open!
With your dog’s drive for birds well-established, you can now create incentive for it to hunt in cover. If possible, work on these drills in early spring, when there’s some foliage, but the woods aren’t yet choked with thick, green undergrowth. It’s a matter of helping your dog figure out that when you near a chunk of woods it’s best to get inside of it. In time, you’ll find this is a real benefit in grouse cover because in some areas you can comfortably walk an edge or road while your dog does the heavy lifting by paralleling you in the cover.
The object you’ll use for woods training might vary depending on your retriever’s drive. For a dog that’s really intense and turns inside out with excitement when you say “Hunt ‘em up!” (or whatever cue you want to use that means, “Find it!”), some feathers taped to a bumper can work. One step better would be a frozen pigeon, and better than that would be a fresh-killed pigeon. Ideally, however, a clipped-wing pigeon that can flutter and try to escape while your dog works on catching it is the ultimate training bird.
I know we all run into issues with live-bird availability from time to time, so keeping pigeon, duck, or pheasant wings, as well as frozen birds, in the freezer for backup is better than nothing.
For the first couple of sessions, keep your dog in the truck while you plant your bumpers or birds. Mark them well so when you come back with your dog, you know right where they are. On the first outing, there’s no need to go deep into the woods. Try to position them so that you can guide your dog down an edge with a crosswind coming from the woods. When you near one of your planted birds, try to cast your dog toward it in a way it will pick up the scent. It won’t take long for your retriever to learn that it’s more fun to hunt in the cover because that’s where the birds will be.
As your dog gets better at finding birds in thick cover, it will also get bolder. Make sure you continue to insist on the same control you did when working out in the open. Flushes that are out of your sight (or out of gun range for that matter), aren’t productive. Really work on control during the off-season so you’re not fighting for it when it’s time to hunt.
If done well, flushing dogs are great for grouse hunting. (Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Karls) Tips for Hunting Grouse with a Flushing Dog It might already be grouse season while you’re reading this. Here are a few hunting tips I’ve found useful in building confidence in young dogs and that will contribute to a smoother hunt.
Don’t discount the use of a bell or beeper on your flushing retriever. These tools aren’t only for pointing dogs. Yes, you’re going to insist on your dog staying close, but sometimes your dog works into cover that’s nearly impenetrable for you. While you’re working out a detour, your dog could easily end up out of sight. Train your dog to check in with you when you signal it with its e-collar’s tone or vibrate feature. This is another great way for you to keep tabs on your retriever in heavy cover, or let it know that it’s ranging too far. Ideally, your retriever will get a chance to put up some birds (woodcock count too!) on the first walk of the season. Grouse being grouse, that’s not always the case. Take some insurance along in the form of a dead pigeon in your game vest. Better yet, take along a live, clipped-wing pigeon in a bird bag. If the going is slow, if your dog doesn’t seem motivated, or is just not “getting it,” flip that pigeon into the cover when your dog isn’t looking and then guide it back through the area. Heap on the praise when your dog comes up with the bird. After the season ends, consider taking up shed antler hunting with your retriever if you haven’t tried it. It’s a good reason to get out of the house after bird season, and quite often it involves searching in the same cover where you’d find grouse. Every outing will help polish the skills your retriever will be using the following fall. Grouse hunting with a retriever doesn’t bear much resemblance to hunting ruffs with a pointing dog. We retriever people don’t care. When you want to put birds in the air, a well-trained flushing dog will get you just as many, if not more, shooting opportunities.
