Better in November and December? How to locate ruffed grouse in the late season

For the versatile hunter, October has much to offer – ducks, geese, bowhunting for deer. That’s the reason I tend to wait for late November and December to seriously hunt ruffed grouse.

December grouse hunts, though, bear little resemblance to October jaunts.

Locating grouse during December can be difficult since the birds are usually concentrated in small areas. Once found they are often wary and flush wildly, making it difficult for a pointing dog, let alone for a hunter trudging through noisy, crusted snow.

Despite those adversities – in some cases because of them – I love hunting grouse during the late season. 

Many hunters have trouble finding ruffed grouse during late season, even with the aid of snow. Since ruffs are usually grouped around any available food sources, it may take a bit of walking to find them. Therefore, I recommend hunting at a fast pace until tracks in the snow indicate a group of grouse has been feeding in an area. Then slow down and hunt that territory thoroughly. 

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Since the fruits and greens favored by grouse earlier in the fall will have all but disappeared by November and December, the birds will be feeding mostly on buds and catkins. Grouse will pick away at a variety of edibles, but, in my experience, the catkins of hazel are their favorite early winter food.

Ruffs definitely prefer the larger catkins plucked from hazel shrubs growing in areas exposed to the sun. Thus, look for the best hazel thickets to be in forest openings and on woodland edges. Overgrown cattle pastures are almost always good spots, especially when close to typical ruffed grouse cover of aspen, alder, and dogwood.

Ruffed grouse also feed on ironwood and birch buds during late season and, as winter progresses, aspen buds. Grouse also relish highbush cranberries, and unlike many other woodland fruits, the colorful red berries remain on the stems through the winter, or until hungry grouse pluck them.

Examine the crops of the birds you kill because that will help you determine what they are eating.

On cold days grouse will often feed only in the late afternoon, forgoing breakfast. They will, however, usually be loafing within a quarter mile or so of their favorite food source.

If the snow is deep grouse may spend the day roosting under a blanket of powder. Otherwise, they will often hunker next to log or tree trunk in a sunny spot out of the wind. Oftentimes they may hide in evergreens such as balsam fir or spruce.

Once flushed, late season grouse often land in a tree after flying from sight. When attempting to follow and flush a grouse again, a hunter should watch for the telltale “bowling pin” (an alert grouse standing tall) perched on a branch.

Since late-season ruffed grouse are often jumpy, hunters should consider using a tighter choke and larger shot then they would use earlier when leaves are on the trees. I go with a modified choke and No. 6 shot.    

It’s easy to overdress when hunting late-season ruffed grouse. Active hunters require surprisingly little outerwear. A good rule to follow is if you aren’t a bit chilled when you initially enter the woods, you’re probably wearing too much clothing.

Enjoy your time afield during the late season even if you don’t flush many grouse. I really like observing the tracks of various woodland creatures while hunting grouse.

The Wisconsin season on ruffed grouse continues through Dec. 8 in Zone B and Jan. 5, 2025 in Zone A. The daily bag limit in Zone A is five birds; the Zone B daily bag limit is two birds.