I have been chasing pheasants for a while but had never tried grouse just don't have much for grouse around green county.

a friend called me Friday and asked if I wanted to go Saturday , this is the last weekend of season.

drove up to black river he had a place he liked to go

I saw 2 grouse , I kicked up the first one I would have had a shot not a great one but they are fast and having never seen one before I let it fly watching it and getting the confirmation yes that is a grouse.

the second grouse my friend kicked up but it was too far out already when it went up and I mostly just heard it. never saw much more then a brown flash before I couldn't see it.

while I was going through the woods I thought I saw a huge puff ball so I had to go see that. got about 30-40 yards from it and it moved. I realized it was a snowshoe hare and shot it , stretching the limits of #6 I had to follow it a bit and shoot it a second time.


a little while later a flash of white caught my eye and another snowshoe hare again stretching the limits of #6 shot

got the 2 snowshoe hares , no grouse , beats seeing nothing good day put on a bunch of miles .


I had been seeing these little ball mushrooms all over the place , they seem to grow on oak leaves some even in trees
I tried searching for them online but didn't find these little ball mushrooms with the description I have them. they range from marble to about tennis ball in size most around a golf ball size
anyone know what they are?

I believe there called oak galls, should be a bug of some kind inside...

I loved grouse hunting, not a high percentage sport but it's addicting,. love that thundering flush.

Nice hare. You gonna tan that little pelt?
More importantly, how are you cooking him?!

it is a gull wasp that is inside, look for a small exit hole, the parasites come out this year and the wasp next year.

Nice hunt- yup… oak gall

I didn't save the hide. I skinned them at lunch and left the hide , head , feet and gut for the raptors , wolves, coyotes , or whatever gets them.

after skinning a few colds squirrels very attached to their hide I carry gloves and ziplock bags in the truck now just get them while warm makes it much easier.

thinking I may treat them like I would a pheasant , I love pheasant gumbo , will have to see how it goes.

for pheasant gumbo I pressure cook them first then pick and add the meat chopped up

Sounds good! I love rabbit. Once I was making a mink set in a culvert and my husband poked around to kick up small game. He came back holding up a rabbit shortly after I heard a shot and I saved the hide and we braised the rabbit in beer with bay leaves. The next morning I had a mink. We were both happy!