1. Go to Caw Ridge in September
2. Carry a shotgun with no. 7 1/2s
I got 13 ptarmigan and 3 spruce grouse. I saw three more but did not shoot/missed.
My friend and I shot 10 in the first 30 minutes in the field, thus filling our daily quota.
It was quite epic as the ptarmigan often fell 30-40 feet off the cliff after being shot. I quickly scrambled to get them as I kept spooking additional birds (I also figured I would lose them if I did not go right away).
For those who know Caw Ridge I stumbled upon these spruce grouse at the bottom of West End. The male put up a good fight and I had to chase him up the slope in the back left. I often hear people complaining about the taste of spruce grouse but I think they are delicious.
This was also the first time I really took advantage of the stand-on-the-wings-pull-the-feet method of cleaning: it worked quite well and by the end I could do a bird in under five minutes
I was up on the summit of the Haines Road last weekend, and must have seen over one hundred willow ptarmigans. I would love to hunt these. What's the flavour?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think I like prefer spruce grouse to ruffed. I've never had one that didn't taste great.
They are delicious. We cooked up the grouse at the same time that night, it was good but no comparison.
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