# Grouse diet



## bowhawker (Feb 17, 2008)

Has anyone who has shot grouse this season checked the crop of the birds to see what their eating, the one I shot wednesday in the NW. lower had only aspen or poplar leaves in it, I don't know if this is the norm or not I haven't hunted them much lately.


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## Gavan (Oct 5, 2010)

me to live off the grouse I kill.


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## bombcast (Sep 16, 2003)

all of our birds have come out of alder and dogwood runs. Naturally, their crops have been full of ...






aspen leaves.


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## All TIME ANGLER (Mar 14, 2008)

one single acorn


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## bluebill (Feb 12, 2005)

Acorn and leaves

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## N M Mechanical (Feb 7, 2008)

Kers
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

aspen leaves, a little clover, a piece of what I think was blackberry leaf, a couple of unidentifiables, and in three of the birds, pieces of hazel nut...


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## jfn (Apr 24, 2011)

Leaves


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## JBooth (Sep 21, 2009)

berries should be coming into season as it cools down. Leaves, whatever nuts have fallen, and those aspen bud/seed pod things. If you can find raspberry / blackberry stand still holding fruit you'll probably find a brood.


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## BIGSP (Sep 16, 2004)

Hazel nuts, aspen leaves, strawberry leaves, stumper mushrooms.


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## hehibrits (Mar 10, 2007)

Tiny acorns, blackberry leave/seeds, Quarter pounded with cheese, small order of French fries.

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## stagliano (Nov 10, 2006)

Leafy greens...


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## hehibrits (Mar 10, 2007)

stagliano said:


> Leafy greens...


With bleu cheese

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## hehibrits (Mar 10, 2007)

stagliano said:


> Leafy greens...


Not blue cheese

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## i missed again (Sep 7, 2008)

acrons


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## GSPNut (Nov 15, 2009)

Small acorns and greens


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## Setter (Mar 20, 2001)

The autumn olives on our property are loaded with berries but have not seen one grouse in them, does it take a frost to sweeten them before the grouse move into them??


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

Not all berries are preferred...for instance, highbush cranberry is generally ignored by most wildlife until they are in starvation mode, up here that's sometime in January, and even then, very often the berries will still be on the bushes in March when the cedar waxwings return. 

I don't know of any berries that the wildlife won't eat until after a frost except for wild grapes. In that case, it's not that the wildlife is waiting for them to sweeten, they're waiting for the cold, actually it doesn't happen until after the first hard freeze sometime in November, to ferment the grapes and increase the alcohol content...at least, that's what it seems like. There won't be any grouse at all in my grapes ever until after a freeze.

I didn't see that you said "autumn olive"...autumn olive is also not really preferred when other preferred foods are available, but the grouse will eat them, as will the turkeys and deer, sooner or later.


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## wyle_e_coyote (Aug 13, 2004)

Leaves, and slugs....


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## 2ESRGR8 (Dec 16, 2004)

They were in the AO tonight. Surprised at all the green fruit in the one crop.


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## HankVIII (Mar 23, 2010)

dauber said:


> From what I can see KW has it pegged.
> 
> Around here in the EUP the grouse are changing diet the last couple weeks from green leaves to buds and catkins. Most have had a combo in their crops of wild strawberry, partridge berry leaves, little green leaves I cannot id, birch catkins, birch buds, hazlenut buds, and alder buds.
> 
> I watched a grouse last night archery hunting that walked around eating almost any little green leaf or part of larger green ground plants, then flew up into a black cherry and ate buds for 5 minutes, then flew down for the nite.


 
What does hazlenut look like? Is it a bush or a tree?

Thanks 
Seth


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## dauber (Jan 11, 2010)

HankVIII said:


> What does hazlenut look like? Is it a bush or a tree?
> 
> Thanks
> Seth


I was speaking of beaked hazlenut http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=CORCORsCOR


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## dauber (Jan 11, 2010)

Targeting sticks has been yielding some success


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## ckendall (Sep 1, 2000)

It was aspen buds and what looked like birch leaves.


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## 88luneke (Jan 13, 2009)

Here's another I saw today where I pushed some birds.

I really need to get a book on this stuff lol


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## 2ESRGR8 (Dec 16, 2004)

The birds I bagged Saturday all had birch catkins in them.


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## N M Mechanical (Feb 7, 2008)

Still kerns
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## k9wernet (Oct 15, 2007)

88luneke said:


> View attachment 24993
> 
> 
> Here's another I saw today where I pushed some birds.
> ...


Tough picture but almost looks like rose hips.


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## JBooth (Sep 21, 2009)

Pop found them in a dogwood, cedar, wintergreen mix this weekend.


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## 88luneke (Jan 13, 2009)

k9wernet said:


> Tough picture but almost looks like rose hips.


Yea I hate how my phone uploads photos. Usually really small and hard to make out.


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## Forest Meister (Mar 7, 2010)

Four birds on my property Sunday. Two had been in my late planted food plots and were both stuffed with small Dwarf Essex Rape, a bit of rye greens, and had a few cherry buds and hazel catkins. The other two had wintergreen berries and leaves, hazle catkins, strawberry leaves, birch buds and one had some fern greens and a few kernals of corn (someone is obviously baiting close by and it ain't me). FM


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## k9wernet (Oct 15, 2007)

A little bit of everything today.

This one was FULL of buds:










Nothing but salad:










And an apparent buffet. Acorns, wintergreen berries, greens, buds, and maybe even a stick or two :


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## k9wernet (Oct 15, 2007)

Correction: 2ESRG8 pointed out that what I identified above as buds are actually sweet birch catkins. I probably should have known better or done a little research, but hey, I was posting late. I've never noticed them on a tree, where the difference would be pretty obvious. 

What I have been seeing all over the place and would never mistake for buds are alder catkins... Can't say as though I've ever found them in a grouse:


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## 2ESRGR8 (Dec 16, 2004)

"They" ....whoever "they" are say that grouse do not eat alder catkins but I sure as heck find grouse in alder a lot for them not to be eating something in there more than greens.


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## Steelheadfred (May 4, 2004)

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## ckendall (Sep 1, 2000)

Steelheadfred said:


> posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


Check out all the mushrooms! All I've found are leaves and buds this year.


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## Steelheadfred (May 4, 2004)

Acorns, no shrooms

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## ckendall (Sep 1, 2000)

Really looked like mushrooms in there!


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## ckendall (Sep 1, 2000)

Found in grouse crop this weekend - Aspen buds, an acorn, some wintergreen leaf bits, and one wild strawberry leaf (not show): 










Found in my crop later on the same day - Fried grouse rolls w/bacon and blue cheese - creme sauce, with pine nuts:


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## k9wernet (Oct 15, 2007)

ckendall said:


>


Fascinating specimen. I'd really like to examine this in person if you don't mind. I'd be willing to travel to pick it up!


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