| Sniper John |
| (Veteran Tracker) |
| 10/13/08 11:12 PM |
Re: How does it taste?
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Quote:
I was backpacking in New Mexico (Pecos Wilderness) two weeks ago and flushed up many a ruffled grouse. i didn't have a gun, but I wished like hell I would've. They are bigger than I thought they would be- and I encountered these birds as high as 12,000 ft above sea level.
I also really wanted to shoot one of those bighorn sheep too!
Cable,
Those would have been Blue Grouse, no Ruffed Grouse in New Mexico. That is why they were bigger. Too bad you did not have a gun with you. They are great eating. Blue Grouse actually move up in elevation during the winter. When snow comes they spend the winter living in the trees.
New Mexico Blue Grouse is actually on my list of hunts I want to do. It is closer than Colorado and the season opens early so as to not conflict with big game seasons. I read that it is underutilized with only about 1000 Grouse hunters each season. It would make for a great week to spend hunting at the end of August or early September. Take a fly rod and I could easily live on Grouse and Trout for a week.