Grouse Hunting on Vancouver Island

Anything you need to know about the best time, places, outfitters, and regulations of Vancouver Island grouse hunting, you can find them here. We are ready to help you make a rewarding BC hunting opportunity.

Are you thinking of going hunting on Vancouver Island and adding a new challenge to your vacation? Well, every hunting trip on Vancouver Island offers a different magnificent challenge. However, if you are a small game hunting fan, we recommend you first choose the upland game birds and then select grouse, curious, and sometimes dumb birds, which are abundantly found all over BC and Vancouver Island. The profusion of these upland birds and their density on Vancouver Island have turned them into one of the best and most challenging choices for harvesting. Grouse includes many subspecies, amongst which two that inhabit Vancouver Island are blue grouse and ruffed grouse. Genetically speaking, they are the same. However, if their appearance is the subject of the discussion, well, they sure are different. The only difference they have is their plumage colour. The blue grouse has darker plumage than the ruffed grouse, which is one reason they are easier hunting targets. They can be spotted as considerably more manageable due to their dark colour. The blue grouse are acknowledged as the most hunted upland bird on Vancouver Island and even BC. Not to mention that BC is home to over 50% of the blue grouse in the whole world; amazing, right? On the other hand, ruffed grouse is not much found on Vancouver Island, but you can quickly locate them in the spots where food and escape cover are easily accessible for the birds. While their population is not as much as their blue counterparts, ruffed grouse or "ruffies" hunting is not prohibited. In the following, we are going to explain all the necessary details regarding your grouse hunting trip. Stay with us!

The History of grouse hunting on Vancouver Island probably goes back to 1804-1806, when the two ornithologists, Lewis and Clarke, were on an expedition and identified blue grouse on the island for the first time. The blue grouse subdivides into two groups: Sooty and Dusky grouse. Back then, they weren't unified, and people had been hunting them as separate species for about a hundred years. At the beginning of the 20th century, Sooty and Dusky grouse were classified as one group: the blue grouse, which went on for another century. Once more, in 2006, an American Ornithologist Union split the species into two subspecies due to their behavioural differences: • Sooty Grouse (Birds living in wet coastal forests) • Dusky Grouse (Inhabitants of the dry interior parts of the province)
The significant subject for grouse hunting on Vancouver Island is sooty grouse because, as mentioned earlier, they occupy the wet, and Vancouver Island is one of these lands. But generally, when we say blue grouse, we mean both of its subspecies. And don't worry! If you are lucky enough, there is a chance to harvest both sooty and dusky grouse on Vancouver Island.

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• The total number of the species (i.e., blue grouse) in BC is estimated to be 500,000 – 1,500,000. • The males are territorial, meaning that they would fight other males if they entered their territory. • For the hooting sound grouse makes when looking for its mating partner, they are also referred to as "hooters." That is one way through which you can track the bird for hunting too. • There is a bag limit of 5 each (15 each).

As grouse are not migratory birds, and once they settle somewhere, they live their whole life there, you won't have serious problems locating them. However, during the open hunting season, these husky birds prefer upper elevations. And that is why the Canadian distribution of grouse mainly inhabits mountainous areas. While driving slowly along the mountain roads of Vancouver Island, you can gaze upon numerous grouse. Other than high elevations, another preferred location for grouse hunting is second-growth forests; because they are the best places for them to cover, and they can find enough food to feed on. You must know that grouse is a gallinaceous bird; thus, one of the prime locations wherein you can spot these birds on Vancouver Island for hunting is gravel roads, where you can find a plethora of them all over the province. For now, the management units (MU) or the hunting areas designated by BC regulation for hunting grouse are 1-1 to 1-15 on the region 1 (Vancouver Island) map. By the way, hunters should be aware of no hunting and shooting areas on Vancouver Island.

In this approach, you will hunt the poor bird getting help from one of its own. You benefit from birds of prey in this method for hunting only small game.

The cost of hunting trips may differ depending on variables such as services and timing for the hunting adventure. However, our grouse hunting price starts at $600 and may increase according to your expectations.

To experience a successful grouse hunting tour on Vancouver Island: 1- Plan for your grouse hunting in advance. 2- Choose the areas where you intend to hunt for your grouse hunting on Vancouver Island. 3- Apply for and obtain the necessary licence for your grouse hunting. 4- Select the right outfitter to be by your side in a grouse hunting adventure. But why does choosing the right outfitter matter before starting a grouse hunting adventure? They provide their guests with appropriate gear, excellent accommodation, and adequate scouting knowledge to ensure that every hunter involved in that trip would have the best chance of successful grouse hunting. If you want to make sure that your grouse hunting adventure on Vancouver Island is going to be the best experience ever, choosing the right outfitter is a MUST! If you need help or have any questions regarding the choice of the best outfitter, please feel free to contact us.

• Safety when closing your gun ought to usually be a priority. Always hold barrels pointed down when closing your gun and carry the stock up to meet them. Under no situations, raise the barrels to the stock. • Always wreck your gun when you are taking walks and preserve barrels pointing at the ground. This reduces any possibilities of weapons going off accidentally. • If you have to climb a tree, fence, style, or alternatively, if you have to hand your gun over to some other person or a loader, always unload and spoil it first. • Never shoot into hedges or woods, as this is the place the beaters will likely be. Only shoot when you can see the sky around the bird. • Safety equipment is a must. Hearing protection, eye protection, and strong, sturdy boots are imperative.