It was 15 degrees when we left the truck and headed up into the Talkeetna Mountains.  The birds won today but their days are numbered!

Right on. That looks like a blast to me.

Michael - Did you see many birds around there?? I haven't seen many around here where I live. They have been unusually scarce for me this year here but there have been lots down chitna way. I'll hit there this coming weekend.

We saw one bird while driving up the road from the Glenn.  We did see a couple near our Cabin in Glennallen a couple weeks ago.  The Copper Valley paper mentioned birds in the Copper Center / Chitna area as they had a good crop of highbush cranberries this year.

The wife had rotator cuff surgery today so the chances that we get that far from home are slim.

Good luck.

When I lived in AK I only ever hunted em with a shotgun, wish I would have taken a bow after them.

Good luck in God's Country!

Excellent!!  I take my son out to the Palmer Hay Flats to hunt rabbit, but haven't found any area close to us (Anchorage) for ptarmagin or grouse.  I think he'd love that!  Hunted up Hatcher's Pass way the first year I got here.  We must have seen a 100 birds!  Too bad I couldn't hit the side of a barn with a hand full of feed!  Well it was a blast none the less!  Haven't seen but 1 or 2 since...

good luck

I sure wish we had grouse to hunt down here in IL. But then again, if Illinois had Alaska's grouse hunting, I'd probably forget all about whitetails. So it's probably just as well.  

Monday I drove from Chugiak back to Fairbanks on the Parks Hwy.  I saw about 7 or 8 grouse right on the edges of the road in the area of Trapper Creek and Talkeetna.  Thats the most I've seen lately, and it was at about 11:30am.

I shot this ruffed grouse while out moose hunting last month.  I wish I had shot as many moose!  

Nice bird there, Ryan! It sure looks cold there! One day I hope to swap the heat for the cold for a couple of weeks. Cheers, Ben

Looks like a blast!  I missed a grouse in northern Wisconsin Sunday morning, out of a tree stand.  Dang it!  Hey, you Alaska guys can hunt my land up there if you want, it's on the way to Hatcher Pass.  Of course it's only 2 acres...
It's on the north side of Glendale Av on the corner of the Wasilla Fishhook about 5 miles north of town.  I need to get back up there...

Lots of birds between Talkeetna and Healey.
Still good at Hatchers, some you have to go high for.
It was good up around Eureka last winter, havn't hunted it since.
Go get them boys.
willy

My daugther lives down chitna way and when I take her boys back friday I plan to chase those birds as they are roaming on her road. Plus the son to be 7 year old wack one the other day. Last year I lost count on the number of birds.

As to ptarmingan there are lots to be had up the taylor around fairplay and I'll take a swing at them next week when I head up for the bou hunt that opens tomorrow.

Nice bird grayrhino - Grouse are more fun to hunt then moose IMHO plus a lot less work. Moose are targets of opportunity when out grouse hunting during moose seasons.

Where do you guys draw the line in the snow for when it is too deep to be launching (and losing)arrows?  Hardly any snow south of Cantwell, but in Fairbanks we have 4 or 5 inches on the hilltops.

What is this vague concept called "snow" that you speak of, Ryan?

I have lost the odd arrow shooting in sandy spots around water in the desert.

Snow...I'm not sure whether to envy you lads, or to feel sorry for you! Maybe a bit of both!

Cheers, and good hunting!

G'day Ben,
We had a few snow flurries on our moose hunt, and temperatures were below freezing most evenings and early mornings.  We awoke to frost on the tent and water bottles frozen solid.

Now that we are getting snow accumulation of several inches, I'm a bit reluctant to loose arrows at small game!  

I'll be returning to Fiji in mid-January.  Nothing like jumping from the freezer to the furnace!