Grouse Guidelines

Taking your gun for a hike, as many experienced grouse hunters call it, is one of the great pleasures of a Montana fall—whether you see a bird or not, you still had a great hike through the autumn woods. Mountain grouse season—which includes blue, spruce, and ruffed grouse—begins September 1 and ends December 15. Bag limit is three per day. A resident license is $7.50, plus the basic conservation ($8) and hunter access fee ($2). While you can certainly bag a few birds on your own, it’s best to bring some sort of canine assistance along, even it if it’s not a trained hunter—the dog’s energy and nasal power alone will allow you cover exponentially more ground and get way more birds in the air.