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Dusky Grouse Attack Leaves Wildlife Photographer Don Jones With Bloody Lip
Dusky Grouse Attack Leaves Wildlife Photographer Don Jones With Bloody Lip
By Don Jones. As told to Steven Hill.
A week ago two fellow photographers and I traveled to a mountaintop in the Flathead Valley of west-central Montana—for the last 20 years my favorite place to photograph Dusky Grouse. The scenery is beautiful, bird numbers are good and I can usually find a male grouse or two with a chip on his shoulder. But never have I encountered a Dusky with quite as much attitude as the bird I nicknamed Brutus.
Why Brutus was so aggressive is a mystery to me. The nearest ranch is miles away and the access road to the trailhead only recently opened, so it seems unlikely the bird was acclimated to people. May marks the beginning of the Dusky breeding season, so perhaps he simply felt the need to defend his territory—from not only other male Grouse, but everybody
At left: Spring trips to the mountain usually find the dusky grouse in full courtship display, hoping to lure that special female into his breeding range.
Photo by Don Jones
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Comments (39)
Great pictures, and "battle" scars to last a lifetime from this once in a lifetime opportunity
And to think most guys go into the mnts prepared for bears or wolves, who whould of thought.
Awesome!!!!!!!!!!
Sounds like a hoot. I wonder if he was trying to beat you up or make you his girlfriend.
I had a dusky grouse go after me a couple years ago. Wierd experience.
http://www.huntthewest.com/updates/updates-grouse.htm
A Pa'tridge that growls, eh?
They go great, sauteed in butter with Chanterelles and cauliflower and garlic and green onions.
Served up with hash browns and Loganberry wine.
Greet Photography
These are some really cool pictures but you need a nikon forget those canons hahahahahaha
And as the magnificent bird sauntered away he could be distinctly heard muttering under his breath "DAMN Paparazzi!!!"
I'm with kif. He didn't seem to like you canon guys.
To be honest, if he bit me, he'd be breakfast.
Don, there is a momma gizzly with 3 big cubs on the mountain behind the house that it would be fun to photograph, but I think you would want a longer lens.
I love picture 21... I've never seen a grouse say, "Oh no you didn't..."
This is hilarious, although "Brutus" would be "supper"
Absolutely amazing. One of the best galleries I have seen yet.
Haven't you camera dudes learned anything from somebody like Steve Irwin?
...that's why they make telephoto zoom lenses!
Crikey!!!
I have been "attacked" by ruffed grouse over the years here in the Northeast. I assume it's the mother protecting her nest should one get too close. Mostly they puff up themselves to look fearsome, come running at you and hiss at you with outstretched wings. A few years ago I had a grouse spring out of a covert of hemlocks and attack the tires on my Jeep. (I was driving the woods roads looking for good grouse cover.) She was completely unfazed when I got out of the vehicle. As I got in my vehicle and drove away, I looked in my rearview mirror and I saw her chasing me for about 100 yards before she felt she had won the faceoff and turned back into the woods. It was quite comical.
Well, food for thought.
Grouse......it's whats for dinner!
We had one down at our hunting camp in southern ohio for several years that would seek us out. If it heard a 4 wheeler running it would come running to the place it heard it. Sometimes it would keep its distance and other times it would attack. It would often attack you on the four wheeler while you were driving down the trail. It would fly up in a nearby tree and watch you skin a deer, or fly up and land on your gun brace in your treestand 20 feet in the air. Never saw anything like it. It was there for at least 3 years. I have many pics and a video to prove it
Photo #23 should have been the roasted, finger licking, retribution the photographers had with Brutus.
And people ask why I carry a gun even if I'm only going fishing?
When a Grouse can bloody 2 out of 3 guys I ain't giving anything bigger a chance!
Awesome pics though......
When i was little, me and my grandpa were deer hunting or turkey hunting i cant remember and one of those chased us around for a while
Look you goofball photographers -maybe it's time for a lesson called "prison body language"... photo 12 = "Welcome to the backwoods Montana mountains, boy, I'm gonna make you my bitch!" and photo 14= "now you be mine, be-outch" ( followed by the prison marriage consummation howl of "YEEEEE HAWW!!! YIP-YIP-YIP!"). Hey! Is there a movie idea here???... "Brokebeak Mountain" maybe? ROFLMAO
As a professional photographer i am jealous of the great opportunity you guys had while photographing this grouse. As a hunter and outdoorsman i am here to tell you had that grouse drew blood on me the only movement he would be doing is the circular motion of my rotisserie.
That was an awesome opportunity its great you guys took full advantage!
LOL great story and photos
Why can't I ever get that close to grouse when I'm hunting them? If one attacked me he'd be supper.
It is one thing to hunt a game animal to kill and eat it. Be quick and efficient about it. Have respect for the animal. If you are going to take its picture, have respect for it, and do not be too close. If you are close enough for it to react to your presence, you are too close. I've killed and eaten lots of different animals in 40 years, and hope to continue. IMO, you deserved your bloody wounds for disrespecting this bird who was just trying to do his job until you pilgrims blundered into his living room.
T.V. Koehler, of northern Minnesota
Haha crazy bird. body of a grouse heart of a hawk i guess.
ouch!!!!!!
OMG I was attacked just last week by one of these!! I wear a metal brace on my arm so it attacked it first, then went up my arm! I got away from it before it got to my face, Here is my photo of that mean thing!
http://www.gather.com/viewImage.action?fileId=3096224746403112#cid-16888...
Great pics, I think you pushed this bird a little to hard and he retaliated. Glad he didn't get an eye ball
I had a Ruffed Grouse challenge my Polaris Magnum on the way to my deer blind 2 years ago. But then they aren't known for a lot of brain cells.
Most of the time that occurs during the breeding season. We have a big event out here in Dubois, Idaho. Their Sage Grouse festival that is now called a Dusky Grouse if I am not mistaken. You can take a wagon trip out into the Sage to their "Leks"..open areas where they do their mating dances, and watch them. Interesting that it is being presented as "lots of birds", There are lots of birds in my area as well. The environmentalists want the bird shutdown for hunting everywhere under the Environmental Protection ACT which will stop drilling for oil/natural gas throughout the west. They could care less about the Dusky. Interesting that humans don't realize when they are in a critters territory at certain times, and can't recognize the signs, or the time of year, the critter becomes protective, and then the human blames the critter.
Never mess with a guy with feathers on his head and holding a sharp instrument. Especially when he's clearly a bird brain.
these are some very awsome photos it is so neat to be able to get that close even if you did get a few battle scars .
kill the bird and have a snack
where is my shotgun? "brutus" looks like my next dinner. mmmmmm.....dusky grouse
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Great pictures, and "battle" scars to last a lifetime from this once in a lifetime opportunity
And to think most guys go into the mnts prepared for bears or wolves, who whould of thought.
Sounds like a hoot. I wonder if he was trying to beat you up or make you his girlfriend.
A Pa'tridge that growls, eh?
They go great, sauteed in butter with Chanterelles and cauliflower and garlic and green onions.
Served up with hash browns and Loganberry wine.
I had a dusky grouse go after me a couple years ago. Wierd experience.
http://www.huntthewest.com/updates/updates-grouse.htm
And as the magnificent bird sauntered away he could be distinctly heard muttering under his breath "DAMN Paparazzi!!!"
To be honest, if he bit me, he'd be breakfast.
Don, there is a momma gizzly with 3 big cubs on the mountain behind the house that it would be fun to photograph, but I think you would want a longer lens.
Awesome!!!!!!!!!!
Greet Photography
These are some really cool pictures but you need a nikon forget those canons hahahahahaha
I'm with kif. He didn't seem to like you canon guys.
I love picture 21... I've never seen a grouse say, "Oh no you didn't..."
This is hilarious, although "Brutus" would be "supper"
It is one thing to hunt a game animal to kill and eat it. Be quick and efficient about it. Have respect for the animal. If you are going to take its picture, have respect for it, and do not be too close. If you are close enough for it to react to your presence, you are too close. I've killed and eaten lots of different animals in 40 years, and hope to continue. IMO, you deserved your bloody wounds for disrespecting this bird who was just trying to do his job until you pilgrims blundered into his living room.
T.V. Koehler, of northern Minnesota
I had a Ruffed Grouse challenge my Polaris Magnum on the way to my deer blind 2 years ago. But then they aren't known for a lot of brain cells.
kill the bird and have a snack
Absolutely amazing. One of the best galleries I have seen yet.
I have been "attacked" by ruffed grouse over the years here in the Northeast. I assume it's the mother protecting her nest should one get too close. Mostly they puff up themselves to look fearsome, come running at you and hiss at you with outstretched wings. A few years ago I had a grouse spring out of a covert of hemlocks and attack the tires on my Jeep. (I was driving the woods roads looking for good grouse cover.) She was completely unfazed when I got out of the vehicle. As I got in my vehicle and drove away, I looked in my rearview mirror and I saw her chasing me for about 100 yards before she felt she had won the faceoff and turned back into the woods. It was quite comical.
Well, food for thought.
Grouse......it's whats for dinner!
We had one down at our hunting camp in southern ohio for several years that would seek us out. If it heard a 4 wheeler running it would come running to the place it heard it. Sometimes it would keep its distance and other times it would attack. It would often attack you on the four wheeler while you were driving down the trail. It would fly up in a nearby tree and watch you skin a deer, or fly up and land on your gun brace in your treestand 20 feet in the air. Never saw anything like it. It was there for at least 3 years. I have many pics and a video to prove it
Photo #23 should have been the roasted, finger licking, retribution the photographers had with Brutus.
And people ask why I carry a gun even if I'm only going fishing?
When a Grouse can bloody 2 out of 3 guys I ain't giving anything bigger a chance!
Awesome pics though......
When i was little, me and my grandpa were deer hunting or turkey hunting i cant remember and one of those chased us around for a while
Look you goofball photographers -maybe it's time for a lesson called "prison body language"... photo 12 = "Welcome to the backwoods Montana mountains, boy, I'm gonna make you my bitch!" and photo 14= "now you be mine, be-outch" ( followed by the prison marriage consummation howl of "YEEEEE HAWW!!! YIP-YIP-YIP!"). Hey! Is there a movie idea here???... "Brokebeak Mountain" maybe? ROFLMAO
As a professional photographer i am jealous of the great opportunity you guys had while photographing this grouse. As a hunter and outdoorsman i am here to tell you had that grouse drew blood on me the only movement he would be doing is the circular motion of my rotisserie.
That was an awesome opportunity its great you guys took full advantage!
LOL great story and photos
Why can't I ever get that close to grouse when I'm hunting them? If one attacked me he'd be supper.
Haha crazy bird. body of a grouse heart of a hawk i guess.
ouch!!!!!!
OMG I was attacked just last week by one of these!! I wear a metal brace on my arm so it attacked it first, then went up my arm! I got away from it before it got to my face, Here is my photo of that mean thing!
http://www.gather.com/viewImage.action?fileId=3096224746403112#cid-16888...
Great pics, I think you pushed this bird a little to hard and he retaliated. Glad he didn't get an eye ball
Most of the time that occurs during the breeding season. We have a big event out here in Dubois, Idaho. Their Sage Grouse festival that is now called a Dusky Grouse if I am not mistaken. You can take a wagon trip out into the Sage to their "Leks"..open areas where they do their mating dances, and watch them. Interesting that it is being presented as "lots of birds", There are lots of birds in my area as well. The environmentalists want the bird shutdown for hunting everywhere under the Environmental Protection ACT which will stop drilling for oil/natural gas throughout the west. They could care less about the Dusky. Interesting that humans don't realize when they are in a critters territory at certain times, and can't recognize the signs, or the time of year, the critter becomes protective, and then the human blames the critter.
Never mess with a guy with feathers on his head and holding a sharp instrument. Especially when he's clearly a bird brain.
these are some very awsome photos it is so neat to be able to get that close even if you did get a few battle scars .
where is my shotgun? "brutus" looks like my next dinner. mmmmmm.....dusky grouse
Haven't you camera dudes learned anything from somebody like Steve Irwin?
...that's why they make telephoto zoom lenses!
Crikey!!!
Post a Comment