We set up along a fence row at the edge of the bean field, took cover, and waited. The wind picked up and the mercury fell to about 20 degrees. Just before sundown, we spotted a flock of Prairie Chickens in the distance. They disappeared behind a hill and didn’t reappear for about 10 minutes. When we saw them again, they were bearing down on our position. Ryan was right – they’re fast; especially with the wind at their backs. I put about a canoe length lead on a bird and dropped him at about 45 yards. Jeff took a bird out of the flock as well and that was the only group that flew within range that evening. We managed to scratch down six birds during the trip along with a few pheasants during the afternoon.

After Jeff and I retrieved our birds from that first flock, and after the high-fives and a modified breakdance that triggered a buffalo stampede in South Dakota, we leaned against the fence to reflect on the Quest’s successful ending. While chatting, I remembered to reach into my pocket and retrieve the lucky charm that had traveled with me every step of the way – The Claw. Just prior to the first hunt, my brother Greg gave me a bear claw, supposedly from one of the many North Carolina Indian tribes. Apparently, warriors used to wear claw necklaces for good luck as they embarked on lengthy hunting trips. Now I will not vouch for the authenticity of the Claw, as it quickly became named, but I will admit that there were many nights while emptying my pockets after a long day afield, the Claw made me smile and think of friends and family at home.

The whole experience has been unforgettable and it would not have been possible without the help of my friends at The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, The Ruffed Grouse Society, Boyt Harness Company, Winchester, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and, most importantly, my wife Elisabeth – she signed my permission slip. The folks I hunted with were true experts and fine individuals. I made a lot of friends that I hope to keep for life and saw a lot places I hope to see again soon. Witnessing first hand the importance of good habitat and its effect on the grouse population, I was fortunate enough spend time with these “Kings of Upland Birds” in their own backyard and developed an even greater admiration for these special animals.

More importantly, however, was the reaffirmation of why we spend time outdoors. Whether gasping for air at 14,000 chasing Ptarmigan or slogging through 10 inches of snow for Ruffed and Spruce Grouse, the scenery, the companionship and the adrenaline surge that accompanies each and every flush were strong reminders to me why sportsmen and women are so passionate about the outdoors. We do not hunt to pull the trigger; we hunt to enjoy the controlled energy of a setter on point, the majestic silence of a snow-draped forest and the opportunity to share these and other similar experiences with our fellow outdoorsmen. Though it may have begun as being all about grouse, “Grouse Quest quickly turned into something much more – a celebration of all that hunting offers and the opportunity to express my gratitude for the privilege to enjoy it.

A) Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster	B) Bigfoot
C) Spruce Grouse	D) Jeff's Luggage

“After making a few phone calls and surfing the net, I found Call of the North lodge in Northern Ontario. I spoke with the owner, Joe, who assured me that a Spruce Grouse would be no problem and while I’m there I could shoot a few Ruffs and Sharptails.

“I hopped a last minute flight to Minneapolis where the airline continued their perfect streak of losing my bags. After a 3 hour delay, I made the 10 hour trip to the lodge and arrived after midnight. Joe came by about 8:00 AM and told me that we needed to be on the trails early. He said that the Spruce Grouse are early risers and, generally speaking, you don’t see them after about 10:00 AM. I grabbed my gear and we hit the road. Joe was right. We found a pair sitting in the middle of the trail within 20 minutes. The male flushed nicely - contrary to popular belief - and ducked behind a spruce tree. I dropped him at about 25 yards and the 6th of the seven species was in the bag.

“While there I took limits on Spruce Grouse and Ruffed grouse every day. I even managed my first double - witnessed by Joe - on Ruffs.

After taking my limit of Spruce and Ruffs, Joe suggested we go looking for Sharptails. He said the birds lived in the one to two year clear cuts and he often saw them sitting in trees. Now, I’ve never seen a Sharptail anywhere near a tree so I told him that I’d have to see it to believe it. We made the trip to an area Joe felt would hold birds and after about 30 minutes I saw two Sharptails sitting in a tree about 80 yards away. I was shocked. I dropped down into a low ditch and used a spruce tree to conceal my movement and at about 40 yards the birds lost their nerve and flushed from the tree. I dropped one of the birds and, on report; about 20 more erupted from the hillside. I quickly fired another shot - a clean miss - and then retrieved my bird. It was a lot larger than the Sharptails I’ve seen on the prairie and had more brown on its face. We found one more Sharptail that day and added him to the game bag.
“I left the lodge just ahead of a winter storm and made the trip back to Minneapolis along the shore of Lake Superior. This time it was during the daylight hours so the trip was a lot longer due to the frequent photo stops

“Next stop; Kansas in December for bird number seven - the Prairie Chicken.”

Of course no matter how far off path the Grouse Quest might lead Jeff, sponsors Boyt Harness, Winchester and SFI, will make sure he’s in good hands. Let’s just hope he remembers to snap better pictures of Bigfoot and Nessie for us.

“The third leg of the quest took me to Grand Rapids, MN. There I participated in the Ruffed Grouse Society National Grouse and Woodcock Hunt. Sixty-five two man teams set out on a two day grouse and woodcock competition across most of the northern part of the state. The weather - 25 MPH wind, temperatures in the 20’s, and snow - made finding and holding birds difficult. My teammate, Jeff Akin, and I finished the two day hunt with 11 Ruffed Grouse and 11 woodcock, far below the normal bag.

“After the competition, we traveled north near the boundary waters in search of a Spruce Grouse. I’d heard the Spruce Grouse referred to as the ‘fool hen’ because of it’s reluctance to fly. After two days of searching, Jeff and I began to refer to the bird as ‘Bigfoot.’ Like Bigfoot, there had been a few sightings in the area but no actual proof that the bird existed. Undeterred, we continued our quest until darkness was upon us on the final day. Jeff was certain he heard a flush and we saw a few footprints but nothing was ever confirmed. They say ‘even a blind squirrel will find an acorn now and then’ but he sure won’t stumble across a Spruce Grouse - maybe Bigfoot but not a Spruce Grouse.

“I’m currently working on a trip to Ontario in the next two weeks to an area known to be ‘teaming with Spruce Grouse.’”

We shall see. This Quest is definitely a blast, but also a whole lot of work. However, when you get great groups like Boyt Harness, Winchester, SFI and others behind you, it makes it all worthwhile.

(10-3-06) 4 down and 3 to go. No, that ‘s not the down and distance facing Brett Favre in a Packer football game. It’s where Jeff King stands in his unique effort to harvest all seven grouse species in the lower 48 states. From 13,000 feet and up for Ptarmigan, down to spruce forests at 11,000 feet for Blue Grouse, then off to Montana to dodge rattlesnakes for a limit of Sharptails and a brace of Sage Grouse, Jeff is over halfway to his goal. Here’s his account of the endeavor so far:

“I started the quest in Marble, Colorado with Gary Hubble of Outwest Guides. My wife, Elisabeth, and I spent three days in Aspen in an attempt to acclimate to the high altitude. On the fourth day, Gary, one of his guides Mo, Mike from Arizona and I drove to a parking spot at around 11,000 ft and took a two hour, grueling hike up an ice covered trail. We peaked above the tree line at an elevation above 13,000 ft. We took frequent breaks and I quickly realized Mo was right. He told me, “If you’re coming up from the coast, it’ll take two weeks to fully acclimatize. You really got no business going up here.” We hunted till 1:30 and at that point we had found only one Ptarmigan - we had a storm the night before and we found a dead Ptarmigan frozen to a rock. After regrouping for lunch, we decided to hunt the other side of the mountain. After a long walk, we began to move birds. I took only two - against a limit of four - so as to not affect the population - and so did Mike. As we started the two hour hike back to the truck, I was pretty relieved by the knowledge that I wouldn’t have to make the climb again the next day.

“The second bird on my quest was the Blue Grouse. I again hunted with Gary and we traveled by horseback to the spruce forest at about 11,000 ft. We hunted hard all day and I finished up the hunt with two nice Blues. We found the Blues in parques - an open grassy area - usually along the edge of the evergreens. We hunted again the following day - this time we made the ascent on foot - but the day was cut short after only one Blue due to an approaching snow storm.

“I then traveled to Denver, picked up my brother, Gregg, and drove through Wyoming to Hardin, Montana and Last Stand Outfitters - Dave Egdorf. Gregg and I began the three day hunting trip under pretty adverse conditions. The area had received five inches of rain over the previous two days - a lot of water for an area that usually receives only a foot annually. Most of the roads were impassible so Gregg, John (the guide), and I hoofed it to the hunt area - about two miles. Once there, Gregg and I took a limit of Sharptail Grouse behind John’s brittanys. We covered a lot of ground and usually found the birds near the draws where rosehips, plums, and buck berries were found. We hunted with John for two days and took limits both days.

“The final day of the first leg of the quest was spent searching for Sage Grouse. Dave Egdorf took us on a long journey across the sage brush with binoculars in an attempt to locate birds. We found a group early but they flushed wild and didn’t offer much opportunity. After lunch, we spotted a large bird about 200 yards away along the edge of a draw. We dropped down behind a ridge, using the terrain to conceal our movement, and flushed four birds resting on a sunny hillside. Gregg and I took all four. We again elected to stop short of the four birds per hunter limit and we finished the afternoon with a successful Hungarian Partridge hunt.”

CSF, The Ruffed Grouse Society, and the sponsors of Grouse Quest - Winchester Ammunition, Boyt Harness and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative - all congratulate Jeff on his success thus far and wish him the best on the remaining three species. Next week, he will chase Spruce and the ever-elusive Ruffed Grouse in Minnesota in conjunction with the 25th Annual National Grouse and Woodcock Hunt held by our good friends at The Ruffed Grouse Society. We will continue to update you on Jeff’s progress.

King, President of Port City Staircase in Wilmington, NC, originally wanted to launch this trek because of his passion for grouse hunting and because “it seemed like a great outdoor challenge. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that perhaps I could use this opportunity to help two groups that I care about and that sometimes get overlooked - RGS and CSF,” King stated. “RGS has always impressed me with their on-the-ground accomplishments and their unwavering commitment to proven forestry practices that benefit all types of wildlife. As for CSF, without its efforts and those of the 300-plus Congressmen that it works with, hunters like myself may not have the chance to do things like this. So I decided to try to make this a little more than just another hunting trip.”

And more it has become. Boyt Harness, Winchester Ammunition and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, a program that protects both the economic and environmental benefits of America's forests, quickly embraced King’s concept and pledged to support the Grouse Quest in unique fashion. Products will be provided to King for use in the field, but all financial support will be divided equally between RGS and CSF to aid their respective efforts. This latter idea was an important component to King and one that all partners fully supported. Tony Caligiuri, President of Boyt Harness, said, “Sportsmen and women have always been the first to give back to the outdoors and Jeff’s quest is just another example.” Echoing this sentiment was Greg Kosteck, Director of Marketing for Winchester, “Sure, sportsmen are our customers, but they are much, much more than that. They are the first to stand up for the outdoor traditions we all care about.” However, SFI’s Vice President, Rick Cantrell, may have expressed it the best, “Quite simply, without sportsmen and their dedication, there is no sport. All of us at SFI admire Jeff’s spirit and approach to this endeavor and we wish him the best of luck.”

Again, though not a TV show, please stay tuned as we will keep you posted on the successes and challenges of Jeff King’s Grouse Quest.