Blue grouse and white-tailed ptarmigan hunting
OutWest Guides is the only Colorado outfitter to offer this unique horseback upland bird hunt for blue grouse and ptarmigan in the Colorado Rockies.
Horseback adventure in the wilderness
Our blue grouse hunts are conducted in the wilderness surrounding Marble, Colorado on horseback. We access the wilderness whichever way is most productive--by vehicle, horseback, or by hiking. This is truly a unique wilderness adventure that is very limited in scope. We have only a few days a year to offer this special hunt, so book early if you’re interested.
Top-notch gun dogs
We have a good team of Labrador retrievers and English pointers to guide our high-country upland bird hunts. You’re welcome to bring your own dog, but realize that your dog will probably run out of steam halfway through the first day. Our dogs are superbly conditioned and used to running hard at 11,800 feet in elevation. Not every dog can find blue grouse, either. Sometimes these birds confuse even experienced upland bird dogs from lower elevations.
Who else does it?
There are a couple of other outfitters who mention blue grouse hunting on their websites. We’ve been seriously hunting blue grouse with upland gun dogs and shotguns since 1986. No other outfitter in Colorado offers horseback blue grouse hunts, and no one else combines the serious knowledge of upland bird hunting, horsemanship, and outfitting in the Colorado high country like OutWest Guides. OutWest Guides was featured in the March/April 2006 issue of Shooting Sportsman magazine, considered one of the premiere sporting magazines published today. Gary Hubbell's photo essay on white-tailed ptarmigan hunting was published in May, 2007, in Shooting Sportsman, and it was one of the most memorable features published in the magazine.
Blue grouse and ptarmigan season dates
Colorado blue grouse season always begins on September 1 and goes through the last rifle elk season. Ptarmigan season usually begins between the 10th and 12th of September and goes through the first week in October in this game management unit. Check with the Colorado Division of Wildlife to make sure season dates are accurate.
At OutWest Guides, we try to avoid booking grouse and ptarmigan hunts during the muzzleloader elk and deer seasons, so as not to engender conflicts with the big game hunters. The muzzleloader season dates are usually nine days, starting the second weekend in September.
The best times to book a hunt with us are September 1-10, and any time from the 20th of September through the first week in October. Dates are extremely limited! If you want to do this hunt, call now, because we usually book up quickly.
NORTH FORK VALLEY PHEASANT HUNTING
Gary Hubbell has access to 5,000 acres of pheasant hunting grounds in Hotchkiss, Colorado, about two hours from Aspen and 1.5 hours from Carbondale, and an hour from Grand Junction. Gary has top-notch Labrador retrievers and English pointers, and will be happy to guide you for pheasant hunts beginning in late October and going through March. This is a released-bird hunting facility, but many of the birds and wild birds. The habitat is excellent and the hunting is great. Call for more details.
CALL GARY HUBBELL FOR INFORMATION ON PTARMIGAN, BLUE GROUSE, AND PHEASANT HUNTING.
970 921 5588 (home); 970 988 2122 (cell)
YOU CAN EMAIL GARY-- grandviewranch AT gmail.com is his email address.
IF YOU CALL THE MAIN OUTWEST GUIDES NUMBER, THEY'LL REFER YOU TO THIS INFORMATION, SO YOU MAY AS WELL START AT THE SOURCE. Gary is working as a ranch real estate broker in the North Fork Valley near Paonia, Hotchkiss, and Paonia, Colorado, selling horse properties, cattle ranches, and hunting fishing properties statewide. link:www.aspenranchrealestate.com Look Gary up if you're in the market for ranch real estate! His other two real estate websites are www.marblecoloradorealestate.com, specializing in real estate for sale in Marble, Colorado, and www.paoniacrawfordrealestate.com, specializing in real estate for sale and ranches for sale in Crawford, Paonia, and Hotchkiss, Colorado.
GUIDED BIRD HUNTS (starting September 1)
Hunt packages We offer everything from walk-in day hunts to multi-day overnight pack trips and three-day lodge hunt packages. Blue grouse and white-tailed ptarmigan upland bird horseback hunts with OutWest Guides are a truly unique wilderness adventure.
| BLUE GROUSE Day hunts (clients provide lodging, 2 gun minimum, lunch included) |
$1,000 per gun per day |
| 3-day wilderness hunt, including
tent accommodations, horses, dogs, meals, and guides |
$5,000 per person |
| 3-day lodge
hunt, including lodge accommodations, horses, dogs, meals, and
guides |
$3,600 per
person, no minimum |
| North Fork Valley pheasant hunts (mid-November through January 2, typical season dates) |
$750 per gun
per day (2 gun minimum) |
| Dove hunts
(Delta, Colorado, 3 gun minimum) |
$250 per gun
per day |
|
|
