Upland Birds

As a young hunter, I took a generalist approach to small game hunting. If I was lucky, I might come home with some combination of squirrels, rabbits, and maybe even a ruffed grouse. More often than grouse, though, I’d get a shot at a woodcock. At times, it seemed like there was a woodcock or two in...

There is simply nothing like the grouse woods in the fall. The fire of color, the explosion from thick cover, and the taste—ah, the taste—ruffed grouse rivals that of all game birds. But bringing the king of game birds to the table is no easy task. Ruffed grouse have spent thousands of years...

On the Texas stop on the MeatEater Tailgate Tour, Jesse Griffiths, Danielle Prewett, and I got in a good old-fashioned Texas dove hunt before cheering on the Longhorns and cooking up some grub for hungry fans. Dove hunting is one of the best ways to spend a day in the field, but if you’re like me...

We’ve all seen the magazine covers: A thin creek trickling beneath a grove of aspen, the grouse flushing toward their crowns, a tweeded hunter with a double gun, and the setter pointing the ground where the bird just burst from. Like most magazine covers, that’s not how it usually happens. It’s a...

Ruffed grouse are widely considered one of the more delectable upland game birds. But did you know they might also be poisonous? Odd as it seems, there is a fairly extensive—and largely forgotten—body of medical literature detailing unfortunate souls who have been poisoned by eating ruffed grouse...

If you’ve hunted pheasants long enough, you’ve probably been in a group that uses blockers to seal off the edges and ends of a field. Chances are you’ve seen a rooster or two drop in the distance after a blocker made a good shot. Chances are higher that you’ve seen more escape unscathed, whether it...

Every day, our fellow meateaters send us more than 100 emails regarding hunting, fishing, cooking, conservation, and more. So, we decided to publish a series dedicated to our favorite FAQs. Ask MeatEater is powered by onX, creators of the best digital mapping tool for hunters and anglers. A lot of...

For many hunters, the Sept. 1 dove opener signals the official beginning of fall. A vision of a wide field ringed with orange caps flashes across the mind’s eye. Retrievers rush for downed doves, and shots echo off the leaves of trees just starting to turn color. For those of us not fortunate enough...

This audio is an excerpt from one of 16 harrowing tales featured in "MeatEater's Campfire Stories: Close Calls." In the audio book, you'll hear from seasoned hunters, anglers, and outdoor professionals who share their tales of perilous adventures in the natural world, from run-ins with black bears...

There’s no better window into a dog’s soul than its tail. Wagging, rigid, quivering, or tucked, each manifestation of this expressive appendage conveys the extensive vocabulary of canine nonverbal communication. Like a hand of cards tipped towards the poker table, there’s no mistaking a dog’s intent...

A well-fitted, reliable shooting iron can greatly enhance your enjoyment in the field. But with the mountain of manufacturers, gauges, and finishes available, how does one go about selecting the ultimate upland shotgun? I’ve met two kinds of bird hunters: those who can’t possibly own enough shotguns...

While I love chasing pheasants in October, I secretly long for the shorter, colder days after Thanksgiving when birds are bunched up. There’s just something about flushing groups of roosters from thick cover while fewer hunters are afield. The reality is that most folks just don’t know how good...