Early season grouse hunting in Minnesota has its pluses and minuses. The grouse are not pressured yet; the weather is beautiful, but seeing flushing birds can be difficult. This is why the success of early-season Minnesota grouse hunts are sometimes measured by grouse flushes heard rather than grouse flushes seen. Every Minnesota grouse hunting guide has their favorite trails for hunting in September. Mine favorite trails are located along the borders of state ground and logging areas. Hotspots occur wherever dense aspen stands meet open areas. These are prime early season Minnesota grouse hunting locations. The best aspen stands contain similar aged trees, with diameters of roughly a silver dollar. These stands provide just enough overhead cover to block sunlight from reaching the forest floor, keeping it free of clutter, allowing grouse to walk freely about. The open areas next to the aspen stands receive plenty of sunlight, causing all sorts of bushes and berries to grow. Ruffed grouse will feed along the backside edges of these areas. These are prime locations, but they are also the same places every grouse hunter, and Minnesota grouse hunting guide, is looking for. Grouse in these locations can quickly become pressured. These spots should be hunted early in the season. The only problem with these spots is they age out. The best spots usually only last three to five years. Aspens are fast-growing trees. They compete with each other for sunlight. Slower growing trees quickly become shaded out by faster-growing ones, causing them to whither, and eventually die. This creates holes in the tree canopy, which allows sunlight to penetrate, which causes all sorts of large weeds to grow on the forest floor, which pushes grouse into new locations. The toughest thing about being a grouse hunting guide in Minnesota is the need to be constantly finding aspen stands of the right density. The forest floor will be littered with weeds if the stand is too young or too old. Successful grouse hunts always begin with pre-season scouting. Hunting these locations is simply. Small groups of one to three hunters are more effective than larger groups. Our grouse hunting guides in Brainerd, Minnesota never hunt with more than two clients. A pair of well-trained pointers, steady to the flush, are essential for this type of hunting. Beeper collars that activate when the dogs go on point are a must. The grouse hunting guide and clients move along the trail, letting the dogs venture into the thicker areas. The sound of beeping collars indicates the dogs have gone on point. The key is to leave on hunter on the trail, in the open. The other hunter should follow the grouse hunting guide in, stopping 5 to 10 yards shorts of the dogs, picking out an opening in the trees. Early season grouse typically hold very well, too well at times. The hunter flushing the grouse rarely has an opportunity for a shot. But the hunters in the open have the best chance. This early season Minnesota grouse hunting guide trick has accounted for numerous ruffed grouse over the years.