Hello Again ...
We're less than three months away from the start of the New Hampshire grouse and woodcock seasons, and while it seems a ways off, it really isn't. It will be here before we all know it, so now is the time to get yourself and the dogs ready for the rigors that lie ahead. There's been quite a few changes since my last post. Various states have "reopened" to varying results, guidelines have been introduced, and modified, for us guides here in New Hampshire, and the spring and early summer hatching period has passed and perhaps a few predictions can be made about the season ahead.
COVID-19 & REOPENING
All of the northeastern states - NH, Vermont and Maine - are currently open for business, though the exact "phase" of reopening might be different for each one. Here in NH, we are open for visitors from everywhere, without a quarantine requirement - good news for all of our visitors potentially this fall. It looks like we'll be "good to go" if everything progresses, but if you've been following the national news over the last couple of weeks, that is easier said than done. Hopefully, we do not have a recurrence of the virus here in the northeast this fall, and a resulting shutdown would be the absolute worst case scenario for all of us. Let's hope that doesn't happen ...
GUIDE TRIPS THIS FALL
Back in late May, guidelines for fishing and hunting guides in NH were introduced by the government. In short, normal social distancing should be practiced as you would expect, and guides and clients should take separate vehicles to their fishing and hunting locations. This last one isn't such a big deal, as at least half of my clients do this already, but for those that don't have a four wheel drive, getting in to some of the areas that I prefer to go, off the beaten path, might prove more difficult.
The other directive, which has since been rescinded, specified that clients had to bring their own food and drink during a day's excursion. In short, the much desired "lunch table oasis" after a hard morning hunt might not be the same. However, that directive was eliminated last week, so now I will be able to provide food and drink for my clients on my guided trips. Yes, the Chicken and White Bean Chili will continue to provide sustenance for my clients all season long ...
THE SEASON AHEAD
Let's get to the important stuff ... the birds.
Perhaps it was because I spent a lot of time in the early morning hours in May, hunting wild turkey, but I noticed a lot of drumming activity from male grouse, even flushing a few getting in and out of locations. There were also many woodcock peenting on their singing grounds throughout April and early May, and the dogs got in some valuable work on our migrating birds as they returned from their winter haunts.
We did not have an especially cold winter this year in northern New Hampshire, and we were seeing a fair amount of birds on our snowshoe trips, and based on the spring numbers, survival of grouse over the winter must've been good. Unfortunately, there have been several dead grouse on the roads in the last couple of weeks - perhaps another indicator of a healthy population?
The spring hatch weather was, generally speaking, warm and dry. June is probably the most important month for our north country grouse, as most hens are still sitting on their nests in May. This June was the exact opposite of last June (cold and wet), so there is some cautious optimism about the coming season. The image of the grouse above was actually taken on July 4, and it turned out that it was a hen - there were chicks on both sides of the road, and she must have been shepherding them across the road when I came along. i also saw some very small chicks yesterday in another location, so I will give it another week before running the dogs.
PREPARATIONS
The big goal of this offseason is to find a couple of new areas for guiding my clients in. As some of you know, just because it might be an area that I like for hunting doesn't necessarily mean that it would be good for taking clients to. The areas I look for obviously have to have birds, but they must also be accessible for people of varying abilities. I have the new areas identified already, so now it is a matter of getting out there to check them out with the dogs.
COVID-19 & REOPENING
All of the northeastern states - NH, Vermont and Maine - are currently open for business, though the exact "phase" of reopening might be different for each one. Here in NH, we are open for visitors from everywhere, without a quarantine requirement - good news for all of our visitors potentially this fall. It looks like we'll be "good to go" if everything progresses, but if you've been following the national news over the last couple of weeks, that is easier said than done. Hopefully, we do not have a recurrence of the virus here in the northeast this fall, and a resulting shutdown would be the absolute worst case scenario for all of us. Let's hope that doesn't happen ...
GUIDE TRIPS THIS FALL
Back in late May, guidelines for fishing and hunting guides in NH were introduced by the government. In short, normal social distancing should be practiced as you would expect, and guides and clients should take separate vehicles to their fishing and hunting locations. This last one isn't such a big deal, as at least half of my clients do this already, but for those that don't have a four wheel drive, getting in to some of the areas that I prefer to go, off the beaten path, might prove more difficult.
The other directive, which has since been rescinded, specified that clients had to bring their own food and drink during a day's excursion. In short, the much desired "lunch table oasis" after a hard morning hunt might not be the same. However, that directive was eliminated last week, so now I will be able to provide food and drink for my clients on my guided trips. Yes, the Chicken and White Bean Chili will continue to provide sustenance for my clients all season long ...
THE SEASON AHEAD
Let's get to the important stuff ... the birds.
Perhaps it was because I spent a lot of time in the early morning hours in May, hunting wild turkey, but I noticed a lot of drumming activity from male grouse, even flushing a few getting in and out of locations. There were also many woodcock peenting on their singing grounds throughout April and early May, and the dogs got in some valuable work on our migrating birds as they returned from their winter haunts.
We did not have an especially cold winter this year in northern New Hampshire, and we were seeing a fair amount of birds on our snowshoe trips, and based on the spring numbers, survival of grouse over the winter must've been good. Unfortunately, there have been several dead grouse on the roads in the last couple of weeks - perhaps another indicator of a healthy population?
The spring hatch weather was, generally speaking, warm and dry. June is probably the most important month for our north country grouse, as most hens are still sitting on their nests in May. This June was the exact opposite of last June (cold and wet), so there is some cautious optimism about the coming season. The image of the grouse above was actually taken on July 4, and it turned out that it was a hen - there were chicks on both sides of the road, and she must have been shepherding them across the road when I came along. i also saw some very small chicks yesterday in another location, so I will give it another week before running the dogs.
PREPARATIONS
The big goal of this offseason is to find a couple of new areas for guiding my clients in. As some of you know, just because it might be an area that I like for hunting doesn't necessarily mean that it would be good for taking clients to. The areas I look for obviously have to have birds, but they must also be accessible for people of varying abilities. I have the new areas identified already, so now it is a matter of getting out there to check them out with the dogs.
Speaking of the dogs, they have enjoyed too much leisure time as of late, but they seem to know that the season is coming. Rosie, in particular, is chomping at the bit to get out there. I have been doing some light "WHOA" work with them in the yard, but they will also learn some of the finer points of honoring. To that end, I rehabilitated a training aid that I received from friend, breeder and trainer Lou Gagnon - a plywood cutout of a dog on point that he used for training his dogs to honor another dog's point. I'll be using it extensively in August, once I stain it to look like a GSP ...
