NH Grouse Hunting Update: 10/23
It was my pleasure to go out again this year for a few days with brothers Chris and Chip Ramel and their hunting companion Frank Debord. Chris and Frank travel here all the way from Denver, with Chip making the short drive up I-91 from central Vermont. What distinguishes this group from all others is that they are dedicated connoisseurs of the 28 gauge, and after hunting with them now for a few years, I can attest to this gun’s ability.
There are days when these beautiful little shotguns are wielded with deadly accuracy, and there are others where the grouse and woodcock have more than a puncher’s chance of getting away to fly another day. All this really means is that they’re just like most other shotguns, in that you have your “good” and your “not so good” days with them, the only difference being that your shoulder isn’t aching from lugging a 28 around all day.
We moved, saw, heard and generally upset the daily routine of many grouse and woodcock in our days out together. In the end, they bagged two grouse and six woodcock for our three hunts - not bad, and the dog work from Dottie, Chris’s setter and Watson, Chris’s gordon setter went along well with the efforts of Rudy and Monty. There were a fair number of pointed birds that escaped the shot patterns of Chris, Chip and Frank, but we had a lot of fun trying. They’re coming back for more punishment from me next year, so something must have gone right!
We now have very little foliage left, so now you’ll probably hit the trunks and branches of trees, instead of the leaves when you get that grouse shot off. Woodcock are still on the move through the area, so we should have good action for the next couple of weeks on timberdoodles. Watch the weather and keep checking the moon phases to determine when the best days might be.
The weather also became more seasonal this week - temps in the 40s and 50s most days, and while the rain hasn’t entirely stopped, it has moderated greatly from what it was. It definitely feels like grouse hunting season now!
