A Week in the Books
Finally, a rare day off from the grouse woods today. Much needed for myself and primarily the dogs - they have worked hard every day so far and were definitely ready for a little rest. They'll be back at it tomorrow, and quite a lot more over the next month or so. The day off allowed me some reflection on the season so far and what we have to look forward to in the coming weeks.
First off, as has been said before in the last few blog entries, this year's grouse numbers are way up. We've moved a considerable number of birds each day that we've been out there, even along the road edges. While it's been great, even I know that this can't continue. There will be a point, probably after the busy holiday weekend, where some of those birds along the roads learned the hard way to abandon the edge in favor of deeper woods. Those that aren't shot by hunters will inevitably seek the refuge of more out of the way places to exist. Eventually, they will move back toward the roads however, especially when the weather gets consistently cold, but we may experience a slow down of moving birds along the roads in the short term.
We have been encountering a sizable number of young birds that seem to be inexperienced in dealing with dogs and humans. We've had some terrific opportunities for shots, and one of my hunters made the most of it this week, limiting out two days in a row on grouse - most of those birds were young of the year. That is a rare feat for most grouse hunters, but that could be a distinct possibility in this year of plenty. Sharpen up on your reflexes and gun mount and perhaps you too can shoot a limit of ruffed grouse in 2020. We have also encountered our share of wily grouse too, so please don't be overconfident when venturing forth to the grouse woods ...
First off, as has been said before in the last few blog entries, this year's grouse numbers are way up. We've moved a considerable number of birds each day that we've been out there, even along the road edges. While it's been great, even I know that this can't continue. There will be a point, probably after the busy holiday weekend, where some of those birds along the roads learned the hard way to abandon the edge in favor of deeper woods. Those that aren't shot by hunters will inevitably seek the refuge of more out of the way places to exist. Eventually, they will move back toward the roads however, especially when the weather gets consistently cold, but we may experience a slow down of moving birds along the roads in the short term.
We have been encountering a sizable number of young birds that seem to be inexperienced in dealing with dogs and humans. We've had some terrific opportunities for shots, and one of my hunters made the most of it this week, limiting out two days in a row on grouse - most of those birds were young of the year. That is a rare feat for most grouse hunters, but that could be a distinct possibility in this year of plenty. Sharpen up on your reflexes and gun mount and perhaps you too can shoot a limit of ruffed grouse in 2020. We have also encountered our share of wily grouse too, so please don't be overconfident when venturing forth to the grouse woods ...
The woodcock hunting has been improving as we have gone along this week. Perhaps it was a change in tactics on my part, favorable conditions for the dogs, or just that the migration of timberdoodles has truly begun, but we have encountered more of them the last couple of days. A number of the birds shot this week were females, and supposedly they are the first to migrate in the fall, so hopefully we have a couple more good weeks of woodcock coming through the area.
I always try to note the flight of a woodcock that we might encounter. A lazy, fluttering and failing flight usually indicates a bird that is tired out from migrating. A strong, high flight might be one of our native birds, or a recharged bird that has spent some time here on its way south. The weather was the coldest of the season last night, but we have some mild weather coming this week. There should be plenty of woodcock coming through here shortly.
I always try to note the flight of a woodcock that we might encounter. A lazy, fluttering and failing flight usually indicates a bird that is tired out from migrating. A strong, high flight might be one of our native birds, or a recharged bird that has spent some time here on its way south. The weather was the coldest of the season last night, but we have some mild weather coming this week. There should be plenty of woodcock coming through here shortly.
The rare "upland limit" - four grouse and three woodcock
The annual "leaf drop" is way ahead this year. The drought that we experienced in August and September, coupled with some wind and rain storms the last couple of weeks led to a brief peak for the foliage and then a sudden drop of leaves. Quite a few of them litter the woods floor, increasing the visibility dramatically in this first week of the season. Most years, we are only hearing the grouse flush away from us early in the season, but this year my hunters have gotten great looks at grouse each day. Of course, grouse are still the masters of putting a tree or other object in the way of them and the hunter, so not every grouse presents a good opportunity ...
