NH Grouse Hunting Update: 10/28
Our weather pattern has gotten significantly colder this week, as what's been out west and in the midwest has begun to affect us a bit. It has also affected the upland bird hunting to some degree as well, as areas that were teeming with grouse just a few days ago were seemingly bereft of them yesterday. Why the change ... that is the great question.
My observation, after yesterday morning's jaunt up and across a snowy hillside (a couple of times) is the elevation. In this area, just two days before, Rosie encountered nine grouse, pointing the vast majority of them. Most of them sat very tightly and a couple of them offered good chances for me. Having not taken any and letting the area rest for a day, we went back there yesterday with clients of mine that can handle such a cover.
All of my hunches were wrong, as Rosie pointed only one grouse that offered no shot for Matt upon flushing. There was probably 1"-2" of fresh snow from the night before, probably enough snow to make the grouse prefer spruce cover nearby, and to make the walking treacherous for us. I also wondered if the grouse were seeking shelter at lower elevations, though they generally are a winter loving bird. We also have no idea if the area was hunted the day before we got there and perhaps the birds had simply been moved out - hard to know for sure.
Needless to say, I was disappointed with our results, so we hunted a lower elevation cover with less snow (it was present in places) in the afternoon, and it turned a profit almost immediately.
My observation, after yesterday morning's jaunt up and across a snowy hillside (a couple of times) is the elevation. In this area, just two days before, Rosie encountered nine grouse, pointing the vast majority of them. Most of them sat very tightly and a couple of them offered good chances for me. Having not taken any and letting the area rest for a day, we went back there yesterday with clients of mine that can handle such a cover.
All of my hunches were wrong, as Rosie pointed only one grouse that offered no shot for Matt upon flushing. There was probably 1"-2" of fresh snow from the night before, probably enough snow to make the grouse prefer spruce cover nearby, and to make the walking treacherous for us. I also wondered if the grouse were seeking shelter at lower elevations, though they generally are a winter loving bird. We also have no idea if the area was hunted the day before we got there and perhaps the birds had simply been moved out - hard to know for sure.
Needless to say, I was disappointed with our results, so we hunted a lower elevation cover with less snow (it was present in places) in the afternoon, and it turned a profit almost immediately.
Literally, Rosie got out of the truck after we had lunch and pointed a woodcock, followed by a few grouse shortly after that. Each grouse was a single, and one of them offered a nice opportunity for Matt, but, alas, no bird. After this, she began pointing woodcock after woodcock, and in perhaps an hour, Pete had tagged out on timberdoodles over Rosie's excellent points - there is no doubt that she has turned in to an excellent grouse and woodcock dog in this her fourth season.
The great work from her continued yesterday afternoon, and she had more points on woodcock and several more on grouse. No other birds fell to the guns, but several of them must've felt the heat from shotgun pellets that nearly hit their mark. By the end of our day together we had contacted in the neighborhood of 14 grouse and 10 woodcock by my count, and while not all provided shots, they did give us plenty of excitement in the New Hampshire uplands.
We have some very cold nights coming up in the next few days, but then slightly milder weather coming next week. I still anticipate the majority of the woodcock moving south in the next week. Usually we see very few of them after the first week of November. Grouse contacts should remain consistent with the cold weather, as they will be on the move, eating constantly to keep their engines running. The only problem now is that they are getting more "educated" by the day .. running away from danger and moving out of points - all typical grouse behavior, in other words.
The great work from her continued yesterday afternoon, and she had more points on woodcock and several more on grouse. No other birds fell to the guns, but several of them must've felt the heat from shotgun pellets that nearly hit their mark. By the end of our day together we had contacted in the neighborhood of 14 grouse and 10 woodcock by my count, and while not all provided shots, they did give us plenty of excitement in the New Hampshire uplands.
We have some very cold nights coming up in the next few days, but then slightly milder weather coming next week. I still anticipate the majority of the woodcock moving south in the next week. Usually we see very few of them after the first week of November. Grouse contacts should remain consistent with the cold weather, as they will be on the move, eating constantly to keep their engines running. The only problem now is that they are getting more "educated" by the day .. running away from danger and moving out of points - all typical grouse behavior, in other words.
Pete loves to hunt woodcock, and it didn't take him long to shoot three of them over Rosie's staunch points.
