NH Grouse & Woodcock Hunting Update: 10/24/2018
We are definitely now in the "second phase" of the grouse hunting season. Gone are the leaves that hid the grouse and woodcock so completely just two weeks ago and now the cover has opened up to a great extent. We're getting some good looks and semi-clean shots at fast escaping grouse and woodcock, but they are the survivors of the first few weeks, and tend not to linger too long when approached too closely by hunters or dogs. They get out in a hurry most of the time, leaving us to wonder what could have been done differently to affect a more positive outcome.
It has been colder than normal this October, which has made for some excellent scenting conditions for the dogs and they have been finding birds in numbers of 20 - 30+ a day. Unfortunately, this is upland bird hunting, and maybe a third of the birds that we contact offer some sort of a chance at a shot. That is how it has been the last three days. Monday was one of our better days, as we moved 21 grouse and 9 woodcock over the course of the day. A number of the grouse offered great shots, and one fell to the gun, but the dog work especially from Monty and Rosie was excellent.
It has been colder than normal this October, which has made for some excellent scenting conditions for the dogs and they have been finding birds in numbers of 20 - 30+ a day. Unfortunately, this is upland bird hunting, and maybe a third of the birds that we contact offer some sort of a chance at a shot. That is how it has been the last three days. Monday was one of our better days, as we moved 21 grouse and 9 woodcock over the course of the day. A number of the grouse offered great shots, and one fell to the gun, but the dog work especially from Monty and Rosie was excellent.
Tuesday we moved around the same number of grouse but only three woodcock, and no birds paid the ultimate price - we really had very few good opportunities for shooting birds, even though Bode had quite a few points on grouse, as well as a couple on woodcock. It snowed nearly three inches last night, which meant we were looking primarily for edge cover that featured evergreens nearby. Monty had a great morning, as we encountered seven grouse and seven woodcock, with the majority of the grouse pointed by Monty. Although birds are pointed, they still seem to have the upper hand in getting away from us, and danger for that matter. They are masters of escape and their covers for sure, and they are running out ahead on many of the points.
We moved 15 grouse and 9 woodcock today, as Bode provided the action in the afternoon, with five great points on grouse as well as a woodcock or two. He hunted hard and under control, covering the grouse woods thoroughly and with a great amount of gusto.
It looks like our cold unsettled weather continues right in to next week, with a couple of major storms coming. It'll make the hunting tough as you might expect, but the birds should be in all of the thicker places, waiting out the weather.
It looks like our cold unsettled weather continues right in to next week, with a couple of major storms coming. It'll make the hunting tough as you might expect, but the birds should be in all of the thicker places, waiting out the weather.
