That's a Wrap!
Bittersweet.
Another grouse season in the books for me and my spotted gang, and one inevitably wonders how many more there might be ahead. Thankfully, the legs are still there, and the back and heart most days, but this grouse hunting is really a young man's game, and I am the ripe old age of 51 ...
The dogs? They just plug along and are always eager to lead me on a romp through the woods. Each one had moments of grouse hunting glory this year, and while 2020 generally has been a year to forget for the real world, it turned out to be one of the better years to be a grouse hunter or sporting dog.
Another grouse season in the books for me and my spotted gang, and one inevitably wonders how many more there might be ahead. Thankfully, the legs are still there, and the back and heart most days, but this grouse hunting is really a young man's game, and I am the ripe old age of 51 ...
The dogs? They just plug along and are always eager to lead me on a romp through the woods. Each one had moments of grouse hunting glory this year, and while 2020 generally has been a year to forget for the real world, it turned out to be one of the better years to be a grouse hunter or sporting dog.
Our relative lack of snow this December compared to other years meant extra time in the grouse woods. With only a few inches of snow on the ground, it allowed us to get out a few times a week for a couple hours at a time (getting through the snow can still be a chore), which seemed to work well for the dogs.
While we couldn't drive in to many of the coverts that we like to hunt off the logging roads in New Hampshire and Vermont, we were still able to walk in from spots with easier access. Our sessions weren't always fruitful, but we usually moved at least a couple of birds.
Our best hunt came a couple of days ago on a frosty but sunny afternoon in Vermont - we moved a total of six grouse that day. They all went unscathed and the thick cover limited my shooting opportunities to a single chance (missed).
Our season closed out this morning, and Monty got the first run in familiar Vermont coverts. In merely an hour, we encountered four grouse, three of which were in a pack together, seeking a bit of shelter under a blowdown out of the wind. Monty went on point, and moments later one of them made the mistake of flying across the opening in front of me. Right place, right time, as most good grouse shots seem to be. Our final bird of what has been a very good grouse season was in the vest. It'll be a great dinner guest on a cold wintry night ...
Grouse tracks - quite a few times this winter that was the closest we got to birds. Still, tracks are better than nothing!
Bode got his final run in to close out our season, but his hour long effort ended in nothing. He worked hard and covered lots of ground and all of the likely spots of spruce and edge cover where a sheltering bird might be, but it was for naught.
Rosie's season ended last week, as she suffered a puncture to her leg that required a visit to the emergency vet in Littleton, NH on Christmas Eve night (my wife is amazing). A sedative, some stitches (interior and exterior), and some meds got Rosie on her way. She looks amazingly well today, but her season ended a week early nevertheless.
Happy New Year to all of my readers - let's hope 2021 is a good one for everyone, not just us grouse hunters!
