NH Upland Bird Hunting Update: 10/26
That's my client's setter, "Dixie", during her run today in some supreme New Hampshire grouse and woodcock cover. The conditions were perfect for the scenting abilities of the dogs, as each dog had moments of glory (some more than others), and Scott's aim was true. He harvested a limit of grouse and two woodcock as well, and we had an awesome time watching some great dog work.
How much longer will we be chasing timberdoodles this season? Great question!
Bella retrieves the fourth and final grouse of Scott's day after a solid point. Scott made a great shot on this bird and Bella was rewarded with carrying it back to me.
With temps in the low 40's and some lingering showers in the area, it was a welcome relief from the hot and dry conditions from earlier this week. Rocky was first out of the truck today, and he had a great run, pointing many of the dozen birds (6 grouse, 6 woodcock) that he encountered.
Scott made a grouse and a woodcock pay the price over Rocky's points, but he did have an uncharacteristic miss on a pair of grouse that Rocky staunchly pointed in nearly perfect grouse cover. Defeat was fleeting however, as we thoroughly enjoyed watching Rocky in his search for birds. He was energetic and responsive to my commands, and his range was nearly perfect. Needless to say, I'm ecstatic with where he's at in his development.
We were pleasantly surprised to move so many woodcock in upland areas this morning. Yes, they're still around in good numbers, but it is supposed to be cold tonight and tomorrow night - hopefully they stick around for the next week or so to give us and the dogs more excitement ...
Scott's setter Dixie was next out of the truck and she had a wonderful run, combining an energetic search with careful bird handling when her opportunities arose. In merely an hour and a half she encountered five grouse and two woodcock, and she handled them beautifully. Scott connected on a grouse and woodcock over her steady points, and she is one of the best "client" dogs that I've seen in my years of guiding.
Did we leave the best for last? Maybe not. Bella started out a little ragged in running the anchor lap for the dogs today, but she displayed lots of gusto and was rewarded at the end of her session with a grouse, courtesy of Scott. She seemed to want to range out a little too far for much of the day today, which is out of character for how she's been most of this season.
Bella had a few bumps to start, but then eventually settled down enough to point a group of four or five grouse that conveniently flushed in all different directions as we moved closer, confounding us. It was great to see at least, but that is how grouse hunting goes sometimes. Shortly after that she had another point and track of a grouse that resembled a roadrunner. Needless to say, it got away and we were frustrated in our attempt to catch up with that one.
Finally, we figured it was close to finishing time, but Bella had other ideas. She established a point a short distance from us and Scott made a heckuva shot when the bird flushed low on a sweeping left to right arc. The grouse tumbled down and Bella was quickly on it and retrieving it to me. Scott had limited on grouse and we had a great day of hunting and dog watching.
With an abundance of stem density, the cover was fantastic all day, and we are fully in the midst of "stick season". The vast majority of the leaves have fallen and we are getting much better looks at the grouse before they flee for cover. Of course, the loss of the leaves means that the birds may rely on their "horizontal cover" more now - blowdowns, logs, and stands of small spruces should be paid attention to now.
Tomorrow and most of the coming week will be spent chasing birds in New Hampshire, as the muzzleloader deer season doesn't start until next Saturday. After that, we will shift our focus back to our grouse coverts in Vermont. As for the weather, the next few days will be colder, but then we will have milder weather coming through later this week. Hopefully it keeps some of our woodcock around longer ...
Scott made a grouse and a woodcock pay the price over Rocky's points, but he did have an uncharacteristic miss on a pair of grouse that Rocky staunchly pointed in nearly perfect grouse cover. Defeat was fleeting however, as we thoroughly enjoyed watching Rocky in his search for birds. He was energetic and responsive to my commands, and his range was nearly perfect. Needless to say, I'm ecstatic with where he's at in his development.
We were pleasantly surprised to move so many woodcock in upland areas this morning. Yes, they're still around in good numbers, but it is supposed to be cold tonight and tomorrow night - hopefully they stick around for the next week or so to give us and the dogs more excitement ...
Scott's setter Dixie was next out of the truck and she had a wonderful run, combining an energetic search with careful bird handling when her opportunities arose. In merely an hour and a half she encountered five grouse and two woodcock, and she handled them beautifully. Scott connected on a grouse and woodcock over her steady points, and she is one of the best "client" dogs that I've seen in my years of guiding.
Did we leave the best for last? Maybe not. Bella started out a little ragged in running the anchor lap for the dogs today, but she displayed lots of gusto and was rewarded at the end of her session with a grouse, courtesy of Scott. She seemed to want to range out a little too far for much of the day today, which is out of character for how she's been most of this season.
Bella had a few bumps to start, but then eventually settled down enough to point a group of four or five grouse that conveniently flushed in all different directions as we moved closer, confounding us. It was great to see at least, but that is how grouse hunting goes sometimes. Shortly after that she had another point and track of a grouse that resembled a roadrunner. Needless to say, it got away and we were frustrated in our attempt to catch up with that one.
Finally, we figured it was close to finishing time, but Bella had other ideas. She established a point a short distance from us and Scott made a heckuva shot when the bird flushed low on a sweeping left to right arc. The grouse tumbled down and Bella was quickly on it and retrieving it to me. Scott had limited on grouse and we had a great day of hunting and dog watching.
With an abundance of stem density, the cover was fantastic all day, and we are fully in the midst of "stick season". The vast majority of the leaves have fallen and we are getting much better looks at the grouse before they flee for cover. Of course, the loss of the leaves means that the birds may rely on their "horizontal cover" more now - blowdowns, logs, and stands of small spruces should be paid attention to now.
Tomorrow and most of the coming week will be spent chasing birds in New Hampshire, as the muzzleloader deer season doesn't start until next Saturday. After that, we will shift our focus back to our grouse coverts in Vermont. As for the weather, the next few days will be colder, but then we will have milder weather coming through later this week. Hopefully it keeps some of our woodcock around longer ...
