Wiped Out
Our final grouse hunting trips of the season concluded yesterday, barring a sudden warmup in December, and we're glad to be out of the woods for the time being. Myself and the dogs are physically spent, and the grouse hunting itself has been difficult lately. We just haven't been moving as many birds as we usually do, even though we were hunting prototypical "grouse cover" for the weather conditions that we had to deal with.
Our first real winter weather of the season hit on Sunday night, just in time for my trips with Matt and David, upland bird hunters from Pennsylvania and Ohio that were making their first forays in to the grouse woods. They hunt woodcock and pheasant where they're from, but grouse numbers are either way down or non-existent in their states, so they journeyed to northern New England to pursue bonasa umbellus. We had a good time seeing some beautiful cover and enjoyed a beautiful day in the woods on Tuesday (it was cold and windy on Monday, very tough for hunting) during our hunts together.
Our first real winter weather of the season hit on Sunday night, just in time for my trips with Matt and David, upland bird hunters from Pennsylvania and Ohio that were making their first forays in to the grouse woods. They hunt woodcock and pheasant where they're from, but grouse numbers are either way down or non-existent in their states, so they journeyed to northern New England to pursue bonasa umbellus. We had a good time seeing some beautiful cover and enjoyed a beautiful day in the woods on Tuesday (it was cold and windy on Monday, very tough for hunting) during our hunts together.
Monday was a cold, blustery day, with the temp topping out in the high 20's, feeling much lower than that due to the wind chill. We started in a favorite cover of mine, with a good mix of spruce and regenerating growth, hoping to catch birds sheltering from the recently fallen snow.
This plan didn't go as I thought (nothing), so we moved down in elevation to hunt a roadside that led to another hillside cover with a good mix of spruce. Things got interesting when we went up the hillside later in the morning. The grouse started flying and we counted a group of five that went out ahead of us. Matt took a shot at one that was fleeing uphill (miss), but then took a better shot on a grouse that flew downhill towards us. Another miss, but it was a good indoctrination to how fast things often happen in the grouse woods.
Aside from that group, we moved only one other bird that morning, with Rosie cutting a very hot grouse track that afternoon on a bird we never caught up with. A slow day on Monday with only six birds flushed, so Tuesday had to be better? After all, the forecast was for no wind, plenty of sun, and slightly warmer temps ahead ...
Well, Tuesday turned out to be just as frustrating, as we hunted four different coverts that all looked ideal for grouse. Plenty of cover (spruce and otherwise) as well as sunny hillsides for grouse to get warm after the last couple of cold nights.
This plan didn't go as I thought (nothing), so we moved down in elevation to hunt a roadside that led to another hillside cover with a good mix of spruce. Things got interesting when we went up the hillside later in the morning. The grouse started flying and we counted a group of five that went out ahead of us. Matt took a shot at one that was fleeing uphill (miss), but then took a better shot on a grouse that flew downhill towards us. Another miss, but it was a good indoctrination to how fast things often happen in the grouse woods.
Aside from that group, we moved only one other bird that morning, with Rosie cutting a very hot grouse track that afternoon on a bird we never caught up with. A slow day on Monday with only six birds flushed, so Tuesday had to be better? After all, the forecast was for no wind, plenty of sun, and slightly warmer temps ahead ...
Well, Tuesday turned out to be just as frustrating, as we hunted four different coverts that all looked ideal for grouse. Plenty of cover (spruce and otherwise) as well as sunny hillsides for grouse to get warm after the last couple of cold nights.
David's first ruffed grouse. We worked hard for this bird, and it was a great reward for David to harvest it.
Thanks to the Fido Airlift, I was able to carry Finn out of the cover for a distance until he was able to regain his legs. Good thing he's not heavy - not sure I could've done it with one of my GSP's. It might be a good thing to carry in your pack while bird hunting with your pup.
The day started auspiciously however, as David's Brittany Spaniel Cash had to retire quickly due to a couple of broken toenails that must've happened on the hard logging road that we had started up. With Cash back at the truck, we got Rosie out to run with Finn, Matt's English Setter.
Rosie and Finn covered all of the likely hiding spots for grouse off the edge of the trail to no avail, until one finally flushed off the edge beside us. After a couple of warning shots from Matt, David brought the bird down with one shot, and he had his first ruffed grouse in hand - a young cock bird, and a treasured memory for Matt and David.
After that, we moved a couple more birds, one of which was pointed up a steep hillside by Rosie. As grouse are want to do, it seemed to climb the hillside ahead of us until Rosie finally flushed it at the top. We were still panting far down below, so no shot was possible. After that, things got interesting as Finn suddenly started showing signs of lethargy, finally laying down and refusing to go on as we headed back.
We were still quite a way from the trucks, so I took the opportunity to use my Fido sling, a device that was given to me by a client several years ago. It's a great piece of equipment to get your pup out of the woods with less effort than it would take to try to carry the dog out in your arms. Immobilizing the dog, the weight is supposed to be distributed in the small of your back to carry the load better.
We went for maybe a quarter mile uphill this way, Finn seemingly comfortable to be carried back. When we finally reached the apex of the trail, we decided to see if Finn could walk the rest of the way, leashed, back to the trucks. Luckily for me, he had gained his second wind while being transported on my back, and we made it back safely with Finn leashed up.
We're not sure what happened, but Finn could've been dehydrated or had perhaps a blood sugar condition. Matt removed a patch of burrs that he had going between his legs, but he still had a noticeable lack of energy. Once Matt got him back to the truck, he gave him a couple packets of honey, and Finn seemed to recover though he didn't venture back out with us again.
Following a sunny, table side lunch, we got Bode out and he acquitted himself nicely yesterday afternoon, hunting thoroughly and with energy. We moved three grouse during his time out there yesterday afternoon, one of which was pointed beautifully, but unfortunately none of them presented a shooting opportunity.
The real surprise was when we hunted one of my "food" coverts yesterday, in the belief that birds would be gorging themselves on high bush cranberries prior to the arrival of the winter weather we're having today. As usual, the grouse proved me wrong as we didn't find any grouse in the cover, but we did move two cock pheasants that apparently survived the stocking sites over the past month. One of them went out wildly from some high grass, cackling all the way. The other allowed itself to be pointed by Bode, and it was beautiful to watch that bird fly away, over bright blue skies. No shots on these birds, as my clients didn't have pheasant tags, and I'm not a pheasant guide ...
Rosie and Finn covered all of the likely hiding spots for grouse off the edge of the trail to no avail, until one finally flushed off the edge beside us. After a couple of warning shots from Matt, David brought the bird down with one shot, and he had his first ruffed grouse in hand - a young cock bird, and a treasured memory for Matt and David.
After that, we moved a couple more birds, one of which was pointed up a steep hillside by Rosie. As grouse are want to do, it seemed to climb the hillside ahead of us until Rosie finally flushed it at the top. We were still panting far down below, so no shot was possible. After that, things got interesting as Finn suddenly started showing signs of lethargy, finally laying down and refusing to go on as we headed back.
We were still quite a way from the trucks, so I took the opportunity to use my Fido sling, a device that was given to me by a client several years ago. It's a great piece of equipment to get your pup out of the woods with less effort than it would take to try to carry the dog out in your arms. Immobilizing the dog, the weight is supposed to be distributed in the small of your back to carry the load better.
We went for maybe a quarter mile uphill this way, Finn seemingly comfortable to be carried back. When we finally reached the apex of the trail, we decided to see if Finn could walk the rest of the way, leashed, back to the trucks. Luckily for me, he had gained his second wind while being transported on my back, and we made it back safely with Finn leashed up.
We're not sure what happened, but Finn could've been dehydrated or had perhaps a blood sugar condition. Matt removed a patch of burrs that he had going between his legs, but he still had a noticeable lack of energy. Once Matt got him back to the truck, he gave him a couple packets of honey, and Finn seemed to recover though he didn't venture back out with us again.
Following a sunny, table side lunch, we got Bode out and he acquitted himself nicely yesterday afternoon, hunting thoroughly and with energy. We moved three grouse during his time out there yesterday afternoon, one of which was pointed beautifully, but unfortunately none of them presented a shooting opportunity.
The real surprise was when we hunted one of my "food" coverts yesterday, in the belief that birds would be gorging themselves on high bush cranberries prior to the arrival of the winter weather we're having today. As usual, the grouse proved me wrong as we didn't find any grouse in the cover, but we did move two cock pheasants that apparently survived the stocking sites over the past month. One of them went out wildly from some high grass, cackling all the way. The other allowed itself to be pointed by Bode, and it was beautiful to watch that bird fly away, over bright blue skies. No shots on these birds, as my clients didn't have pheasant tags, and I'm not a pheasant guide ...
I came back to the grouse woods on October 18 after my health issues, and hunted, either by myself or with clients, for 23 of the 28 days since. My activity level has been high, in fact probably higher than it was prior to my health issues, and apparently I saved the best for last: 8 miles, 20 K steps, and 60 floors climbed. I feel good, but tired and sore as you might expect for a 53 year old. It was great fun being in the woods again, watching dogs work, and sharing the days with friends and clients. I'll keep at it this season, as long as the snow doesn't get too deep.
More to come ...
More to come ...
