VT Grouse Hunting Update: 11/11
To say that we have been blessed with exceptional weather this November is an understatement. At a point in the season when it should be snowing, blowing and cold, it has been sunny with temperatures topping out in the 40's and 50's most days that we have been in the woods. Excellent weather for chasing ruffed grouse and watching bird dogs do what they do best!
While the weather has been phenomenal and definitely has us wishing that the upland bird hunting season wouldn't end, the grouse have continued to offer a great challenge for the dogs and my clients and I. They haven't been easy, as these survivors of the season are pulling out all the stops to survive the autumn onslaught. Running, flushing wildly, and generally being unpredictable is what we have observed the last few days, but there have been some birds that have offered good chances and my groups have had some success each day.
While the weather has been phenomenal and definitely has us wishing that the upland bird hunting season wouldn't end, the grouse have continued to offer a great challenge for the dogs and my clients and I. They haven't been easy, as these survivors of the season are pulling out all the stops to survive the autumn onslaught. Running, flushing wildly, and generally being unpredictable is what we have observed the last few days, but there have been some birds that have offered good chances and my groups have had some success each day.
Jon and Mike joined me on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, and while it started a bit slowly Tuesday morning, Rosie had an excellent point on a group of three grouse an hour in to our trip. Jon took a shot at a fast flushing bird and we saw it hit and drift to the ground. That's when it hobbled and flew again, deeper in to some evergreen cover. Rosie went and pointed again and eventually found it, hiding under a log. We never would have recovered that bird without her, and this is yet another example proving a bird dog's worth in recovering a crippled bird.
Later that morning, Monty got a run and had an amazing point on what turned out to be a rocket of a grouse. Jon missed it when it flushed, but no one would have blamed him, as it was not only fast but acrobatic when it decided enough was enough. Further on down the trail, Mike made a nice shot on a wild flushing bird that came out behind us - just like that, he had his first grouse in the vest ever, and he was the third of my clients to harvest his first grouse this year.
Bode took the afternoon run and provided several chances for Jon and Mike, but no connections were made on their shots. We moved 19 grouse that day, and walked a lot of miles (9+) to find them, but it was a beautiful day and we had two birds in the bag.
Later that morning, Monty got a run and had an amazing point on what turned out to be a rocket of a grouse. Jon missed it when it flushed, but no one would have blamed him, as it was not only fast but acrobatic when it decided enough was enough. Further on down the trail, Mike made a nice shot on a wild flushing bird that came out behind us - just like that, he had his first grouse in the vest ever, and he was the third of my clients to harvest his first grouse this year.
Bode took the afternoon run and provided several chances for Jon and Mike, but no connections were made on their shots. We moved 19 grouse that day, and walked a lot of miles (9+) to find them, but it was a beautiful day and we had two birds in the bag.
You'll never forget your first ruffed grouse ...
Jon admires his grouse on our second morning. The product of a great point, accurate shot and beautiful retrieve.
It rained Tuesday night in to Wednesday morning, which seemed to help the scenting conditions for Rosie. During an eventful morning hunt, Rosie pointed the first three grouse she saw and then pointed a group of three. It was an impressively long point and the birds held well. We all saw the second bird take off and Jon made a nice long shot on that bird. Rosie was off and a moment later returned with the bird softly nestled in her jaws. Another terrific moment for her in a season that I wish didn't have to end.
She also managed to point a woodcock, the latest I think I've ever seen one up here - the Vermont season is closed on timberdoodles, so hopefully it is fulfilling it's ancestral duty to migrate now. We moved 14 grouse and that one woodcock in three hours, so it was a good morning's work for Rosie.
She also managed to point a woodcock, the latest I think I've ever seen one up here - the Vermont season is closed on timberdoodles, so hopefully it is fulfilling it's ancestral duty to migrate now. We moved 14 grouse and that one woodcock in three hours, so it was a good morning's work for Rosie.
Today's clients were Hank and Turner, seasoned grouse hunters that have pursued the Gray Ghost for many moons, but their youthful enthusiasm for good grouse cover and challenging birds has not waned with the years. Once again, we enjoyed a crisp but beautiful day in the Vermont uplands, first following Rosie, and then watching Turner's two-year old setter work.
The dogs did their best, but the birds were difficult to find, even in some great looking cover, and when we found them they were not willing to sit tight. Rosie had a couple of points, but we just couldn't get close enough before the birds flushed ahead of us. It was similarly tough for my client's dog, though Turner managed to make a nice shot on the last of a group of three that we encountered. Fittingly, we moved 11 grouse today, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month ...
The dogs did their best, but the birds were difficult to find, even in some great looking cover, and when we found them they were not willing to sit tight. Rosie had a couple of points, but we just couldn't get close enough before the birds flushed ahead of us. It was similarly tough for my client's dog, though Turner managed to make a nice shot on the last of a group of three that we encountered. Fittingly, we moved 11 grouse today, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month ...
