NH Grouse Hunting Update: 11/3
Every day is different in grouse hunting. Changing weather, changing cover conditions, and most of all the behavior of the birds themselves often dictates how the day will go for us hunters. There have been some changes through our hunts this week, as we watched the dogs of some clients work, as well as Rosie, Bode and Monty. My clients had a lot of shooting chances, either over points or on wild flushes. Some were connected on, while the majority flew away unscathed, to be pursued another day ...
Dan had a great day in the New Hampshire uplands yesterday, taking two grouse and a woodcock, one of the few left in the north country this late in the season.
The hunting has been good most days, and exceptional on some others. While the vast majority of our resident woodcock have moved on and the flights of timberdoodles have come and gone, we have been encountering lone woodcock here and there. The grouse have been prevalent however, so they have more than made up for the vanishing act of the woodcock. However, even though we are finding them, these are the crafty survivors of a season that is nearly five weeks old. They are running, flushing wild, and rarely sit tight for the points of the dogs that was somewhat common a few weeks ago.
The dogs continue to work hard, whether it's navigating the cover, pointing birds, or recovering downed grouse and woodcock. As usual, Rosie has continued her good season and Bode and Monty have been energetically hitting the cover and chipping in here and there.
The dogs of my clients have also been working hard, and we've had points in the last week from all of them. They are getting valuable experience in trying to handle the "King of Gamebirds", the most difficult upland bird for a dog to pursue. The learning curve can be pretty steep for a young or inexperienced dog that only hunts them a few days a year, and continued exposure to the grouse woods will help these dogs become trusted hunting partners for their owners.
In regards to the cover, the leaves may be gone but it can still be mighty thick in the areas that we've been hunting. The thickest cover, which often includes more than a smattering of spruces, is usually where the birds are found, and we usually only get a flush in sparser cover when a bird has moved away from us on our approach.
The dogs continue to work hard, whether it's navigating the cover, pointing birds, or recovering downed grouse and woodcock. As usual, Rosie has continued her good season and Bode and Monty have been energetically hitting the cover and chipping in here and there.
The dogs of my clients have also been working hard, and we've had points in the last week from all of them. They are getting valuable experience in trying to handle the "King of Gamebirds", the most difficult upland bird for a dog to pursue. The learning curve can be pretty steep for a young or inexperienced dog that only hunts them a few days a year, and continued exposure to the grouse woods will help these dogs become trusted hunting partners for their owners.
In regards to the cover, the leaves may be gone but it can still be mighty thick in the areas that we've been hunting. The thickest cover, which often includes more than a smattering of spruces, is usually where the birds are found, and we usually only get a flush in sparser cover when a bird has moved away from us on our approach.
While at least half of the birds found have been singles, there have been a number of pairs, triples, and even a couple of quartets that have gone airborne on the good work of the dogs. Remember, never let your guard down when that first bird flushes ... there just might be more.
We had some wet weather last weekend, but it has been nearly perfect conditions for grouse hunting this week - cold in the morning, and only warming up to about 45 degrees in the afternoon. We hunted in some snow flurries this morning, but the weather looks great for the next week and a half for us. This week has been spent in New Hampshire, as will the next four days of hunts. Next week, we will shift our attention to our Vermont coverts when the rifle deer season in the granite state opens next week.
More updates to come ...
We had some wet weather last weekend, but it has been nearly perfect conditions for grouse hunting this week - cold in the morning, and only warming up to about 45 degrees in the afternoon. We hunted in some snow flurries this morning, but the weather looks great for the next week and a half for us. This week has been spent in New Hampshire, as will the next four days of hunts. Next week, we will shift our attention to our Vermont coverts when the rifle deer season in the granite state opens next week.
More updates to come ...
