FROST FIRE GUIDE SERVICE, LLC

Tracks

12/03/2019 Filed in: 2019 Upland Bird Hunting

Ahhh ... winter grouse hunting. While it's not the easiest of the seasons of grouse hunting here in northern New Hampshire, it can be rewarding at times. The birds, when you find them, are often in groups as they are are usually sharing a food source or heavy cover to get out of the winter weather. There's also not many, if any, other hunters out there. Those are two of the positive aspects of grouse hunting in the winter. Unfortunately, there's a few drawbacks to this part of the season as well.

Grouse hunting in northern New Hampshire

By the Numbers

11/08/2019 Filed in: 2019 Upland Bird Hunting | Rosie | Bode | Monty written by: bs

Now there's some time to sit down and analyze the recently passed grouse guiding season. Frequent readers of the blog know that I keep a "tote board" of each grouse season (except the first season that I guided, in 2008), but this year I want to put some context with the numbers that we have collected over the last five weeks.

Final Trip

11/07/2019 Filed in: 2019 Upland Bird Hunting | Rosie written by: bs

Today was the final guide trip for the 2019 season, and my client Chris and I had a good time out there, watching bird dogs do their thing and working hard to provide us with some bird contacts, up close and personal. While it snowed at times out there, especially in the afternoon, the weather wasn't generally as bad as had been forecast just a day or two ago. In fact, it was quite nice in the morning - mid 30's with a slight breeze and no precipitation coming down, which was quite a change from yesterday.

NH Grouse Hunting Update: 11/6

11/06/2019 Filed in: 2019 Upland Bird Hunting | Monty | Rosie | Bode written by: bs

Yes, the first snowfall of the season was actually today, which is late this year. Traditionally, we usually have our first snow around October 20, so we have been pretty lucky in the weather department this season. Lots of rain, but it has been well timed (at night, or on my "off" days), but the temperatures have mostly been mild. It was cold today however with the gusty wind, but the dogs still did a good job of finding birds and pointing them.

Vermont Grouse Hunting Update: 11/4

11/04/2019 Filed in: 2019 Upland Bird Hunting written by: bs

Though the overall numbers of grouse that we've seen and heard this season seem to be a bit down from what it was like last year, we've had some beautiful fall days to chase them around, that's for sure. My client Brian bagged this beautiful male bird last Saturday in Vermont, as we gave our New Hampshire coverts a rest with the beginning of the muzzleloader season for deer.

NH Grouse Hunting Update: 11/1

11/01/2019 Filed in: 2019 Upland Bird Hunting | Bode | Rosie written by: bs

It is on days like this where we question why exactly we grouse hunt. Cold temps, very windy conditions (30 - 40 MPH) and severely skittish ruffed grouse can lead one to wonder what we're doing out there, but every now and then we're successful, even under the harshest of conditions. That was the case today for my client Eric, as he harvested his first grouse ever and I'm sure that will keep him coming back for more, even when the odds are decidedly against us.

Odds and Ends

10/28/2019 Filed in: 2019 Upland Bird Hunting | Bode written by: bs

Guiding operations shifted over to Vermont today, and we'll spend another day in the Green Mountain State tomorrow. My clients today were Randy and Conrad, and we had the pleasure of hunting behind Randy's pointers Ginger and Axel. It didn't take long for Ginger to get things going on the right foot as she pointed three woodcock in a short amount of time and Conrad helped her remember exactly why she's out there by taking two of them on skillful shooting.

Stem Density

10/27/2019 Filed in: 2019 Upland Bird Hunting | Bode | Rosie written by: bs

Many of my clients have had to listen to me prattle on about grouse habitat, and especially the need for "stem density". While this sounds like a nebulous term, and no, I don't have an exact figure tor the amount of stems per acre that makes excellent grouse habitat (there is a figure that I've read, but it didn't stick in my memory the way that grouse coverts do). I know it when I see it, and it is nearly always a good place to stop and take an inventory.

2024: 190.5 Hours VT Hours: 70.0 NH Hours: 120.5 VT Birds Moved: 172 NH Birds Moved: 389 Birds Taken: 24 Grouse (VT - 7, NH - 17) 41 Woodcock (VT - 12, NH - 29)	2023: 222.5 Hours VT Hours: 65.5 NH Hours: 157.0 VT Birds Moved: 143 NH Birds Moved: 430 Birds Taken: 14 Grouse (VT - 4, NH - 10) 43 Woodcock (VT - 7, NH - 36)	2022: 123.0 Hours VT Hours: 49.5 NH Hours: 73.5 VT Birds Moved: 96 NH Birds Moved: 178 Birds Taken: 11 Grouse (VT - 5, NH - 6) 6 Woodcock (VT - 2, NH - 4)
2021: 193.5 Hours VT Hours: 66.0 NH Hours: 127.5 VT Birds Moved: 226 NH Birds Moved: 427 Birds Taken: 36 Grouse 21 Woodcock	2020: 199.5 Hours VT Hours: 36.0 NH Hours: 163.5 VT Birds Moved: 77 NH Birds Moved: 552 Birds Taken: 24 Grouse 21 Woodcock	2019: 184.5 Hours VT Hours: 28.0 NH Hours: 156.5 VT Birds Moved: 65 NH Birds Moved: 509 Birds Taken: 14 Grouse 29 Woodcock
2018: 144.0 Hours VT Hours: 32.0 NH Hours: 112.0 VT Birds Moved: 114 NH Birds Moved: 417 Birds Taken: 18 Grouse 12 Woodcock	2017: 180.5 Hours VT Hours: 44 NH Hours: 136.5 VT Birds moved: 110 NH Birds moved: 407 Birds Taken: 23 Grouse 24 Woodcock	2016: 178 Hours Birds moved: 563 Birds/Hr Avg.: 3.16 Birds Taken: 23 Grouse 30 Woodcock
2015: 202.0 Hours Birds moved: 607 Birds/Hr Avg.: 3.0 Birds Taken: 18 grouse 26 woodcock	2014: 138.0 hours Birds moved: 350 Birds/hr. Avg.: 2.53 Birds Taken: 17 grouse 17 woodcock	2013: 152 Hours Birds moved: 480 Birds/hr. Avg.: 3.15 Birds Taken: 20 grouse 27 woodcock
2012: 114 Hours Birds moved: 526 Birds /Hr Avg.: 4.61 Birds Taken: 22 grouse 4 woodcock	2011: 161 Hours Birds moved: 522 Birds / Hr Avg.: 3.24 Birds Taken: 34 grouse 21 woodcock	2010: 139.5 Hours Birds moved: 430 Birds / Hr Avg.: 3.08 Birds Taken: 26 grouse 21 woodcock
2009: 93.5 Hours Birds moved: 307 Birds / Hr Avg.: 3.28 Birds Taken: 16 grouse 14 woodcock	2008: 82.5 Hours Birds moved: 188 Birds / Hr Avg.: 2.27 Birds Taken: 10 grouse 5 woodcock

FROST FIRE GUIDE SERVICE

FROST FIRE GUIDE SERVICE

Frost Fire's Grouse Hunting
"Partridge Blog"

Tracks

By the Numbers

Final Trip

NH Grouse Hunting Update: 11/6

Vermont Grouse Hunting Update: 11/4

NH Grouse Hunting Update: 11/1

Odds and Ends

Stem Density

Grouse Hunting Season Stats

Frost Fire's Grouse Hunting"Partridge Blog"

Grouse Hunting Season Stats

Frost Fire's Grouse Hunting
"Partridge Blog"