Frost Fire Partridge Blog

Boot Leather

11/12/2022 Filed in: 2022 Upland Bird Hunting | Rosie written by: bs

One thing about ruffed grouse hunting: without a doubt, a comfortable pair of boots is perhaps the most important piece of apparel we go to the field with. Without good boots, our hours spent chasing birds would be for naught, as we would struggle mightily to navigate the rocky ridge tops and soggy lowlands that grouse prefer to call home. Fortunately, Jeanne and Harvey (above) had good boots, because we walked at least 14 miles in our two days of hunting together.

Tags: ruffed grouse, woodcock, Vermont

Heatwave

11/07/2022 Filed in: 2022 Upland Bird Hunting | Rosie | Bode | Monty | Millie written by: bs

A rare image over the last few days of bird hunting: one of my clients with their hard-earned quarry, a beautiful male grouse. If my last post sounded dire in its description of how the hunting has been in the abnormally warm temperatures over the last week, it really took a turn for the worse over the weekend, as we had two of the warmest hunting days that we've experienced.

A Tale of Two Days

10/29/2022 Filed in: 2022 Upland Bird Hunting | Rosie written by: bs

How can two days of ruffed grouse hunting be so different? Great question, and it's one that I frequently ask myself when we have a great day of hunting, followed up by a slower day, or vice-a versa. That was the case yesterday, where we could seemingly do no wrong, to today, where the grouse were especially hard to find, even when we were hunting quintessential "grouse cover". As a now retired fishing guide friend of mine frequently mused, "Some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug".

First Impressions

10/21/2022 Filed in: 2022 Upland Bird Hunting | Rosie written by: bs

Three days in the books, and everything is going as it should in the grouse woods. The dogs were a little ragged to start, but both Bode and Rosie have been pointing the majority of their birds the last few days, and Monty performed well in his limited time out there on Tuesday.

Back In The Saddle

10/17/2022 Filed in: 2022 Bird Dog Training | Rosie

The image above was unthinkable for me, just five days ago. I couldn't do much of anything physical, except fly fish, and even that had its moments. Some of you know that I was diagnosed with a blockage to one of the arteries feeding blood to my heart (the L.A.D., as it turns out - Left Anterior Descending) after a stress test a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to the miracle of modern medical science and a great team of doctors and nurses at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, I was back in the saddle with my dogs this morning, roaming the grouse woods again.

Sisters

08/03/2022 Filed in: 2022 Bird Dog Training | Rosie | Millie written by: bs

We are now under two months from the start dates of the grouse and woodcock hunting seasons in both New Hampshire and Vermont. Time is marching on, and we have been going out to the woods, preparing for what is to come next, that is "when the weather allows".

Bird dog training at Frost Fire Guide Service

Yard Work

06/01/2022 Filed in: 2022 Bird Dog Training | Bode | Rosie | Millie written by: bs

It's the time of the year where all good bird hunters should be working on the oft neglected commands that they likely will use during the hunting season. No rest for the weary, in other words, and it is hard to believe that the grouse and woodcock seasons open a mere four months from now. Sharpening up your dog's understanding of, and making possible corrections to, the commands that are very important for us bird hunters can be done now, instead of during that much anticipated hunt this autumn ...

Hope Springs Eternal

04/10/2022 Filed in: 2022 Bird Dog Training | Rosie | Bode written by: bs

The northern New Hampshire winter snows have been rapidly melting over the last few weeks, allowing my pack and I to get out in the woods to work on wild birds again. In other words, the gravy train is over, and they have to get back to work ...

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's Grouse Hunting
"Partridge Blog"

Boot Leather

Heatwave

A Tale of Two Days

First Impressions

Back In The Saddle

Sisters

Yard Work

Hope Springs Eternal

Grouse Hunting Season Stats

Frost Fire's Grouse Hunting"Partridge Blog"

Grouse Hunting Season Stats

Frost Fire's Grouse Hunting
"Partridge Blog"