FROST FIRE GUIDE SERVICE, LLC

Expectations

09/22/2023 Filed in: 2023 Bird Dog Training | Bella | Rocky written by: bs

The ruffed grouse and woodcock seasons in Vermont and New Hampshire are rapidly approaching, and we're in the homestretch of our preparation now. The dogs have all been getting some valuable "woods time" lately, scouting areas new and old, and more importantly getting in to shape for the rigors ahead.

Tags: grouse, Vermont, New Hampshire

Flickering

08/10/2023 Filed in: 2023 Bird Dog Training written by: bs

The beat goes on here in the uplands of New Hampshire and Vermont, as we plod on towards autumn and all of its glory. Will there be "glory" this year? As Hamlet might have said, "That is the question". Some of our sessions (always in the morning, when the woods are the coolest) yield very little in the way of grouse or woodcock, but other sessions have been quite good.

Training Days

07/19/2023 Filed in: 2023 Bird Dog Training written by: bs

A whole lot of rain has fallen here in the north country this summer, much more than needed, and while other parts of Vermont and New Hampshire have suffered far worse than us, we're ready for the rain to stop anytime. Being a grouse hunter, all of this rain is a concerning development, as it has been going on for about six weeks now, and what we received in June may have been much worse for the grouse and woodcock chick survival than the recent storms that we've gotten.

And Then There Were Two ...

06/17/2023 Filed in: 2023 Bird Dog Training written by: bs

That's Rosie's pup "Bella", from the litter of ten pups she had eleven weeks ago. She'll become a grouse hunter and valued member of our hunting pack, but there's a long way to go in her training to get her where we need her to be. The next few weeks will be important for bonding with Bella and her brother "Rocky", another of the pups that we are keeping from the litter.

Tags: grouse, Vermont, New Hampshire

Spring Ritual

05/10/2023 Filed in: 2023 Spring Turkey Hunting written by: bs

A little different entry this time on the Partridge Blog. I began taking some wild turkey spring hunting trips this year, so this is my first entry in that realm. Though wild turkey is also a gallinaceous fowl (like ruffed grouse), it is quite different from our autumn hunting pursuits, where so much of our success depends upon a proficient dog to find and hold game. Not the case with turkey hunting - it's all on us, the hunters.

Broken

12/16/2022 Filed in: 2022 Upland Bird Hunting | Rosie written by: bs

It's the end of the line for the grouse hunting season for my pack and I, but to reinforce the point, it's also the end for my 20 gauge shotgun. You can never tell if there's ice under that snow ...

Tags: ruffed grouse, Vermont

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.

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"

Expectations

Flickering

Training Days

And Then There Were Two ...

Spring Ritual

Broken

Boot Leather

Heatwave

Grouse Hunting Season Stats

Frost Fire's Grouse Hunting"Partridge Blog"

Grouse Hunting Season Stats

Frost Fire's Grouse Hunting
"Partridge Blog"