Cooling Off
Cover only a grouse hunter could love: thick, and a nightmare to get through. But, there were birds there - the sacrifice of having a good day versus a quiet one.
A refreshing change in the weather lately, as the warm weather we dealt with last week has given way to more seasonal temps this week - topping out in the mid 50's today, and it started nicely this morning in the 40's. There was also a healthy breeze coming out of the southeast today, and we attempted to hunt the dogs in to that wind as much as possible.
Hunting in to that wind helped the dogs for the most part today as we had a good day in the Vermont uplands. After spending most of the last week in New Hampshire, it was nice to have a change up and hunt across the river, and our first cover was a gigantic area that was logged in the past. It is quintessential grouse cover - a mix of tree species, in a variety of age classes. Basically, everything a grouse would need to live out its life happily, but there were also woodcock there too, and my client's Brittany Spaniel seemed to have a good time roaming this exceptional cover.
As is usually the case, the grouse didn't give George many opportunities to target them. They were up and out very quickly, living up to their "Gray Ghost" nickname, and we found a good number of them this morning. Mostly single birds, but there were a few that were in close proximity to one another when they decided to leave us. The woodcock were more accommodating however, and George managed to scratch one down over a point from his dog.
As is usually the case, the grouse didn't give George many opportunities to target them. They were up and out very quickly, living up to their "Gray Ghost" nickname, and we found a good number of them this morning. Mostly single birds, but there were a few that were in close proximity to one another when they decided to leave us. The woodcock were more accommodating however, and George managed to scratch one down over a point from his dog.
Weary from climbing over hill and dale, we went back to the trucks for lunch and plotted our plan for the afternoon. That plan involved getting Rosie out for a run, and she did very well, attacking the cover with plenty of energy. After a couple of days off, she was ready to go. It took some time, but she started pointing woodcock, three of them in fact, and George took two more timberdoodles over her points that she later recovered from thick brush, yet another example of how good hunting dogs are indispensable in finding wounded game.
At this point, George was limited out on woodcock and dreamed of harvesting a ruffed grouse to make his day truly special. Headed back to the trucks, it was a possibility, as birds sometimes will move towards a trail at the end of the day. We were going along and suddenly the sweet sound of Rosie's beeper started going off, not too far from us. We hurried to get to her (not an easy task in this cover) and moved in front of her. Staunch with her head held high, it appeared as though she perhaps had a point on a grouse. A "low" point usually indicates a woodcock, but this one should be a grouse.
As it turned out, it was a grouse, and it flushed twenty feet from George, flashing in front of him on a right to left crosser. Two shots were fired. No bird, and George crumpled at the miss, instantly realizing the reason - an improperly mounted shotgun in his haste. Easy to do for us grouse hunters, and I've lost count of how many times that's happened to me. He'll be thinking about that one for a long time. It might even haunt him, like a Gray Ghost ...
We continue to be snakebitten by the grouse, as we have not yet harvested one ten days in to our season. Each day we seem to have one or two "good" opportunities on grouse, but whether it is the leaf cover or human frailty, the birds have eluded my hunters. Thankfully, the woodcock have been more accommodating for us so far.
More good weather for hunting is on the way in the next week or so - temps stay cool with some rain every now and then. Woodcock are migrating through and we should have a good couple of weeks ahead.
At this point, George was limited out on woodcock and dreamed of harvesting a ruffed grouse to make his day truly special. Headed back to the trucks, it was a possibility, as birds sometimes will move towards a trail at the end of the day. We were going along and suddenly the sweet sound of Rosie's beeper started going off, not too far from us. We hurried to get to her (not an easy task in this cover) and moved in front of her. Staunch with her head held high, it appeared as though she perhaps had a point on a grouse. A "low" point usually indicates a woodcock, but this one should be a grouse.
As it turned out, it was a grouse, and it flushed twenty feet from George, flashing in front of him on a right to left crosser. Two shots were fired. No bird, and George crumpled at the miss, instantly realizing the reason - an improperly mounted shotgun in his haste. Easy to do for us grouse hunters, and I've lost count of how many times that's happened to me. He'll be thinking about that one for a long time. It might even haunt him, like a Gray Ghost ...
We continue to be snakebitten by the grouse, as we have not yet harvested one ten days in to our season. Each day we seem to have one or two "good" opportunities on grouse, but whether it is the leaf cover or human frailty, the birds have eluded my hunters. Thankfully, the woodcock have been more accommodating for us so far.
More good weather for hunting is on the way in the next week or so - temps stay cool with some rain every now and then. Woodcock are migrating through and we should have a good couple of weeks ahead.
"The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" - this grouse was so close, George could feel it in his game pouch, but he had to hit the shot first ...
George's tattered vest is indicative of many hard miles chasing grouse through the woods.
