Firsts
Two days of ruffed grouse and woodcock hunting in New Hampshire, and two "firsts" for Rocky and Bella. Each scored their first point and successful grouse kill, thanks to my clients Jon and Steve. Both pups performed beautifully during their time out there, and we certainly have something to build on with them. They should be contributors to our guiding operation for years to come.
Rosie was back in action on Monday, after ten days off - she performed well and pointed a couple of grouse that we just couldn't get close enough to.
Rocky, retrieving the first ruffed grouse that he pointed and one of my hunters successfully shot - he was great this morning.
Jon and Steve have been out with me for the last several years and we have a great time. Great hunters and good shots, they are keenly aware of what's going on with the dogs when they're running, and they seem to be in the right position to take a shot when needed.
Rosie got the call first on Monday morning and after a long ten day layoff due to an illness, she came back raring to go. She quickly pointed a couple of grouse that unfortunately eluded us, but she ran hard for two hours which was good to see. She'll be getting a lot more work in the next few weeks.
After that, Bella took the stage and was able to quickly point a group of five grouse near a road edge. Jon and Steve moved in to position and the birds started popping off. Just like that, Bella's first grouse over one of her points was on the board and it was a proud moment for all of us. She worked great after that too, pointing grouse several more times but unfortunately we couldn't bring any down. She hunted with pace but under control as well and held her points for long durations.
Yesterday turned out to be quite warm in the afternoon and the woods were incredibly dry, as you would suspect. Crunching along through the leaves, we weren't sneaking up on any birds, needless to say. Still, a healthy breeze kept things manageable for us and the dogs. We took frequent water breaks and managed to contact 19 grouse during our travels. At least half of the grouse were merely heard and not seen, but there were a few decent chances for the hunters.
This morning also started out chilly (low 40's), but it quickly warmed up as the morning went on. Rocky was first out of the truck and he had his best run of the season. He started by point - relocating - point - relocating - point on a grouse that held too long. Jon made an accurate shot and suddenly Rocky had his first pointed grouse on the board, and we were all pretty happy with his performance on that bird.
He continued his great run with a string of points on woodcock - Steve took one and Jon took the other two, with Rocky even making a water retrieve on one of them. It was a great performance overall for him, and nice for him to be rewarded for his efforts. Millie then hunted for a couple of hours after that and she managed to point a couple of woodcock, one of which was taken by Jon.
With the hunters limited on woodcock, we turned our attention to pursuing grouse, but before we knew it, the temperature was nearing 70 degrees and we decided to call it a day. The dogs had performed to the best of their abilities and the hunters had certainly done their part.
There is one more day of warm temps and then we'll start falling back to more seasonable temperatures late this week and next week. More updates to come ...
Rosie got the call first on Monday morning and after a long ten day layoff due to an illness, she came back raring to go. She quickly pointed a couple of grouse that unfortunately eluded us, but she ran hard for two hours which was good to see. She'll be getting a lot more work in the next few weeks.
After that, Bella took the stage and was able to quickly point a group of five grouse near a road edge. Jon and Steve moved in to position and the birds started popping off. Just like that, Bella's first grouse over one of her points was on the board and it was a proud moment for all of us. She worked great after that too, pointing grouse several more times but unfortunately we couldn't bring any down. She hunted with pace but under control as well and held her points for long durations.
Yesterday turned out to be quite warm in the afternoon and the woods were incredibly dry, as you would suspect. Crunching along through the leaves, we weren't sneaking up on any birds, needless to say. Still, a healthy breeze kept things manageable for us and the dogs. We took frequent water breaks and managed to contact 19 grouse during our travels. At least half of the grouse were merely heard and not seen, but there were a few decent chances for the hunters.
This morning also started out chilly (low 40's), but it quickly warmed up as the morning went on. Rocky was first out of the truck and he had his best run of the season. He started by point - relocating - point - relocating - point on a grouse that held too long. Jon made an accurate shot and suddenly Rocky had his first pointed grouse on the board, and we were all pretty happy with his performance on that bird.
He continued his great run with a string of points on woodcock - Steve took one and Jon took the other two, with Rocky even making a water retrieve on one of them. It was a great performance overall for him, and nice for him to be rewarded for his efforts. Millie then hunted for a couple of hours after that and she managed to point a couple of woodcock, one of which was taken by Jon.
With the hunters limited on woodcock, we turned our attention to pursuing grouse, but before we knew it, the temperature was nearing 70 degrees and we decided to call it a day. The dogs had performed to the best of their abilities and the hunters had certainly done their part.
There is one more day of warm temps and then we'll start falling back to more seasonable temperatures late this week and next week. More updates to come ...
