In Conclusion?
If this week marked the final excursions in to the grouse woods for me and my pack, it was a fitting conclusion to our season in the strangest fall ever. During the time of COVID, bird dogs, grouse and most importantly the woods themselves became even more of a refuge than normal, and the grouse woods were calling us back again for more exploration.
With the abnormally mild weather that we've been having lately, and long awaited wintry weather on the way for this weekend, the time was right to get out and explore some areas adjacent to existing coverts that we hunt as well as some spots that were totally foreign to us. While you would think that grouse by now would have moved in to heavier spruce cover by this time of the season, that was not always the case in the last few days. The weather was so temperate that we were finding them in many of the same areas that we find them earlier in the fall.
With the abnormally mild weather that we've been having lately, and long awaited wintry weather on the way for this weekend, the time was right to get out and explore some areas adjacent to existing coverts that we hunt as well as some spots that were totally foreign to us. While you would think that grouse by now would have moved in to heavier spruce cover by this time of the season, that was not always the case in the last few days. The weather was so temperate that we were finding them in many of the same areas that we find them earlier in the fall.
Sometimes in, but especially along the edges of logging cuts, in all of the typically brushy areas that grouse like to call home, as well as small stands of spruce seemed to be their preferred cover. Hunting at lower elevations on Wednesday this was especially the case. As we began hunting higher elevation coverts on Thursday, spruce of all ages became more of a factor, as the grouse in these areas seemed to be preparing for the winter to come. The spruce provide quick escape cover, but the hardwoods nearby in the logging cuts provide plenty of food in the form of buds and catkins.
As usual, there were great moments from Bode and Rosie. Lots of points, and a few bumps too, but they handled easily again, with hardly a word spoken by me - they don't need my instruction when they're working. To say they are committed to their task of finding birds is an understatement, and they do all I could ask for.
While the numbers of grouse moved was modest - 9 on Wednesday afternoon, 4 on Thursday (full day), and 7 yesterday morning - we had probably half of the birds that held well for the points of the dogs. Three birds made it in to the game pouch, but there were a few others that escaped to fly another day. Hopefully, they make it through the long northern New Hampshire winter and survive to breed next spring.
As usual, there were great moments from Bode and Rosie. Lots of points, and a few bumps too, but they handled easily again, with hardly a word spoken by me - they don't need my instruction when they're working. To say they are committed to their task of finding birds is an understatement, and they do all I could ask for.
While the numbers of grouse moved was modest - 9 on Wednesday afternoon, 4 on Thursday (full day), and 7 yesterday morning - we had probably half of the birds that held well for the points of the dogs. Three birds made it in to the game pouch, but there were a few others that escaped to fly another day. Hopefully, they make it through the long northern New Hampshire winter and survive to breed next spring.
It was beautiful out in the grouse woods this week, in what might be our last trips to the woods for the season.
I'm sure we'll get out there a few more times this season, but these will be easily accessible areas, far from the more distant covers that we hunt in October and November. It was bittersweet driving out yesterday, passing by many of the spots that some treasured memories have been made over the years, but I'm looking forward to walking the grouse woods again in 2021.
