NH Grouse Hunting Update: 10/22
Two totally different days out in the grouse woods, with correspondingly different results. As is usually the case, weather is the x-factor in all forms of hunting and it also has a huge impact on our days grouse hunting. As a guide friend of mine says, "Some days you're the windshield, and some days you're the bug ...".
We were the windshield on Monday, finding a good number of grouse and woodcock (15 grouse, 12 woodcock), many of which were pointed, with Rosie especially turning in a good performance in the afternoon. Conditions were chilly in the morning, with a slight breeze, but it warmed up to the mid - 50's in the afternoon. Monty had several points in the morning, with my client Chris's Brittany Chotsie backing him up, but he also had several bumps as well. A couple of wild flushing grouse were taken by Jim, his first grouse taken ever, and we were having a good morning.
We were the windshield on Monday, finding a good number of grouse and woodcock (15 grouse, 12 woodcock), many of which were pointed, with Rosie especially turning in a good performance in the afternoon. Conditions were chilly in the morning, with a slight breeze, but it warmed up to the mid - 50's in the afternoon. Monty had several points in the morning, with my client Chris's Brittany Chotsie backing him up, but he also had several bumps as well. A couple of wild flushing grouse were taken by Jim, his first grouse taken ever, and we were having a good morning.
Things got better in the afternoon, behind the energetic patterning and steady pointing from Rosie, who has had a good season to this point. She had several points on pairs of grouse, but none offered decent shots for Jim or Chris, as it was still a bit thick with foliage in the cover we were in. She then had a string of sticking woodcock points, a couple of which paid the price. The guys took two grouse and three woodcock for the day, and we were dreaming of the covers to come next ...
If you've read this far, you're probably figuring that this is where our hunting party turned in to the "bug", and you're right. Yesterday was a bit cloudier and cooler, but the main difference were the gusty winds accompanying an approaching front. It was very windy yesterday, and all grouse hunters know that excessive wind makes for the most challenging of hunting conditions.
Gusty winds blow the bird scent around and dissipate it to a great degree, making it tough for bird dogs to pinpoint where the bird is. Grouse especially are skittish in heavy winds, as their keen sense of hearing is put to the test in their continual scanning for predators. Grouse will flee at the slightest sense of danger, and that leads to the third reason for wind making things difficult - our own sense of hearing. The wind can play tricks on our hearing - how many times have you wondered, "Was that a grouse I just heard, or was it the wind?". It gets me, a lot.
While Rosie (two grouse points and three woodcock points) and Chotsie (one grouse point) both had good moments yesterday morning, we had a few bumped birds as well, as a result of the swirling winds. There were opportunities for Chris and Jim, but the birds flew away to be pursued another day. We moved 6 grouse and 3 woodcock yesterday morning, but it seemed as though we should have seen more considering the cover we were in ...
Yesterday grew more difficult as the winds grew in strength at the approaching front, and all of the dogs seemed to have trouble with it. Bode had a very solid point on what turned out to be fresh woodcock splash - no timberdoodle found however. Then, he proceeded to bump a grouse and looked birdy later on without moving a bird. Probably a bird that was there but decided to move on at our approach. Rosie and Chotsie had similar trouble in the next cover, but Rosie finally managed to point a grouse near the end of our day. Alas, sore backs and tired legs contribute to the health of next year's grouse population - that one got away unscathed.
Our total for yesterday was 8 grouse and 10 woodcock encountered, and how many others we may have come in contact with and never known it is hard to say. The front dumped some rain last night and this morning, but should be heading out this afternoon. We'll have good weather after that and hopefully the wind subsides to help us and our dogs out.
