Vermont Opener
Rosie got us started off on the front foot by pointing a bunch of grouse and woodcock - she worked hard and was rewarded with three woodcock that fell to the guns.
Bella acquitted herself well on her first hunt of 2024. She had several great points on woodcock, a brief point on an escaping grouse, and ran hard and under control. Everything I could want out of a young dog.
The first few days of the Vermont grouse and woodcock season is in the books, and it's been a good start for my pack and I. The dogs have all worked with plenty of controlled energy, and more importantly, each canine has been rewarded for its efforts, as Daniel and Joseph had some success for their first time each out in the grouse woods.
While Daniel and Joseph hadn't done a lot of upland hunting, their extensive big game experience helped them adjust quickly to what we were doing and recognize when the dogs were making game. This was their first New England grouse hunt, traveling all the way from Ohio to have me take them through the grouse woods, so I gave them as many tips as I could to help with their learning curve.
There's a couple big takeaways to early season grouse hunting that come to my mind. First, getting to the dog that is on point, and walking past the dog is of primary importance. If it's a grouse, the bird is probably out ahead of the dog anyway, walking away from the approaching danger. Therefore, walking ahead to possibly flush the bird might put the hunter closer to a shot. Stopping at the dog, or behind the dog, just adds more distance to the shot (or no shot at all) when the bird finally feels pressured enough to flush.
Secondly, don't forget to be prepared for multiple flushes, especially early in the season. Not all of the family groups have broken up yet, so it's possible to put up three or more grouse when a dog goes on point. Keep walking ahead if one bird flushes, as there just might be more about to break, and you'll need to close the distance when that happens.
While Daniel and Joseph hadn't done a lot of upland hunting, their extensive big game experience helped them adjust quickly to what we were doing and recognize when the dogs were making game. This was their first New England grouse hunt, traveling all the way from Ohio to have me take them through the grouse woods, so I gave them as many tips as I could to help with their learning curve.
There's a couple big takeaways to early season grouse hunting that come to my mind. First, getting to the dog that is on point, and walking past the dog is of primary importance. If it's a grouse, the bird is probably out ahead of the dog anyway, walking away from the approaching danger. Therefore, walking ahead to possibly flush the bird might put the hunter closer to a shot. Stopping at the dog, or behind the dog, just adds more distance to the shot (or no shot at all) when the bird finally feels pressured enough to flush.
Secondly, don't forget to be prepared for multiple flushes, especially early in the season. Not all of the family groups have broken up yet, so it's possible to put up three or more grouse when a dog goes on point. Keep walking ahead if one bird flushes, as there just might be more about to break, and you'll need to close the distance when that happens.
The woods themselves are thick right now, as you would expect early in the season, and each day started on the cool side but quickly warmed up to uncomfortable hunting conditions in the afternoons.
The woods are also incredibly dry, so we're not sneaking up on anything as we walk on a carpet of leaves with the consistency of cornflakes. We, and the dogs, made the best of the less than stellar conditions however, as the excitement of finally being in the grouse woods again hunting, and not training, took over.
Each morning, the lead dogs had solid runs with a good amount of points. Rosie (3 woodcock taken) and Bella (1 woodcock taken) each had great, sticking points that yielded good chances for the hunters, and Rosie managed to point a brood of four grouse not ten minutes from the truck on our first morning. Those birds eluded us, but it gave Daniel and Joseph an idea as to what we're up against in the grouse woods. Things happen terrifically fast, and "he who hesitates is lost" ...
The woods are also incredibly dry, so we're not sneaking up on anything as we walk on a carpet of leaves with the consistency of cornflakes. We, and the dogs, made the best of the less than stellar conditions however, as the excitement of finally being in the grouse woods again hunting, and not training, took over.
Each morning, the lead dogs had solid runs with a good amount of points. Rosie (3 woodcock taken) and Bella (1 woodcock taken) each had great, sticking points that yielded good chances for the hunters, and Rosie managed to point a brood of four grouse not ten minutes from the truck on our first morning. Those birds eluded us, but it gave Daniel and Joseph an idea as to what we're up against in the grouse woods. Things happen terrifically fast, and "he who hesitates is lost" ...
On Sunday, Millie had the next run, and after struggling to find scent initially, she settled down and started pointing quite a few birds. Her highlight was on a pair of grouse that flushed away following a point from her. Following up on one of the birds, she pointed again and Daniel made a nice shot on the escaping bird. Not quite sure where it was, Millie hustled through the woods to point the wounded grouse again near a fallen tree. She finally dispatched it when it tried to get away, and retrieved it to hand. Thanks to Millie, Daniel had his first ruffed grouse under his belt.
She also had a couple more woodcock points in the heat of the afternoon yesterday, one of which paid the price courtesy of a nice shot from Daniel. Today's run was more of the same for her as she had a good (but hot) run, pointing a couple of grouse that ended up evading us. She hunted with energy and control, and this should be a great season for her as she will be getting a lot of woods time.
Finally, Rocky had his first run of the season this morning following Bella. His desire is unquestioned, as he attacked the cover with his familiar gusto. After bumping the first grouse that he encountered, he proceeded to point the next two grouse that he found. One eluded Daniel's shot while the other bird simply walked away from us and flushed in extremely heavy cover - heard but not seen.
Luckily, Rocky managed to find a water/mud hole to cool down during his run, as the temp continued to skyrocket and the little guy was looking for some relief. After that, he flushed two grouse, separately, that he may not have pointed, but assisted greatly in finding the downed birds when they were hit by the hunters. One of them would have been nearly impossible to find without him. Again, he hunted hard and did a good job listening to my commands. It should be a fun year for both pups as they gain experience in handling their birds, and they have made great strides with the "whoa" command.
More Observations
The value of a good hunting dog was on full display the last two days as we recovered every bird that was hit by the hunters. Undoubtedly this would not have been the case without the dogs, as a couple of the grouse and nearly all of the woodcock would have been very difficult to recover on our own. Competent dogs truly are conservation tools when we're out there hunting, and they prevent a multitude of birds from being lost. My advice is to mark your birds well if you think your aim was true. It stinks losing a bird ...
The New Hampshire opener is tomorrow and we're excited to get back in to some of our granite state coverts. In addition to our more familiar haunts, there's a few areas that we're adding to the roster of coverts in the hopes that they become mainstays in the future. We'll see how they produce ...
It looks like we're due for a little cool down in the coming week, but unfortunately not much rain. We might be crunching along here for a little while.
More updates to come ...
She also had a couple more woodcock points in the heat of the afternoon yesterday, one of which paid the price courtesy of a nice shot from Daniel. Today's run was more of the same for her as she had a good (but hot) run, pointing a couple of grouse that ended up evading us. She hunted with energy and control, and this should be a great season for her as she will be getting a lot of woods time.
Finally, Rocky had his first run of the season this morning following Bella. His desire is unquestioned, as he attacked the cover with his familiar gusto. After bumping the first grouse that he encountered, he proceeded to point the next two grouse that he found. One eluded Daniel's shot while the other bird simply walked away from us and flushed in extremely heavy cover - heard but not seen.
Luckily, Rocky managed to find a water/mud hole to cool down during his run, as the temp continued to skyrocket and the little guy was looking for some relief. After that, he flushed two grouse, separately, that he may not have pointed, but assisted greatly in finding the downed birds when they were hit by the hunters. One of them would have been nearly impossible to find without him. Again, he hunted hard and did a good job listening to my commands. It should be a fun year for both pups as they gain experience in handling their birds, and they have made great strides with the "whoa" command.
More Observations
The value of a good hunting dog was on full display the last two days as we recovered every bird that was hit by the hunters. Undoubtedly this would not have been the case without the dogs, as a couple of the grouse and nearly all of the woodcock would have been very difficult to recover on our own. Competent dogs truly are conservation tools when we're out there hunting, and they prevent a multitude of birds from being lost. My advice is to mark your birds well if you think your aim was true. It stinks losing a bird ...
The New Hampshire opener is tomorrow and we're excited to get back in to some of our granite state coverts. In addition to our more familiar haunts, there's a few areas that we're adding to the roster of coverts in the hopes that they become mainstays in the future. We'll see how they produce ...
It looks like we're due for a little cool down in the coming week, but unfortunately not much rain. We might be crunching along here for a little while.
More updates to come ...
Daniel, with his first Vermont ruffed grouse.
Millie, and the hunters that pay attention to her, are going to have a good fall this year.
Rocky points a crippled grouse that would have been tough to find on our own.
