VT Upland Bird Hunting Update: 11/4
Last Friday started off warm and humid, and we struggled to find any birds in those conditions, but a cold front started making its way in to the area in the afternoon. The cool conditions seemed to help Rocky's scenting abilities, as he found several grouse and a couple of woodcock for my client. There were a few staunch points, but only one woodcock offered a shot, which was missed.
Rocky had a good run last Friday in New Hampshire, running hard and locking down a few birds for my client. This point was on a woodcock - missed.
It was a strange day, as both Bella and Rocky had some good moments, but they also had some bumps too. Perhaps the swirling wind had something to do with it, but it was a frustrating experience overall as my client only really had one decent chance on a grouse - missed. Still, we contacted somewhere around 15 grouse throughout our travels, but they seemed to come in bunches and we spent extended periods of time searching ... fruitlessly it seemed.
The grouse? They were another thing entirely, as we only found five of them yesterday. Both Millie and Rocky worked hard, but only he was able to establish a staunch point on our last bird of the day late in the afternoon. As you might suspect, it simply walked on the other side of a clump of thick spruce, flushing away from the shooter, as they so often do.
We're in the home stretch of our guide dates, and hopefully the birds are a little more cooperative as we close it out. More updates to come ...