20 days

[fleabagmatt]

We were really hoping to get into some grouse this weekend. This seems like a great location, not appearing to be heavily pressured. Only had one dusky take off through the dense tree cover, the dogs never even got close to it. Man, those things sound like deer crashing around, they are not subtle. Still had a beautiful hike with the muppets.



Took some time for a swim in the crik.




Most important lesson learned in my short few years of bird hunting: What I think is perfect bird habitat is often not what the birds think is perfect habitat.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Most important lesson learned in my short few years of bird hunting: What I think is perfect bird habitat is often not what the birds think is perfect habitat.

Amen.

Hit the old familiar yesterday. Groot had a wild flush too far away on a doodle within 10 minutes. Pushed a pat out 15 minutes later but no shot due to a very slow reaction time by me.

Walked a bit more, moved another doodle, and then Groot put up a pair of woodcock, one of which I cleanly missed as it flew away. Leaves are still pretty green around here, so at least you still get the explosive reward of a miss. Planning for a 3 day trip south of here in a couple of weeks. I feel like I'm getting bird-bound and need to stretch my legs. Tough to leave birds to find them though.

Taking today off, then back at it tomorrow AM at a cover close to the house. Groot has expressed her dismay at only receiving a leashed walk this AM.

 

[MNElkNut]

I count 7 straight misses....can I bring up boat oars vs semi-autos yet?

 

[Ben Lamb]

I count 7 straight misses....can I bring up boat oars vs semi-autos yet?

“It is part of the price of leadership of this great and free nation to be the target of clever satirists. You have given the gift of laughter to our people. May we never grow so somber or self-important that we fail to appreciate the humor in our lives.”

Lyndon Baines Johnson,
36th President of the United States of America,
Avid Haggar fashionista due to the generous cut between his boys and his bunghole on the lightweight summer pants.



The 870 Express is sitting in the corner with a magazine full of 1 7/8's OZ #4's for the errant turkey that walks by.

 

[kansasdad]

“It is part of the price of leadership of this great and free nation to be the target of clever satirists. You have given the gift of laughter to our people. May we never grow so somber or self-important that we fail to appreciate the humor in our lives.”

Lyndon Baines Johnson,
36th President of the United States of America,
Avid Haggar fashionista due to the generous cut between his boys and his bunghole on the lightweight summer pants.



The 870 Express is sitting in the corner with a magazine full of 1 7/8's OZ #4's for the errant turkey that walks by.

Keep your cheek tight and squeeze smoothly…….applies to triggers and pants fittings

 

[Ben Lamb]

Short walk yesterday. Waiting for the dew to start burning off before hitting a cover closer to the house.

Had some fun with fire yesterday. This weather really needs to turn.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Flushed 3 doodles. This one was a little close.

1 flew right over top of the dog, the other evaded both barrels.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Took the dog yesterday am. More folks in the woods than previously, but we still had a large cover to ourselves. A young grouse walked across the road just in front of the parking area. We chased him and had a wild flush deeper into cover. About 15 minutes later put up a doodle who managed to slip behind a pine right as I pulled the trigger. A magic BB made it's mark through the boughs & we kept on with a few wild flushes but nothing to send pellets to. Packed it up early & was home by 9:30 am.

Went and scouted some new spots, found some places that got me excited for grouse camp next week. Found a crush of humanity at Tippy dam looking to bring salmon home. Checked out a few other spots. It's dry as a popcorn fart out there. We need some rain bad.

This am we bagged the grouse hunting since it was 64 when we got up at 6. I was enjoying a leisurely coffee outside with the dogs about 8 when the local gang of toms made their appearance across the road. They tend to cross over on to our place and then up a powerline cut to some feeding areas. I put the dogs in and grabbed the 870 express. Made my way down to the pole barn and watched them dip down into the barrow ditch. Then I snuck in to a maple tree with some scrub cover and watched as they crossed the road
Once they hit the walnut trees I made a quick dash to intercept them but they turned and walked down the road.

And that's when the cyclists saw me in my yard with a shotgun while wearing flip flops and gym shorts.

$*)Q!#@$ turkeys.

 

[Ben Lamb]

The weather finally turned away from summer and we got some rain along with the cooler weather. Went out yesterday to a close cover and got soaked, moved 1 bird in the pines trying to stay dry. The dog was clearly not done as she made her displeasure known as we loaded up to scout a few new spots. I guess even the crappy ones are data.

We went farther south today to a GEMS and really shouldn't have hit it. Tons of people, lots of activity and it's clearly been soaking up a ton of pressure this season from displaced folks from farther east. We went through the thickest stuff we could find, walked edges, mature timber, medium density and everything in between. Not even a doodle to be found.

We did find 7 ticks though. Most so far this season.

Taking tomorrow off, and heading to grouse camp Friday for a long weekend. Hoping for better conditions and fewer folks.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Met up with @Brauee20 & a former member who shall not be named over the weekend (and a couple of kick-ass kids of Grants). Due to schedules and such, it was an abbreviated grouse camp. Folks got in late Friday night, with dreams of pats running round our head. We were hitting a new area that nobody had hunted before, but had some key covers that looked really good when I scouted last week.

Obligatory photo of the tent at night:



Saturday we lit out from camp at about 9. We walked from camp, which is always nice. After a bit we put up a single grouse, and I missed a crossing shot as it rocketed low into the next zip code. We finished that walk up with 3 flushes and a porcupine in the crook of a tree, which we all agreed was a good spot for a porky to nap. After a nap and reset, we headed back out for a cover closer to some water. It's still pretty dry out so we thought we'd see if the birds were congregating in the wetter areas. On the way to the cover, we had 2 hen turkeys cross the road. We slammed on the brakes and the former member jumped out to try and bag a bird. He had them at 15 feet, but the safety was on and the click echoed across the valley. C'est la vie.

We put on about a mile walk along the creek. The dog (and the kids, and the hunters) put up 8 birds in that cover, and we didn't get a shot at any of them. Seems like the excitement got Groot out a bit too far while the suddenness of the flush caught the rest of us off guard. We walked back out after a bit over a mile, and the kids were done - so they headed back to camp to make sure the marshmallows didn't wander away. The former member and I took off down the road to scout a couple more spots and let the kids get settled in to camp. We found plenty of good spots to check out for the next time. On the way back to camp we came across the same two hens that we'd unsuccessfully stalked prior. Not wanting to let a bird in hand go, the former member leapt from the truck with his trusty 20 gauge, which shortly made a report that rang out.

A minute or two go by and he emerges from the creek bottom holding a hen, still flapping, both are soggy. Seems you can shoot a turkey on the wing with a cylinder choke and a 1 ounce load of #7.5's.

Back in camp we had a wonderful dinner of chili, mac and cheese and cinnamon roll on a stick. Whenever I'm around a 9 year old kid, I tend to think that men generally just stay about 9 regardless of age on so many levels. Especially when it comes to being patient about cinnamon roll on a stick. You really need to be patient for that. Rushing the process is just bad for the whole endeavor.

We got up early and broke camp Sunday. A very important birthday party awaited one member of the hunting party, while the dog was clearly not going to do much other than sleep after an epic day for an 8 year old dog. I scouted some covers on the way home, and a little later this week we'll check out some top-level secret spots closer to home. Showers are forecast for the weekend so we'll be watching the weather app closely.

We're about 1/2 way through the early season (9/15-11/15). We've had good success in flushes, worse than average shooting and we've been able to make a bunch of empirical knowledge and turn it into applied knowledge relative to grouse habitat, favored locations at specific instances of weather, heat, wetness, etc. The dog and I are getting a lot more consistent at finding and flushing birds, which makes the confidence level grow as fast as the Grinch's heart.

 

[Birdbander]

Sounds like you all had a good time!

 

[Hunting Wife]

Sounds like a great quick trip! Glad you all were able to get together to share hunts and campfire snacks.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Sounds like a great quick trip! Glad you all were able to get together to share hunts and campfire snacks.

I think we need to make good on our big talk of a MT HT grouse camp. 2026 or bust!

 

[Hunting Wife]

I think we need to make good on our big talk of a MT HT grouse camp. 2026 or bust!

I second this! Had a super time the first go around.

 

[Steelsearchin]

Banner year for ticks, more woof chit than ever, serviceable bird numbers, and a two year old who is finally putting some pieces together on pats. Getting reliable on holding mudbats...and I really don't want to drive home, despite my knees and feet arguing otherwise after two weeks in heaven.

Two country mailboxes down from where Tom Huggler coined the statement years ago, "Octobers are too far apart," and I have to agree.

Elf hats in the woods...


Taste the rainbow...



Heart healthy, bacon grease and fry magic...



Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we will do it again next October.

 

[El Jason]

I guarantee some birds will die this weekend. The 20 gauge is about to become a chukar gun tomorrow.

 

[Ben Lamb]

We're two weeks past the last grouse camp. I managed to get a pretty good head cold, which has turned into the worst hear infection one PA at the Urgent Care in TC has ever seen. After a week of trying to get it under control, the leaf blower chorus inside my head wasn't getting better - while the cold cleared out. I had been using ear drops and antibiotics but the ear just wasn't responding so I went to my primary and got some steroids and told to continue the antibiotics.

I asked about hunting, which caused an rather shocked response, but ultimately the decision was so long as I used hearing protection it should be fine. So the dog and I loaded up saturday for a short hunt. We covered about 2 miles, and if there was a flush I wouldn't know because I couldn't hear a thing.

Long story short - don't share the bag of jerky with kids if you want to stay healthy. Hopefully we're back at it full time this week. Just waiting on the last of the ear decompression to occur.

The dog is pissed.

 

[Straight Arrow]

We're two weeks past the last grouse camp. I managed to get a pretty good head cold, which has turned into the worst hear infection one PA at the Urgent Care in TC has ever seen. After a week of trying to get it under control, the leaf blower chorus inside my head wasn't getting better - while the cold cleared out. I had been using ear drops and antibiotics but the ear just wasn't responding so I went to my primary and got some steroids and told to continue the antibiotics.

I asked about hunting, which caused an rather shocked response, but ultimately the decision was so long as I used hearing protection it should be fine. So the dog and I loaded up saturday for a short hunt. We covered about 2 miles, and if there was a flush I wouldn't know because I couldn't hear a thing.

Long story short - don't share the bag of jerky with kids if you want to stay healthy. Hopefully we're back at it full time this week. Just waiting on the last of the ear decompression to occur.

The dog is pissed.

'Sorry to hear (no, not the right word) ... to learn of your affliction and the effects. 'Hope it clears soon and puts you back to outstanding hunting health.

Now you know how I feel, with these almost worthless hearing things in my ears and still not hearing well. Saturday, as we watched the elk on the ridge too far away, my son asked if I could hear the chirping and grunting over the ridge. I replied, "Whaaat?" He repeated and of course, then I replied "no" I can't hear elk talk.

 

[Ben Lamb]

'Sorry to hear (no, not the right word) ... to learn of your affliction and the effects. 'Hope it clears soon and puts you back to outstanding hunting health.

Now you know how I feel, with these almost worthless hearing things in my ears and still not hearing well. Saturday, as we watched the elk on the ridge too far away, my son asked if I could hear the chirping and grunting over the ridge. I replied, "Whaaat?" He repeated and of course, then I replied "no" I can't hear elk talk.

The ear is still plugged but about 30% compared to last week. I'll finish out the round of steroids tomorrow and see where it goes but I may need to get the inner canal drained. I feel fine, but the blocked hearing is annoying as hell.

We got out yesterday morning for a few miles but if we moved a bird, I didn't hear it. Lots of sign & scent. Birds in this cover get hit hard so they're running more than flushing. Greta is working hard, tracking scent and working covers like someone trained her to be a bird dog (it wasn't me). But now she has a slight ear infection too, which means we both run around shaking our heads after drops.

Teamwork makes the dream work!

 

[Ben Lamb]

It's been a while since I've updated this.

I've gotten out twice since. That's it. The head cold turned into an ear infection, which then became a sinus infection. The net effect of that was another round of a fairly strong antibiotic and a new game plan of hitting the ENT for a tube or a tympanic puncture if the ear didn't clear up. It also meant that the lack of activity allowed some lower back spasms to hit, which took another week to clear up. So 6 weeks on injured reserve and today is the first day I've felt like I'm almost back to normal. There's still a little hearing loss, but I'm able to hear a car behind me within 1/4 mile again.

Not being able to hear in the grouse woods is interesting to say the least. I know we put up birds based on the dog's efforts but I couldn't hear a damned one of them getting up so I had no idea we were on them. After losing all of last year due to Groot's 2 TPLO surgeries, it has been frustrating to be the weak link in the partnership this season. December is coming up though, so we still have a month and given the DNR's generosity, I'll be able to take the drilling for most of the month as well since we have muzzy that's been expanded to center-fire, as well as late antlerless.

The dog has been spot on all season, with only one or two instances of being a dumbass. At 8 years old, I'm hoping for another 4 seasons with her before she's retired. I suppose I should drag out the deer gear and see about finding some venison. We've got a healthy herd and there's a ton of public land close by both in terms of large tracts of federal and isolated tracts of state lands, etc.