2026-2027 Upland Bird Thread

[IDFireLass]

Hard hunting without our buddy this season. I finally got down 2 grouse. It's been the other half's year to get the grouse. The one day we went out chukar hunting that was not pretty. The birds were wild and very few of them.

 

[R.K.]

Two short hunts so far. Both were a bust.

The first one had a couple coveys flush wild before the dog or myself could get there, plus a rabbit jumping out in range.

Second one was a spot good for two coveys every trip last year, nothing this time.

Only photo I took was this guy. Happy the cold weather is coming.

 

[Lmartin5]

In!

 

[El Jason]

Three hour hunt, eight birds flushed, five fired at, two birds dead, three trees pruned.

 

[Hem]

Three hour hunt, eight birds flushed, five fired at, two birds dead, three trees pruned. View attachment 419093View attachment 419094View attachment 419095View attachment 419096

Any choice words upon the tree pruning?

 

[El Jason]

Any choice words upon the tree pruning?

Doggonnit Roy Jean!

 

[Ben Lamb]

2 miles
7 flushes
3 opportunities
5 shells expended
3 dead aspens
0 birds hit
1 tick

 

[NoWiser]

Pheasant opener this weekend here and we have tons of birds, but hunting in 85 degrees isn’t very appealing. I’ll wait until it cools off. Crops are coming out in a hurry right now so it’s only going to get better.

 

[Borny1]

Story on that grouse I posted a pic of. Shot him arrow passed thru right below the crop. He would not die. I was hiking into a basin and I was about 350 feet elevation gained. I lost all that elevation chasing that grouse straight down hill. Finally caught it and had ring it's neck. It was 75 degrees. I was sweating like a stuck hog! He ate well tho so all worth it.

 

[Irrelevant]

Well my son is primed full of bloodlust. So after a day and a half of fall chores in preparation for winter, we grabbed a couple of shotties, his rifle (to get a bit more practice), and a chainsaw (still need some more firewood), and headed out for grouse.

The one thing about this kid is that he run HOT. It was maybe 45 and breezy, snow holding out on the darker north faces, and he was in shorts and basketball shoes, because that's all he wears...

The dog did find, and point, a few birds (blues) but never any shots fired. On the way back to the truck we dropped down into a creek and turned up a ruffie, it was holding tight to his pocket of cover and would crowhop away then as you followed would run an end around back to his brush patch. Parker got one running shot but missed. I could never get my gun up in that thicket.

The rifle practice went even worse. We might need to delay deer season for another year.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I've certainly hunted birds in shorts and a tshirt. As a guy who runs hot - only the lack of calluses on tender bits, thorny bushes and a sense of decency keep me from hunting au-natural.