We had a string of sunny days which is great for upland hunting in the forest. Storm and Freighter got out almost every day of vacation to hunt. Thunder spent his time wood duck hunting on the river so he did not get out for upland, (those pictures in a future post).
The brown dawgs hunt state land near our cabin. There are two main areas where they hunt. One area has been a really good area for grouse in past years; however, the DNR replaced a bridge last year and since then the birds are not as plentiful. There have been more flushes this year than last, but still not like prior years.
The cover is less than it was a few of weeks ago, but it is still pretty thick.
The temperatures were warm, so we had to make sure the dawgs had water breaks. This kind of hunting is very physical for the dogs and due to the thick brush, you have to be aware of the potential for injury. While Storm was working she let out a “yip”. She must have stepped on something, or run into something. We stopped and checked her, but we didn’t see anything and she continued on as if nothing had happened.
The one problem with hunting state land is that others may have hunted the area before you, and may have pushed all the birds out. It is first come, first served in the forest. Freighter worked and worked, but there were no birds on this day.
Storm hunted this area the day before Freighter. She flushed a couple of grouse and woodcock. She ended up with one of each for her trouble.
The other area the dawgs hunt is near the river and has a lot of woodcock. It is wet with very thick cover.
There is also a deep ravine where only the dogs can go. The hope is that they flush the birds up toward the top of the ravine.
I got some pictures of Storm hunting this area. Usually I stay on the road, but for this area I had to follow into the cover which made it difficult to get pictures since I was climbing through thick brush. I managed to get a few in the areas where the trees were a bit thinner and we stopped to let Storm hunt.
Storm had a three flushes. Freighter worked this area the day before and flushed 9 woodcock. Due to the heavy cover, it was hard to get a shot off. Hopefully the woodcock will still be there in a couple of weeks and the cover will have dropped off. In the past, the last week of October has typically been the best time for grouse and woodcock.
Your day is coming Freighter. They won’t leave you out. Great story, nice pics
Boy! I’m tired now! Good workout! Thanks!
Way to go Storm! That is a pretty fat looking grouse there!
That was some fun hunting you had down by the cabin. I suppose one has to be careful in the thick bush cover. Have a terrific Tuesday.
Best wishes Molly
They sure did get their workout and so did you guys. Great pictures. Hope you get lots more next time out.
I’m sure the dogs loved it, Mom prefers to be on a path of some sort. Do you eat the birds you catch? It’s not like fishing where you can toss them back!
I love that ‘skunked’ picture of Freighter. Do you suppose they are disappointed, or they are just doing their jobs?
A lot of work but it looks fun. Good job all!
Good job sweet Storm. The brush may have been thick and not so easy on the dogs but there sure are some beautiful autumn colors in those terrific pictures. Glad Storm was okay after yelping out. Just keep working and looking for those birds sweet Freighter you are going to find some to flush out, you will see. Hugs and nose kisses
You got some really good pictures. It seems like it would be hard to fire accurately in so many trees. We don’t know since we don’t hunt just sniff and swim:)
You’re a dedicated gal climbing and wading through the brush to get some good photos! 🙂
Storm did a great job on those flushes! Glad she wasn’t hurt after the yelp. And great job to Freighter on nine flushes the day before!
And yeah, I can’t imagine trying to shoot through all that cover. I mean, not that I could hunt to save my life in a clearing, either… lol.
It sounds like everyone had a good time, and at least there was some action. I’d say you all worked hard….the pictures are great. If the weather there has been like here, we haven’t had many good hard frosts to really kill things off, so hope that comes soon.
Great pictures. A real mix of terrain.
Do the dogs show any disappointment if the day has been a slow action one, or do they just enjoy being out and doing what they do?
Great job with those photos! Though we don’t hunt, I used to go with my dad and grandpa when I was a kid. What I remember most is all the hiking… and hiking… and hiking 🙂
The guys did a great job in heavy brush, I’m told that in warm weather like that, the temperature is about 10 degrees closer to the ground where the dogs are. Those are a couple of nice birds.