Friday October 31, 2014

Location:  Allegheny National Forest
Weather: pre-rain, no wind, perfect, 45 degrees tops, 38 in the morning.

Happy Halloween!

I took the day off to take Rocko hunting 2 1/2 hours northeast of here to the Allegheny National Forest.

We left the house at 5:50AM and arrived to our first spot around 8:15AM.  There was enough daylight where I figured we just arrived as grouse would be coming off the roost.  As I walked past the initial pines, i heard a grouse flush out of the trees behind me.  I turned to look and there was only a limb shaking.  Hey, counts as a flush right?!

So we worked towards a dam with some excellent upland shrubs surrounding it.  I picked this spot last January as a key woodcock area.  That did not disappoint.

As soon as we made it down to the wet, swampy area, Rocko went on a solid point.  It's interesting because just on the way he acts and points I'm able to tell if he's on grouse or woodcock.  It helps me get prepared for a shot.

So I walk in, kick around where he is, and nothing is happening.  At all.  He's still holding, and I look at his eyes which are focused almost behind him.  I stomp behind him and sure enough a woodcock flushes, scaring the living daylights out of me.  One shot, miss.  Second shot, miss.  Humbled again.

We end up flushing another one about 30 minutes later with no shot offered.  I actually saw the woodcock fly a crescent moon shaped flight and actually land parallel to where it flew.  We went to follow up on it, and flushed a grouse!  Meanwhile, 2 more flush with it!  I offered two shots through horrible brush and thin pole timber and apparently miss the mark.

I love heading up here because I always pack my lunch in, sit on the ground, have a coffee, eat a sandwich, and give Rocko a piece of bread.  Rocko always eats his bread, then does 2 laps around me faux-hunting at 40 yards, and then comes back, sits by me, and starts to whine because I'm taking to long.  This is like clockwork.

I then met up with a guy who had shot a woodcock and had his Brit with him.  We talked for awhile and he decided he was going to fish.  In the meantime I turned Rocko's beeper off (I'm now a beeper guy, not a bell guy...sorry old schoolers) and when we presumed hunting I forgot to turn it back on.

I turn his beeper back on, and he's on point!  How long was he on for I'll never know.  I work my way over, flush a woodcock, and miss once and don't offer a second since it may have landed in the dam.  As I'm walking out, another flushes with no shot.  I follow up on it and flush it again, but still no shot!  It made it over a mound of dirt and was flying like a B2 bomber.

We hit the upland shrubs again and flushed a grouse, with no shot.

On our way out, we moved a few grouse as well but the birds seemed spooky.  I took another pot shot but missed.  Here is a shot of all my misses (kind of embarrassing but the folks that say they don't miss are liars!)

So I had an hour left and decided to hit another spot that was similar to this one, but did not have a dude fishing close by.

As I got out of the truck and crossed the road, I heard the most distinct sound ever:  a grouse drumming.  I couldn't believe my ears.

I headed that direction to pursue the bird and Rocko just was not cooperating.  He was after something near the swampy area.  I went on this one alone.  I tromped around for a few minutes but nothing was flushing but I knew something had to be there.  And of course, as I stood still thinking what to do next, the bird flushed and did a straight-up/angled (like a crooked bottle rocket) flight and I was able to connect on the first shot.

It was a beautiful bird with minimal damage, so this boy is getting mounted.  Only now I have to wait 10 months until the bird is done!  It should be well worth it though.  I'd like to get the bird in flight flying upward at at 45 degree angle like I shot it.  I contemplated having it in a drumming pose since I believe this to be the same bird I had drumming, but this will be my first mounted bird and I love the flying pose.

When it was all said and done, I did a count.  We flushed a total of 14 grouse and 4 woodcock.  One of our best days.

Wednesday October 22, 2014

Location: Beaver County
Weather: 55 degrees, slight wind, cloudy.

Wednesday October 22nd was the first day Rocko and I made it out for birds.  Locally here, it's almost all pheasants all the time.  But I was able to make it out before the pheasant fields were loaded with hunters.  We decided to try and chase some woodcock and grouse in some cuts that were only 5 years old.

This proved to be tough to get through.  Rocko wildly flushed something.  I could tell because he was acting nuts for a few minutes.  I figured "Hey, at least he's getting his early season jitters out."

By the way, what the heck?  This was about eye level, and I'm 6'1".  Obviously not a buck rub.

There was an hour until dark, and I had to be back home by 6:30.  So I figured we'd hit up a reclaimed strip mine area.  It is full of brush and goldenrod and may hold some woodcock or grouse.  I figured not woodcock because the soil is a little shale-y and I don't see how they'd probe for worms in it.

I was wrong

Just as I was daydreaming about our next hunt, Rocko went on point.  He was holding forever on it (well, okay, maybe 40 seconds) until I made it over to him.  I flushed the timberdoodle and it flew straight at me!  I took a wild close shot as I was flustered, then following up on a shot behind me.  I was able to swing around and hit it at 25 yards.  We retrieved the bird and took some pictures.

Then things started getting crazy.  We had 4 more flushes in the next 40 minutes.  All solid points by Rocko with my flushing.  So proud of him!

Unfortunately I was only able to get a shot at 2 more and I missed with my O/U twice.  I thought I connected the one time, only to go over to where I thought it would be laying to flush it again and I forgot to reload my gun!  I wish I could have seen my face when nothing happened. 

Then I realized we were running late, and on the way out we're flushing more birds.  Kind of a bummer since I was focused on getting out of there, not to mention it was almost dark.  All in all an awesome day in the field for a random Wednesday after work.

Keeping up with what's going on

This hunting offseason was great.  Summer saw some fishing, camping, hiking, and an awesome trip to the Adirondacks.

When we returned from New York, I got Rocko out and about to practice on some woodcock.  I was pleased when he pointed three in a 10 minute span.  Here is the video of the September training.

Youtube Video

This would be the first of many we'd get into this fall.

George Bird Evans

I've been doing some research on George Bird Evans and he has some incredible quotes.  I had to post my favorite:

“I think we are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures we might be if we weren't certain we knew better.  They fight for honor at the first challenge, make love with no moral restraint, and they do not for all their marvelous instincts appear to know about death.  Being such wonderfully uncomplicated beings, they need us to do their worrying.”

-J.J.

Hunting 2013 in Pictures (continued)

Probably the best day afield I returned home with nothing.  We hit the Allegheny National Forest for a day in early November.  The woodcock had already migrated through.  We put up 5 grouse.  I got a shot at one, missed it twice.  What a beautiful, damp day.  Good scenting conditions.

I love how lone pine trees stand out on the landscape.  Usually there are buck rubs on them.

Similar.

Wow, the habitat around this dam is awesome.  Gotta get up here in late October.

We had some issues with thorns in paws.

Shrubby cover everywhere.

More shrubby cover.

Rocko pointed a grouse off the right side of this trail.  I walked over, kicked it up, and it flew out onto this trail away for me.  Offered me two clear shots and I shot over it twice!  Frustrating but fun!

Getting tired.

Tired.

Then we did some more pheasant hunting towards home.  We bagged a good bit of birds this year.  I spend a lot of time learning different ways to cook them.  They dry out to easy.  Thanks to Honest Food for some great tips!

Rocko pointing a pheasant.  He's getting good enough where I was actually able to get my phone out, snap a picture, then walk in and flush the bird.  If someone told me that could happen 2 years ago, I'd have called them a liar!

Rocko in all his glory.  No, he's not wearing a hat.

This was the first bird I ever hung before plucking.  Plucking can be somewhat excruciating, but well worth it when it comes to tablefare.

My daughter and I spent the afternoon preparing the bird with some stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green beans.  She said they were better than chicken nuggets.

In stand for the first day of Rifle season.  Saw three doe.

The only picture I took the first Saturday of rifle season.  I took a doe that day but for some reason didn't get any pictures.

Now it's February.  January stunk.  So cold and when it snows, it puts a layer of ice on top.  I wasn't about to take the dog out in sub 0 temperatures with icy snow.  We've been watching the junco's, titmice, chickadees, red bellied woodpeckers, downy woodpeckers attack our homemade suet recipe.

Now that the season is over I started to get depressed thinking I have to wait until next October, but -- not true.  Mid-march should bring a woodcock flight through where Rocko can train.  Early May brings spring gobbler.

Regards!

-Jeremy

Hunting 2013 in Pictures

This blog was supposed to be an update about EVERY occurrence of fishing, hunting, outdoors, etc that I've done.  On that front, I've failed.  Miserably.  Doing many other things is a lot more important than updating a web blog, so I figure when I can get to it, I get to it.  Here is my 2013 hunting wrap up.

What a great year!  Got a spring gobbler, took a doe on a shot that ruined almost no meat, and had a ton of fun bird hunting with Rocko.

Took this beauty of a bird on the first day of the spring season.  Can't believe two things: I was done turkey hunting and it wasn't even May yet, and my daughter was excited to see and learn about the bird.

I used to do all my preseason scouting by myself but now I have a buddy that likes to tag-along on cool, late summer mornings.  (Also, go Bucs!)

This is where we hiked to.  A highpoint of Beaver County overlooking the county seat.  Cool spot.  Also, I never tried the panoramic option on my phone.  I like it.

Oliver's eyes are always peeled when we're out.

My new O/U Mossberg Silver Reserve II 20 gauge I got this year.  Really like it, and congrats to Mossberg on making a fine, affordable gun.

First day of grouse (thick cover)

First day of grouse (Beaver pond)

I proclaimed this day as the "Day Rocko Graduated from Pheasant School".  The way he worked birds, went downwind to come upwind to point, set, and let me shoot was unreal.

Perfect conditions were had on a perfect Friday about 5 miles from the Appalachian Front.

"Git on da backadat pickup 'n get a picture with'at fine bird'n dog...what kind'a pigeons ya got there?"

::Post continued to be continued::

First 3 Saturdays

Location:  All over Western PA

Temp/Wind/Weather:  Varied.

I was able to get out for the first three Saturday's of bird season.  Grouse and woodcock opened up and I was only able to get out for 2 hours at a local gamelands.  Rocko flushed one woodcock, a low flyer, where a spring seep meets a swamp meets early successional habitat meets an old farmstead.....I guess I should have been ready.

The next weekend was the opening of pheasant season...so time to hit the grouse woods.  I was back home where you're more likely to stumble upon grouse.  Plus opening day of pheasant season is similar looking to Walmart's parking lot with people everywhere.  Lin accompanied me and we went out for two hours.  It was windy.  One bird flushed wildly 25 yards in a different direction than expected.  No shot.  We were walking through a blackberry patch and just about stepped on a bedded down buck.  A small buck -- maybe a 4 point.  I tracked a bear through this same area 3 years ago and was thinking about it when it jumped up from the brush about 10 yards away.  Needless to say it put me on edge for the millisecond before I saw what it was.

Finally, today, we put up another bird.  A pheasant wildly flushed from some good thick habitat.  I took a shot at about 25 yards.  Rocko ran to the bird.  It was a female pheasant.  My first bird with my new 20 GA over/under.  I'm 1/1 with hit; shooting 100%.  Maybe I oughta quit while I'm ahead.  Maybe not.

Some pictures from today.

Rocko rubbing ticks onto me.  Maybe vice-versa

Victory shot

Wish it was a grouse, but pheasants are fun too!

Rocko after the hunt/bath/tick removal.  A tired Brit is a good Brit.

Name that poop.  Actually serious, not sure what it is.  Berries in it and quite large.