Had taken off M-T-W to hunt, however the constant rain from Sandy ended that. This AM it was snowing and then it turned to a light rain. Said the hell with it and went out. Stayed a light drizzle from noon on, but it turned into a good day.

First off we bumped into 5 of these.



Then six of these all in one bunch. Should have limited out right then, but only came up with one.




Game was up and feeding. Came across 14 Deer in the course of 5 hours.



Tucked in for the ride home.

Still, all and all looks like a great day.

It looked like a great day to me.

It was twice as good as mine.





I loved your photos and your dog!

Luv, any day you get over on a chukar is a GOOD day!

So did you snipe that rascal with the rifle barrel???? Would serve him/her (only a chukar can tell) right! At one point I would have used nerve gas to get a couple.

Nice pic's guys. Got off a little early today and hit the country. Unfortunately, our CRP which pheasants depend on is going the way of the Dodo bird.
Tried to get my dog in the pic but the only thing he hates worse than having his pic taken is being kenneled.



Acting embarressed as usual.

Have noticed your crew on occasion also. They obviously are well taken care of and get their field time. We need more good Bird Dog men like yourself who treat them as family and not just a tool to get Birds.

Thank you, my friend. They are family and wouldn't stand for things any other way.

BTW, I covet your shotgun.

Nice pictures George


ddj

Great day afield, guys. Thanks for sharing.

battue, nice photos and a great hunt..nice to see dogs and shotguns..1 oz, of 5's????Keep us up to date on the hunts..

Got my fall gobbler in eastern Wy. but I used my old custom .22-250 and a 60 grain Nosler part..I enjoy my turkey hunting with a rifle..

Your comment about dogs as members of the family is so true..this morn. I stopped by a big hunting lodge, and went in to the kennels..truely it was sickening..beautiful dogs in cages with no sun, cement floors,no soft pads, no one to pet them..just tools to find rich men pheasants..I still see their mournful looks as I left and they knew they were not leaving the cage that day..
It is sad how man's most wonderful friend is treated by people who should love them..I will keep this sad scene in mind when my 5 mth. old golden jumps on the bed at daylight and wants to play when I want to sleep..She and her older aunt are some of the lucky ones..soooo many are not so lucky..

To nobody in general:
My dog now and past dogs have been treated very well; though they were/are kenneled they are out two or three times a day either working out retrieving, going on a good run, or hunting. They get excellent care and have better quarters than ninety percent of the folks I observed in Ghana Africa this summer. So to insinuate those who don't do as you do and have their hunting dogs in their homes are somehow just rich folks who treat their animals like rented mules rings a little of pious condescension..and is wrong.

WCH:

Like almost all of my fall Turkey this was a case of just happenstance. It is a good Turkey wood and if you spend enough time there, eventually your paths will merge. Was hunting Grouse when they did and it was over quickly. 1ounce of 7.5s at around 20 yards.

George:

I've had the same feeling reaction of WCH on more than one occasion. However, I'm sure he was not insinuating all kennelled Dogs. Yours obviously have daily human contact. They are not stepping in their own excrement for days on end. They are secure in knowing they are--loved--is what fits for me. They have value-and believe me they are aware of it-beyond their working purpose. They know the pure pleasure of a kind hand they can trust.

One of the nicest little Setters I've ever seen-and a better than good Grouse Dog-ended up in a cheaply run Pheasant shooting facility for $800. Why? She wasn't hot enough for her owner. Haunts me some to this day for not buying her myself.

Battue, thank you. Perhaps I over reacted and was too sensitive to what I inferred above. Honestly, on second thought, I'll admit to occasions of guilt when I look a Gunner in his kennel yearning to work even though, as mentioned, his quarters are clean, dry and warm. He is as you know most pointers are, high energy, and will literally run 18-20 mph for 6-10 miles along side my ATV. It seems no matter how much he's out and working, we never reach "Park" in his transmission. Great, great pheasant dog if a little rangey.

Have a very good weekend.

battue, have you been slaying any more grouse or pheasants...??? We were going to try Wis. for grouse, but the weather was snow and rain..we were a week late getting moving on our trip so skipped that hunt..maybe next year..the country south of Park Falls looked great..hope you are having great success..

Weeell, I was just getting ready to make a new post titled "The slump continues" and saw this, so here is the story.

I'm in a slump of epic proportion. Been scratching down a Bird, but a horrible percentage in comparison to opportunity. Today it continued. Switch to the Model 59 Winchester which is a death ray and proceeded to miss 3 easy shots this afternoon. Its still good, had a great 3 hours and saw some neat things of which 2 were Turkeys and 26 were Deer. Two respectable Bucks and one smaller one. I think I saw the fellow who made this.




Got out late going back to the car and ran into a nice sunset.



Then driving down the logging road on the way out this fellow allowed me to take his picture through the front window. All the while my eyes are saying: "White throat patch is were I would go."







Half empty or half full? Me thinks it is more than full.

Hope things are going well with you. How did the Deer hunting go?
We have hunted S of Park Falls close to Winter if I remember correctly. When it is good those areas are the place to be. Friend recently came back from around Park Falls and they had a couple 25 flush days. Unfortunately they had a few days with a lot of rain.

Addition:

Some Wisconsin memories:

Sorry about the slump..that is a bummer..it seems the harder one tries the more difficult it is to break..I remember Ted Trueblood wrote about a shooting slump..ended when he shot a couple squirrels, I think, with a pistol..
Nice sunset and a beautiful buck..you must have more deer than most of Pa.
That Park Falls area bills its self as the grouse capital of the USA..I would like to try it sometime in the future..maybe next year..Will hunt a few days in Mich..for grouse, but they are tough in this area..T
The deer hunt went pretty well..no wopper bucks..I think the drouth must have hurt the horn growth..never did see a really good whitetail..the mulies were starting to rut and saw some dandies..but that season was over and I had already filled my mulie tag..We hunted 4 days and each day saw a few more bucks..Finally saw an older deer with heavy horns, not wide, but rather straight..He would never make a trophy, but was an unusual head..Next morning we caught him going across the creek, and shot him at 352 yards with the.270 and 140 grain Serria HPBT..He ran about 60 yards into the brush..My gal counted the points...she came up with 10, but there were a bunch at the base of the horns..some very long..I never was much of a point counter..some of the racks I have in the house, I don't know how many they have unless I count..I just went on how the animal,the hunt, and the shot meant to me..Kind of goofy system I guess..but I enjoy it..more later..

Congrats on the Deer hunt. Sounds like a good one.

The slump is me. Lost confidence and now I'm trying to steer the shotgun rather that just look and shoot. Nothing will change until I do.

Have to admit my Deer location is a good one. 1200 acres and I've hunted it for 40years. It was open coal company land until about 15 years ago and then the coal company went under and it was eventually bought by an individual who posted it. He needed cash to pay the yearly taxes and I got on with 20 other people. Price is more than reasonable and many of the people who hunt it only show up 3 or 4 days during the season. It really doesn't get hunted all that hard and there are more than a few places that most will not go into. Does have kind of blossomed this year and we need to take more.

My plans for next year is take a road trip and hunt Birds in a couple places. Will need another Dog and starting the looking process. Instead of a pup, I'm thinking a 2 year old that is started. Sounds good anyway.

My Deer hunting philosophy pretty much parallels yours. If I've hunted well they are all trophies.


Addition: This place is not long from being put up for sale. It will be expensive to buy the whole 1200 acres, but if any Pa people are interested perhaps we could put something together. If not someone else will and it will be locked up. It is some great hunting ground. Steep hills for the most part, but within and hours drive of Pittsburgh.

battue, how is the bird hunting going??? Is the slump over?? I hope so..I purchased a 3 day lic. here in Mich..More grouse than I expected..No kills, but interesting hunting..The country is very level here, next time I will bring a compass..It is also extremely thick in places..Different from the country I am used to hunting..My dogs did far better working these grouse than I felt they would..They are used to open country and ranging..For the most part they stayed pretty close.. Although the older one did tend to get out too far at times..My little pup, 6mths. old worked very close, but I think she was afraid to range out too far from Dad...With some opportunity, she would make a good ruffed grouse dog.
But talk about luck..the day before my lic. started I took the dogs for their daily hike..It was raining, and we made our usual circle..Our final leg was down an big power line..there right in the middle with clear shooting on both sides for 60 yards, my old dog flushes two ruffs..They sail away giving me perfect shots!! Beautiful to see, but a bit of a bummer..They would have been great shots, one flushed and the other came up a bit later..
Then today we were walking the same area, my lic. was up yesterday, and my old dog started making game, again she flushed two grouse, the first was gone before a shot could be made, but the second gave a great window of opportunity..But no license..

We will be ready for bear season on Sat. if I get moving from here..
My step daughter lives at State College..I will probably hunt that area on the opener..then some other spots as I visit friends..best of luck..

WCH,

Just getting ready to load the Dog into the truck and go. Last time out only 4 flushes and no shooting, so the slump is still with me. Shot a sporting tournament over the weekend and did fine. Now if I can just get the Grouse to let me call pull.

Anyway sounds like you had fun-even with the Grouse doing a number on you, however they are noted for doing that to all-and the Dogs some good work in a relatively short period of time.

Torn between Deer in WV and Bear in Pa. I think it will be Bear since we had a big one hanging around-500lb plus-but he/she seems to have moved on in the last couple weeks. Plus I think our area of the Monongahela National Forest may have got a ton of snow, so it will probably be Bear.

Good luck if you make it back and keep me posted. The State College area is one of my favorites in Pa and the Grouse hunting used to be great. I hear it is getting better again.

battue, hope the day is excellent..used to hunt whitetails, turkey, squirrel and grouse in W. Va. But the area we hunted has been over run with developments, and the deer shot out..It is sad what happened to that state..It was one of the most game filled, beautiful areas I have ever had the pleasure of hunting and fishing in..Now it is just ruined..

Great day with the exception some things haven't changed. Flushed four Birds and managed to miss one of them in the wide open. Saw a beeeeg Buck three times in a matter of 15 minutes. Could have shot him three times-I think -at 15 to 30yards. I would see him and he would stand there for 30 seconds to a minute, then trot off. Go 50yards and there he was again. Couldn't get the camera out and on him in time for a pic. What is it with a Dog and Deer? The biggest Bucks I have ever seen have all been while Grouse hunting with a Dog and for the most part they stick around.

When I saw him the third time, I was thinking were would I set up for him the first morning and wasn't paying attention to Toby when he busted a Bird out of a grapevine tangle right beside me. It flew past me at 10 feet max and I waited for it to move out further and proceeded to empty the gun while he was in the wide open. Getting a little frustrating, but it is what it is.

Saw two big rubs and a long scrape line in another area about a mile away, so the day was not a waste. Took this not so good pic driving out of two little Does.



A pic of some of the countryside:





Addition: Don't be all that down about W.V. There is just an enormous amount of open land to hunt and the W.V. people are some of the best you will run into.

Not much kicking today. These three watched me and then trotted off.

Toby: "Well just because you are in a slump doesn't mean we have to come home empty handed and I don't need no stinking shotgun."





Anyway, did a little Deer sign prospecting today and took Toby along. Didn't have a shotgun. Was looking over a well used trail when I see movement out of my peripheral. Turn and Toby is chasing down a Grouse. In seconds he has it and is bringing it to me. Huh?







Had a busted wing, so someone had clipped it sometime in the past, but let's keep that to ourselves and let him enjoy the good boy I gave him.

Took another pic for memory sake a little further up the trail.

Nice picture..Toby looks like a wonderful pal..I had a golden named that..deadly on phesants and sage grouse..I didn't realize what a great hunter he was until he was gone..Hard headed, but a great dog..nice work on Toby's part..Maybe in the late season shooting will pickup..Just got home from a seven week trip..Had some good shooting, nothing great, but it is great to be back home in Wy..Hope you had a good deer season and are ready for winter grouse...