Let's see what it does to you and your buddies.

Got some setters. But around here it is August.

Sept 1 here, until mid Nov.

Sept 1 here, way too hot now anyhow. bear season's open tho.

I meant being august, can't hunt. September 15th opens in UP.

Pheasant and grouse hunting is awesome.

What it does?

It leaves me perpetually broke because of vet bills, dog feed and purchases in search of the Holy Grail.

My wife asked me the other day why I bought yet another shotgun? I answered, "it's perfect birdgun!" whilst walking in the house with a LNIB 1968 20 gauge Superposed under my arms. [I didn't bother to mention it cost me less than her last automobile accident. ;)]

Most of the time I shoot holes in the air but once in a blue moon when all my aging synapses function and fire just perfectly I managed to knock over a mature drummer who tries to fly his practiced "S" pattern down a overgrown logging road. Then I make my way back to the old pickup truck at the end of the lane with my head held high knowing that for a moment I walk among the immortals and demigods with my prize heavy in my game-vest.

And then of course theere is a reality check and the dog demands to know why we are stopping to commemorate the moment with photos:

That's cheating, Alamosa.

Your Springer is wondering WTH you're stopping to shoot him! Heck, Dad, there's birds everywhere, and you're fooling with a nasty smelling clicker thingy. Dogs know...we don't have a clue.

The nasty smelly things that may have interested my dog could have been bear bait laid out by other hunters IIRC.

Ms. Scarlet was my once-in-a-lifetime wondergrouser and best companion.

Nice Springer. I had his twin.

It IS a great looking Springer, for sure. I love that varmity eye. Dogs with it are goers!

There's a lot of happiness in those photos.

I'm smiling here.

Duffy had the same bulky Bull Springer body, wild hair, almost identical face marking and the same intense eyes. His flush was a wild rush to the source.

Wears out a vehicle early, fills the house full of Dog hair, gives a reason to buy new shotguns, fills the heart full of hope, hard on the knees, roasts you on some days and freezes you on others, makes "Normal" people wonder about you, good for falling asleep quickly, etc, etc, etc.

There are some beautiful pictures on this thread. I will have to wait until I retire and move out of state before I can partake in that again.

You sir missed your calling, should have been a poet or dare I saw an outdoor writer. Excellent synopsis of grousing.

Looks like a keeper to me.

Thank you....

Little squirt, but he is an overachiever. Shame our Birds are down, but we have some trips planned for fall. His mentor has signed him off and gone on to other fields. He needs a Bud.

Right now there is a Groundhog who lives under the deck that is worrying him to no end. Drives him nuts to be able to smell it right under his feet and yet so far away.

Hoping to find out in Sept!

Lots of firsts on this trip:
1. hunting ruffed grouse east of Utah
2. hunting ruffed grouse with a dog
3. Hanks first time hunting ruffed grouse

Hope we can add a few more firsts before the trip is over!

Birds open up in a few days here. Seen a few while picking berries so numbers seem good. Found out my little dog has an enlarged heart and lung problems so we won't be doing any strenuous hunts this year. 8 years old is too young... She wasn't any good at it anyhow but we always enjoyed our hikes. Bruce, maybe this will be the winter we can get together and go after somebirds. i'd like that.

It's a priority, my friend. I'm slowing down real fast and need to speed up my intentions.

What grouse hunting does to a person? It makes him drive 1800 miles to get a llewellin pup. Bruce you were wrong----I'm not a poor poor man----I'm a rich rich man. Annie is a pistol. Bob

She sure hit the lottery, finding you two.

If I never hunted grouse, I'd would've never had the pleasure of crawling through alders with a 4.5 lb 28ga walking stick that costs $2,000 dollars !
This will be the last year I take my Ol' hunting buddy Yankee my Brittany out for a walk in the woods.
He's 14 and God blessed me to be able to have hunted with such a fine dog for so long.
Yankee learned a lot from my Pointing Lab ranger until he passed at 16.
I wish my Gordon setter shadow could've learned a few more tricks from Yankee, but Shadow told me he knows everything about bird hunting ! Typical Setter attitude I'm told.
Seeing all of the pics has brought up alot of memories of us chasing tail feathers all over the US.
This October we'll be hunting upstate NY, where it all began 14 years ago.
If asked I could do it all over again differently, I would say No. Typical Grouse Hunter attitude I'm told.

SJC

Quote of the season, battue. It says a lot. I'll miss grousing in S/E Idaho this year. Damn. Great picture's guys.