Upland Hunting, Bird Dog and Shotgun BS Thread

Good looking pup. I’d recommend the Mendota skid plate based on her shape from the pictures.

 

Thank you kind sir! I'll give it a shot and see how it fits. Appreciate the input on this.

 

Here is my girl last weekend. These are our first birds. She makes it easy. I need a real upland shotgun now.

 

First hunt of the year in Illinois and it was in the snow! Dodger is my "new" old dog. 10-year-old master hunter GSP I adopted off a friend to give him a much deserved glory run. My parents dog I hunt with normally is recovering from ACL surgery for the year so I adopted Dodger. Dodger is an unbelievable animal to hunt with. His only flaw is he HATES other dogs which is why his owner wanted to re-home him. Hoping to get him a couple hundred birds in his senior years!

 

That dog reminds me of a grumpy old man neighbor. Think Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino.

 

Here are my 2 Llewellin Setters after a hunt last season in Iowa. Deacon (left) and Duke (Right). O/U is a Browning Citori Superlight Feather in 20g, 26" barrels.

 

Spent 3 of the last 4 weeks hunting ruff grouse around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and no cell phone or internet. Found this black backpack in the middle of a trail



It had a Delorne InReach SOS PLB, space blanket, and partially eaten fig newton in it. He was smart enough to put his phone number on the InReach and after got back called him. Guy was grooming cross country ski trails in the Boundary Waters and thankful to get it back. I need to put my phone number on my Garmin InReach.

I prefer to think that it isn't we get softer as we age it is we get smarter and wiser. Well and the joints and body start to really hurt as degenerative arthritis sets in. I used to to camp tent to hunt also.



And even up until 58 would sometimes sleep in the back of the truck for a few nights.



Once I hit 60 that all went out the window, fuck that noise I get a cabin also Worth every penny.

First night of second trip which was 2 weeks had 13" of snow. Ate supper at a lodge a mile up the trail and this guy was sitting outside.



Always get a full kitchen but grill many of the nights



And like my purple shells for grouse. Even my pocket knife says so



View from the dock in front of the cabin



The left hand side of the lake is the BWCA

Hunted grouse all over the Country, and ruff grouse in Western NC up through the Appalachians into Pa. and NY, Washington State, and of course now Mn. and the Midwest. Pretty sure I shot the last ruff in Western NC before I left in 99 so glad to see you were able to shoot one there yet Most of the ruffs in WNC were red phase. The further North you go the gray phase seems to become dominate. Although some years they are 50% 50% here but that is rare.

Where I hunt there also spruce grouse although try not to shoot them. But often they will act just like a ruff and flush just like one. Red, Gray, and a Spruce.



This year was a first and my friend and I shot 3 spruce\ruff hybrids. One even had a gray banded tail exactly like a ruff. The meat was dark but not as dark as a spruce, more like a sharptail grouse. And tasted minerally like a duck. Were damn good actually. And of course didn't think to take pictures of them Already have reservations for next year and the goal is to take some pictures of the hybrids if we can manage to shoot one again. One is rare, let alone 3

Great looking Toller! I have hunted upland with Tollers for close to 30 years now. The black nosed in my avatar sitting in an empty 12 lb. keg of Red Dot passed over the rainbow bridge about 5 years ago. He was 14. Shot my one and only Dutch double on grouse over him, never even seen the second bird until he picked it up off the forest floor.



I tried all different type vests on him and previous dogs but never really found something that was "perfect". Snow and burrs would get trapped under the entrance to the vests. Have had friends loose dogs that were wearing skid plates and vests because sticks still would penetrate the openings and hit the chest. Or hang them up on them and they couldn't get off.

My current guy is a nut in the woods and likes to blow chit up plowing through it. He is a bit calmer now but needed something. And that to me is key, needs analysis. He needed something. Weather here is generally cool to cold for hunting season.

I ended up with a K9 top coat sports vest and like it a lot, the dog not so much but after a couple of minutes running in it he forgets he has it on. They offer pretty much a custom fit because they have so many sizes.



You can see the contact points on it where he hits logs and downed trees. Burrs, snow and sticks can't up under the legs of it.



Hunting South Dakota for phez don't usually wear it, he is pretty good at avoiding barbed wire for some reason.



Back in Mn. grouse hunting sometimes do



sometimes don't



In fact most of the time don't anymore



My Tollers have always been males I want long legs and larger dog for the SD plains. But being in the woods during hunting season with a dog that was breed to look like a red fox should put it on him at all times to be honest.

Had this guy come right up to the buggy on one of the trails I was on turned it off when I seen him coming.



They don't see a lot of people where I hunt and are curious. I'm sure a lot of them got shot because of that. Don't need to have the dog mistaken for one. Make sure you keep pictures of that good looking girl of yours coming!

Only dog, bird and gun picture I took this year



Gun is a new A5 Sweet 16 had Briley cut the bbl. down to 23" and install thinwalls. This summer had Mark Larson in Washington State convert the steep radius grip to a round knob grip like Browning should have done to mirror the original Sweet 16. It is now pretty much identical to my Ithaca 37 16 ga. 26" guns.



I still like my 16 ga. 37's but with arthritis setting into my fingers and wrists now are a bit hard to operate some days. Shot at 3 grouse with a new to me SxS this year and harvested all 3. But with the second barrel missed with the first bbl on each one of them. I need to check regulation and POI on that first barrel.

 

Got out this past weekend with my young setter. It was opening day of muzzleloader season so my first two covers had deer hunters in them so decided to pass those up for a cover I had never hunted. Glad that I did though! Proof that there's a few grouse left in Virginia!

 

Nice! It was a beautiful day to be in the field (or in the stand). I’m headed up to Sleepy Creek on the 23rd. My cousin just moved back from Alaska with his wire hair and he wants to try him out here on the East Coast. I’ll be sure to report back.

 

If anyone in Illinois in the Chicagoland area is ever looking to get out Pheasant hunting, wants more info, or would like to simply give it a try shoot me a PM! Would love to take anyone with that has interest in the sport any given Wedneday Thursday or Friday.

We have quite a few excellent controlled upland hunting grounds. I primarily hunt at the Desplaines Conservation Area in Wilmington Illinois (not far from Chicagoland area). They are released raised mature birds but the quality is excellent and the program of perfecting these game birds has led to some beautiful birds and great sport. Sadly.... Each year there has been a rapid decline of 300+ hunts per season just at Desplaines alone... and unfortunately each year the program slips more and more into jeopardy with state politics. If anyone ever wants to get out and shoot birds over my dogs let me know! Desplaines has youth hunting programs as well for younger hunters age 10+ to gain exposure to bird dogs and wing shooting. See info and buy permits and such here: https://dnr2.illinois.gov/controlledhunt/

I am 3rd generation hunting these grounds and hope my grandkids someday still have the opportunity to hunt area like these.... Illinois is one weird state though.... Best of luck to all this season!

 

Hope that you guys will get into a few birds. Although even on the slow days it's a good excuse to get out for some fresh air!

 

I would make the trip for some good hunting if the offer is extended to out-of-towners!

Me, too, and I agree. I haven't ever hunted Sleepy Creek with a dog, either.

 

Come on out! Just need a nonresident hunting license if you’re not from Illinois.

 

I spend a small fortune on non-resident licenses every year. It's my excuse for not further modding my truck. It gets expensive - NC, TN, MD, WV and PA!

 

Hey the way I see it with anything like that, as my passions are basically traveling for Motocross hunting SCUBA and snowboarding... A lot of people spend a lot more money on golf, gambling, booze and other vices that I don’t find nearly as enjoyable haha. But that’s just me... At least you’re enjoying life! We get one run might as well make it worth it and be a doer...

 

New to the forum...run a small kennel in the U.P. of Michigan known as Aspen Thicket Grouse Dogs. We breed German Shorthaired Pointers.

Ruffed Grouse is our passion

 

Similar to what JohnnyDemonT said for Chicago, if anyone in the Twin Cities or Minnesota wants to get together to get after some pheasants out West past Hutchinson or something, My golden retriever and I would be interested in grouping up with other folks to walk some fields.

 

Love that one pic with the Model 37 on the ground, purple shells, dog behind and grouse. Just gives me a warm fuzzy.... Great pics!!

 

Welcome! If you are who I think you are then you have had a wolf encounter of the first kind with your dogs. People ask me why I run an Alpha on my flusher, well wolves. Had them within 40 yards which is still too close IMO.

Hope your season is going well for you.

Have friends in SW Mn. right now, and SD and Iowa all hunting phez. Many fields still have crops in but coming down fast, well until this snow hit anyhow. Friends in SW Mn. and Iowa are shooting more birds than those in North Central SD so far. Some good numbers in a few places this year and glad to see it. Numbers are supposed to be down 15% in all 3 States but not buying that across the board in all locations. Hope you get out often this year!

 

I was just out in Redfield, SD Last weekend. Group of 6 of us got 25 or so birds in 4 days, pushing full fields of corn to get the dumb/less fortunate ones to fly out but with all the crops still standing and so much water everywhere, they were certainly hard to find and made us work harder to get them this year. I saw a bunch in the ditches driving back home to MN, so I have no doubt there are decent numbers to be had. All my hunting buddies live in WI, I need to find more upland hunting friends here in the twin cities.