Northern Minnesota, Northern Minnesota Weather!

[Ed Norman]

Garry,
We are having similar situations here with the grouse and woodcock. A week ago last saturday, we went on private property about 300 acres, and had quite a day with woodcock in about a 20 year aspen forest. We thought most of the woodcock had gone south. My buddy is walking in open fields with small pine trees and finding grouse and some woodcock where he normally does not find many birds. The birds are not in their normal places so he goes to the most unlikely places and usually finds birds. His dog is ranging out 80 yards or more. I hope you get some better weather, the hunting weather has been almost perfect down here, a little cold but the dogs are running hard. We are not finding as many grouse as we hope for so tomorrow I am hunting more open fields with few trees and see if my luck changes. good luck, Ed

[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Ed Norman

Garry,
We are having similar situations here with the grouse and woodcock. A week ago last saturday, we went on private property about 300 acres, and had quite a day with woodcock in about a 20 year aspen forest. We thought most of the woodcock had gone south. My buddy is walking in open fields with small pine trees and finding grouse and some woodcock where he normally does not find many birds. The birds are not in their normal places so he goes to the most unlikely places and usually finds birds. His dog is ranging out 80 yards or more. I hope you get some better weather, the hunting weather has been almost perfect down here, a little cold but the dogs are running hard. We are not finding as many grouse as we hope for so tomorrow I am hunting more open fields with few trees and see if my luck changes. good luck, Ed

Thanks, Ed,

This has been the most frustrating weather we've experienced in the time we've been hunting Northern MN. The forecasts are seldom correct, and even the radar seems bewitched (being close to Halloween, maybe?), showing snow when there is none, and not showing it when it's snowing hard.

We have days on our calendar to mark important things. Yesterday was "Pop's Day," the day my father died. We honor him on this day by hunting, since it was Pop who gave me hunting so many years ago when I first served as his squirrel "dog" at age 5. I was still feeling pretty sick from the bug I had the night before, but we went out late yesterday to a special spot we've been saving. Contrary to the forecast (again!), the weather was windy, cloudy, and cold. We flushed one bird in two hours -- no shot. We found fresh tracks, but no birds following them up. Maybe they are in those unexpected places, but it seems like we've tried those, too.

We'll hit the woods again today. I still think as the weather moderates, we'll see more movement and have our chances. I'm glad you've had good conditions.

[Brett Hoop]

Gary

Hang in there and hope you get feeling better. Think about it, a good Grouse hunter must be an optimist. Who else lives to pursue a bird that maybe peaks every 7 - 10 years! With the hand the weather has dealt some of us this year I hope peak wasn’t this year because we didn’t find an increased number of grouse or cock. I agree with you the weather has likely pulled a curtain over what numbers truly remain. All the grouse we took were fully stocked with groceries some with catkins, others had salads of fern tips or winterberry. After the snow came and kept coming everybody moved under the umbrellas. When the sun did decide to go to work it crusted snow quickly. Buzzy's feet took some wear but at the suggestion of a friend we tried Lantiseptic (skin protectant) and he was fine the next day but I did insist he rested and we went and watched a few pups trying to learn the game while another 4” of powder fell in our snow globe. We split the next morning well before daylight, somehow it’s just easier to leave in the dark. I hate leaving every time. So hang in there it’s going to get better.

[Ed Norman]

Garry,
I hope things improve for you, I really have learned a lot in this forum from you and many others about hunting and other things. I try to pay attention, its like having "professors" of hunting at your disposal all a guy has to do is come in here and read the posts. The picture I am posting is where cash went on point on that woodcock. There is a large probably 3 acres that is pretty open and that is surrounded by real good cover. 2 years ago a grouse busted out under a big tree not far from this pic. Last year the same thing, now instead of just slinging my gun over my shoulder when walking across the field, I am at the ready. I also realized that the sun was warming that area up where the woodcock was. Thats another thing I realized from you all in here. Keep the stories coming, I really enjoy them.

[mobirdhunter]

UNCLE! The Grouse Gods have conspired, and I surrender...but I'm content. After a rainy Wednesday, we got out for a short hunt and flushed some birds that offered no shots. Two were pointed by Aspen. Yesterday dawned sunny and cold, with the snow was crusted hard. I wish I'd read your post, Brett, before we headed out because Alder ripped an opening in her pad below a nail, and it looks like she's out, maybe for the trip. We went back to places where we'd had some flushes, we hunted tried-and-proven spots that we generally save to the hunt's end, and we tried a new spot on a whim that chance might smile on us. Yesterday was my first day hunting Northern Minnesota when I flushed nary a bird. Someone should write a thesis on why you're so much more tired after hunting on a day like this.

But...we have several more days, and I'm here in Cabin #6 with two fine canine companions, three nice Parker small bores with a history...and the best wife a guy could hope for. We are already scheming about when to come next year.

Photos:
1. Thinking about Ed's open field success reminds me of a year when we flushed "coveys" (broods) of grouse from secluded open fields late in the day. I'm convinced that grouse know they are more vulnerable on a white, snowy backdrop and avoid places like this where they have no overhead cover. Oh, to be here on a warmish sunny day about a half hour before sunset.
2. The last hour of a day taken mostly by rain. We found some birds, but they all went out either far ahead, or screened by cover. This was not the best year to have a puppy in the woods trying to get him experience on wild birds.
3. It's funny how much more optimistic I get when the sun comes out. I know there are no "Dull, Dark Days," but on a birdies hunt, at least let me be in the sun in a beautiful place.
4. The waxing Blue Moon guided us back to the Cabin. Wine, two dogs on the couch, and some warm food helped to soothe the soul after a bridles day.
5. Now here's a sign of optimism if ever there was one. At lunch time we stopped and watched a large pulpwood harvest. This machine strips the limbs from pole-sized aspen and then cuts them to size to be later cut again and loaded on a truck. We have all these spots marked on the GPS, and I only hope I'm alive and still able to walk them in about 5-7 years.

[Ed Norman]

Garry,
My buddy called today with the 2 brittanies, he said he had the best hunting day of the year to date. I am hoping your luck will change. Fred will talk to me a lot about his theories about grouse and woodcock. Today he hunted near his better spots, but he would go in from a different direction and hunt towards his better spots. He had a dozen grouse points between the 2 dogs and 1 woodcock. The birds were not in their normal spots, but close by where he would never hunt under normal circumstances. We had a good woodcock day yesterday in a couple of hours, those birds were near their normal spots. We never saw a grouse yesterday where we usually see some. Its humbling to say the least trying to figure this all out. Fred thinks about moon phases, cold vs. heat etc. he always checks the stomach content to learn and send me pics to help educate me. With friends like him and Hap its no wonder cash is doing so well. I would be lost without them. Hang in there Garry, keep the posts coming, they are enjoyable.

[Ken Hill]

Garry,

Hopefully, the weather gets a lot better and you get a few days to hunt in nice weather before you leave. I have no desire to hunt in the rain whether it is birds or big game.

Ken

[Richard Flanders]

Minnesota is currently well above the jet stream so is getting all of "our" spare Arctic air flow. Get used to it boys! The jet stream is way down into northern Texas and is being bumped and deformed west by the current hurricane that came in from the SE. The stream heads from Texas to the NE and is passing just south of Michigan with 100+mph winds at elevation and is combining with the hurricane effect to cause abundant rain in the NE. Minnesota is likely in for cold weather for a bit here. We went from 0-60 on winter up here in Alaska. It was 60+ deg one day then 20deg a few days later and started snowing. It's 8deg here right now and there's 9" of snow on the ground and headed soon for subzero temps. Winter is here to stay.

[charlie cleveland]

its rainey and wet here in the south miss area..tempertures around the 50 mark but seem much colder....I m just staying in by the fire....charlie

[wayne goerres]

About 50 and windy here. I am with charlie.