My brother and I grew up hunting grouse and woodcock around Bow and Hooksett, NH with our dad and his setter (Skyrocket's Ruff Grouse). Dad field trialed too but grouse and woodcock have always been my first love and lasting memory. Preserve hunting is fun too and I won't denigrate it. It's good experience for introducing the dog to birds but hunting native grouse and woodcock with your own bird dog and as Edgar says, carrying a sandwich in your pocket (and some water for you and the dog) beats it all. I do hope to get up to northern Maine this Fall. Sophie is 16 months old now and has had close to a hundred birds taken over her on point (with three other "paying " friends at Markover and Addieville last year. Her real trial will be this season on native birds. It's been fun watching her develop these months.
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