Minnesota Recovery

[Garry L Gordon]

After a summer lost to cancer treatment, we are finally in Minnesota for our annual hunting trip. Slowed, but not deterred, we have encountered lower flush rates and very skittish birds. Still, as Michael McIntosh once wrote, "I image that Hell itself looks pretty good in October."

Here are a few pictures from our trip so far:

1. This is really Rill's first year hunting grouse, and she is puzzling out running birds, of which most are this year. We come late in October to avoid other hunters, but that also means spookier birds. Killing a few birds for Rill has been beneficial, and she works the cover as well as any dog I've had. We just need more cooperative birds. Ever seen a cooperative grouse...me neither:banghead:

2. My dedicated grouse gun is a 1904 DH 16 with 26 inch barrels. At 7 pounds there is no issue of wispiness, and it gets the nod for our first week.

3&4. For Elaine and me this is the ultimate family outing, especially because we can have the pups in overnight in Cabin #6, where we have stayed for over 35 years. All of our dogs have loved Minnesota.

5. We've had all forms of weather, even a short snow squall.

6&7. The Northwoods in October is good medicine. We visit certain places just because, and always stop to admire Aldo Leopold's smokey gold tamaracks.

[Richard Whitfield]

Amazing pictures! That DH has spectacular engraving!

[Daniel Carter]

Good to know you are there and doing what you love. I look forward to more reports and great photos.

[Dean H Hanson]

My day just got better.

[Chris Pope]

Love those photos. Are those gun dogs living the life?

[Garry L Gordon]

Love those photos. Are those gun dogs living the life?

I never tell them about your pups, and definitely never show them your photos. I’d have a rebellion. :)

[Craig Larter]

You inspire me to keep doing what we love to do in company of our dogs and Parkers.

[Harry Schlott]

Oh Boy!! Beautiful Gordons!!

[Gary Kephart]

Great pictures and therapy thanks for sharing . That is one beautiful Parker .

[Rick Roemer]

Life is good.

[Brett Farley]

The best therapy there is!! Beautiful dogs. Enjoy! Thanks for sharing.

[allen newell]

Beautiful dogs and a 16 ga Parker. Nothing could be better

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Garry, so sorry to hear about the cancer treatments, had no idea. Been wondering how you were doing in Minnesota. That fall air is good for the body and soul. Been looking forward to Elaine's photos.
Perspective from the UP:
grouse numbers do seem down from last year, but are still good.
Birds are running on more points than not, often hearing them run off and seeing them run. The dogs dont break hard, but just cat walk, or walking on eggs, but that is often enough to make the birds fly.
Been hunting 12 days now and have worn the edge off. Still have 10 more days if the body holds up. Been finding alot of new productive covers.
Stay strong

[Garry L Gordon]

Garry, so sorry to hear about the cancer treatments, had no idea. Been wondering how you were doing in Minnesota. That fall air is good for the body and soul. Been looking forward to Elaine's photos.
Perspective from the UP:
grouse numbers do seem down from last year, but are still good.
Birds are running on more points than not, often hearing them run off and seeing them run. The dogs dont break hard, but just cat walk, or walking on eggs, but that is often enough to make the birds fly.
Been hunting 12 days now and have worn the edge off. Still have 10 more days if the body holds up. Been finding alot of new productive covers.
Stay strong

I'm not sure I've seen the birds as consistently skittish as we've encountered this year. The dog will indicate scent and the bird gets up 20-30 yards away. We did have better luck on Monday with 17 flushes...and of course, I missed my only shot:crying: It has been windy with a couple of days of all day rain. Almost all leaves are down. In past years the 3rd week still has some leaves and color. Not this year. All years are individuals, just like people...and pups.

Harold, you are in such great shape to be able to go so long and so hard. Elaine would divorce me...IF I could do that. We've had several 10 mile-plus days, and boy, do I feel it the next day.

I'm just glad to be here, or as my old boss would say (he had cancer, too), "I'm just glad to be anywhere!"

Be safe, Harold, and give those pups of yours a hug from me and Elaine.

(A photo of Aspen pointing a swan. No, I did not shoot it for him:nono:)

[Chris Pope]

"We've had several 10 mile-plus days, and boy, do I feel it the next day."

Just for the record, a ten mile day following bird dogs after grouse and woodcock is NOT like a ten mile day walking inside an office building or city park. I know you all know this but most folks couldn't mentally handle stepping, crawling and ducking their way through old alders that lay over tired with age. I think of it like crawling through a massive metal jungle gym (for those of you who are old enough to know what that is) while wearing a back pack full of ammo and carrying a Parker you don't want to ding up. Meanwhile, your dog is beginning to tremble trying to hold a precarious point on an itchy grouse and thinking to themselves, "Hurry the heck up boss! Can't hold this point all day!!!"

Who in their right mind wouldn't enjoy such pleasures? Especially while living with some significant infirmaties!

[Victor Wasylyna]

My oh my! Those are two beautiful setters. (Nice gun too.)

-Victor

[Garry L Gordon]

Sitting in the Cabin on a rainy Halloween second guessing myself as I always do. We took the morning off yesterday to replenish supplies in town, intending to hunt the late afternoon in some coverts we've been saving. Alas, the rain set in during the afternoon yesterday.

We did have one gloriously beautiful weather day, the kind you don't want to end, no matter how tired you are or how many miles you've walked. We got up birds -- nothing to write home about -- but just being out was a pleasure. The day was made extra special by Rill providing me a chance to blood a new gun. Even more special because three birds flushed, and I thought I missed my two shots only to have Rill find the left barrel bird dead for me.

Photos:

1. A rare point along the trail, but the bird walked off and flushed about 30 yards out -- pretty common this year. It does get the heart pounding, whatever the outcome.

2. The locals say the area is in drought, but we apparently brought the rain. The day after and all day "blow" resulted in one of those rare jewels that make it a pleasure to be out.

3&4. We got a few grouse, but the revisiting of old coverts was part of the joy of the hunt. Some of grown out and been re-cut a couple of times...which reminds me how long we've been coming here.

5&6. The end of a near perfect weather day. We ooo'd and ahhh'd our way through the afternoon, Elaine taking photos and Aspen irritated that we were moving too slow. The day also gifted me a grouse with the first shots from a new gun.

7. I take the dogs out each morning early to a local gravel pit where they can run to their hearts' content. There's always something to see, like this day's sunrise. How many people get this privilege?

8. Happy Halloween!

[Reggie Bishop]

I look forward to your Minnesota trip each year! Thanks for sharing with us. The new gun looks very interesting!

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Garry, I spent today visiting old covers I haven't been into for 15+ years. Was pleased to find good grouse numbers in those old covers. Rain blew in but then ended, allowing me to hunt one last cover. Willie has been laid up for two days limping on his right front foot, but put him out for this last evening hunt and he was knocking them dead, but birds were flushing too far out to shoot . Finally managed to knock down a big gray phase cock bird with the 28. Have one more week up here.

[Garry L Gordon]

Garry, I spent today visiting old covers I haven't been into for 15+ years. Was pleased to find good grouse numbers in those old covers. Rain blew in but then ended, allowing me to hunt one last cover. Willie has been laid up for two days limping on his right front foot, but put him out for this last evening hunt and he was knocking them dead, but birds were flushing too far out to shoot . Finally managed to knock down a big gray phase cock bird with the 28. Have one more week up here.

Good luck, and be safe, Harold. We were rained on most of the day yesterday, but got out for an end-of-day short hunt with Rill. She again pointed on our way back and three grouse and a woodcock got up. I managed to down two grouse...but not a true double. Needless to say, that was the highlight of the day. The place we were exploring was an area we used to hunt often back in the day (1990s). Maybe we should visit old coverts more often, eh?

[Dean Weber]

[QUOTE=Garry L Gordon;438175]

The day also gifted me a grouse with the first shots from a new gun.


Garry, that gun looks familiar. Nice!:corn:

[Garry L Gordon]

[QUOTE=Garry L Gordon;438175]

The day also gifted me a grouse with the first shots from a new gun.


Garry, that gun looks familiar. Nice!:corn:

Elaine and I missed you.

[Andrew Sacco]

Great post Garry and Elaine! : )

[Phil Yearout]

Good for you both (or all, I guess, including the dogs!).

[Garry L Gordon]

..."Always good to get away, always good to get back home."

We are finally home after a long ride following a 12 mile last day in the Northwoods. We tried hard to get the pups into birds on this last day as we had lost the previous two to rain. I especially wanted to shoot a bird for Aspen, who had good bird work throughout the trip, but never resulting in decent shots. We walked over 12 miles on our last day, saw some new cover, and plotted out strategies for next year. Ah, next year! Anymore, I still plan for next year, but don't count on it. We reserved Cabin #6 again, and we may have a new pup to introduce to the grouse that have supplied us with so much over so many years. How's that for optimism!?

Thanks to those who've commented on our posts and photos.

Photos:

1. Our last day was mostly cloudy and cold, soggy from two days of rain that kept us out of the woods. Our 4WD was necessary for some coverts.

2&3. One unique feature of some Northwoods counties is that residents can set up cabins on county land. No water, sewer or electricity allowed, and the land is still open to the public. We found this cabin deep in a county forest and enjoyed reading the note on the window.

4. I brought three Parkers with the plan to use each to take a grouse. My last gun, one we call "Reggie's Gun," a sweet little CHE 20 with some very unique features (raised flat rib, articulated trigger, checkered butt and perfect upland choking). I shoot this gun better than any I own, but on this day its barrels were clean when I put it away. Still, it was a joy to carry and think about its pathway to me from its first year of 1918 to the wilds of Minnesota.

5. Although the day did not give us grouse, it did distinguish itself with this sunset. Hopefully we'll see more Northwoods sunsets in the years to come.

[Dean Weber]

Good to hear Elaine, the pups & you are home safe.

But….did you use the cabin to eat lunch? Maybe a quick nap? :rotf:

[Garry L Gordon]

Good to hear Elaine, the pups & you are home safe.

But….did you use the cabin to eat lunch? Maybe a quick nap? :rotf:

Lots of 💤 in the truck cab (that would be Elaine while I was driving). We saw a family of little people in your old cabin:rotf:

[Dean Weber]

I am having a hard time stopping laughing trying to write this…😂

That cabin was not designed for typical sized humans….just sayin!

[Garry L Gordon]

I am having a hard time stopping laughing trying to write this…😂

That cabin was not designed for typical sized humans….just sayin!

Well…they were little people :bigbye:

[Clark McCombe]

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, all of it.
It takes a rough time with cancer and radiation to understand things a little differently.
We are all in this support group, let’s pray that our friends who have not been on the treatment table never have to be there.
And those dogs …. They are the angels …. Their eyes speak without words .

[Garry L Gordon]

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, all of it.
It takes a rough time with cancer and radiation to understand things a little differently.
We are all in this support group, let’s pray that our friends who have not been on the treatment table never have to be there.
And those dogs …. They are the angels …. Their eyes speak without words .

Amen, Clark, and thanks for your friendship and encouragement. I know that I am blessed and grateful for it.

[Chris Pope]

Oh how I've felt the frustration of seeing good solid bird work from a young dog, yet not being able to reward the pup with a downed bird. How many times have I missed the last bird of the season that I shot at, when it was a perfectly pointed bird? I feel so sorry at the time. And then I'm reminded how forgiving these beautiful creatures can be. And the next time or next year they come back with the same prey drive and work ethic if not more! One more life lesson learned from our 4 legged partners...and when we relax with them at the end of the day in front of the fire just know that all that twitching and galloping of the pups legs as they lay sound asleep is certainly a dream of working in the field, and likely a dream about chasing that darn bird we missed.
It's part of the bird dog rite of passage and Rill's so lucky to be able to experience it.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

A 12 mile hunt is impressive, Garry. Glad your back home safe. I think I'm leaving Friday, one day early. I am very much exhausted after almost 3 weeks, we had only a half day off due to rain, at this point I think I would welcome a rain day.
I imagine quail season is opening soon in Missouri, hope it's a great season.

[Garry L Gordon]

A 12 mile hunt is impressive, Garry. Glad your back home safe. I think I'm leaving Friday, one day early. I am very much exhausted after almost 3 weeks, we had only a half day off due to rain, at this point I think I would welcome a rain day.
I imagine quail season is opening soon in Missouri, hope it's a great season.

Harold, so glad your hunt went well. Bird seasons are open in Iowa and Missouri, and I’m hoping we find some flight woodcock in our coverts. The rut is in full swing here with heavy scrape checking. I’ve seen lots of bucks on our cameras, including a few bruisers. So much to do, so little time. Got a series of tests coming that will steal time, but we’ll do all we can.

[Craig Larter]

Garry I just caught up on your posts and adventures in the north woods. You are strong man dealing with cancer and doing your best to pursue bird hunting with the pups. I am in awe of your mental strength and your dedication to your spouce and pups. We all experience set backs especially in our senior years but must power through them and you are a role model. Get well my friend.

[Garry L Gordon]

Garry I just caught up on your posts and adventures in the north woods. You are strong man dealing with cancer and doing your best to pursue bird hunting with the pups. I am in awe of your mental strength and your dedication to your spouce and pups. We all experience set backs especially in our senior years but must power through them and you are a role model. Get well my friend.

Thanks, Craig, for your encouraging words. Life is not scripted as I know you are aware, too. As far as we know, we get only one crack at it, so it’s essential to “power through” the setbacks as you say. We’re not alone in our endeavors, and I’m grateful for the support I get — and try to offer — my colleagues here, some I’ve never met in person (but hope to someday).

Get that pup of yours as much action as you can…and don’t forget to “show and tell” us about it. See you at our annual meeting I hope.