Harold,

Your post brings back pangs of regret at what we've lost in grouse coverts in Ohio. I have hunted in Monroe Co. in years gone by. I, too, remember 25 flush days in the cutovers of SE Ohio. What a shame some (too many I fear) can't see that having early successional forests is healthy for both those forests and the creatures that live in them.

The fescue pastures and bulldozed fencerows are now taking away the quail habitat in Missouri.

BTW, we hunt northern and southeastern Minnesota for grouse, and have for almost 30 years. Thank goodness trees are still harvested in the north!

I have not missed a season in the UP since 1986, it is as familiar to me as home now, spent 16 days there this year. I shot a grouse in Monroe county 2 years ago and later saw the game warden at the gas station in Clarington. Stopped to talk to him, and told him I just killed the last grouse in Monroe county, we commiserated over the dearth of the grouse population, and I haven't shot a grouse in Ohio since.
Nice Gordon, I have always had English setters but have several friends with Gordons, maybe someday, but have 4 female setters now.
Snow is falling now, will have to wait til morning to see if I can get out.
Sometimes I feel as threatened a species as the grouse in Ohio, it is good to hear from like-minded gents across the country.

-18C as season closed for the year, pleased my Lab kept up with Chessies that take any weather throw against them.

-12 F in Grayling, MI this AM

According to Siri it was supposed to be mid 30’s and sunny. It was actually 7, with heavy fog, wind and spitting snow. First lesson learned, don’t trust predictions when it come to Colorado weather. Second lesson learned, always be prepared for anything between a blizzard and a heat wave. Third lesson learned, in spite of being 2000’ lower and further south Rush really can be 25-30 degrees colder than Colorado Springs.

I've had a touch of shingles since the 24th . So I hadn't been out till yesterday morning . Think it was 17 or 18 I sat in a tree from 06:15 until10:15 then got down got the ATV and ride all my trails . I saw not a single deer track in the snow , kind of a let down to say the least . So I have laid off today and plan to hit it again bright and early New Years morning , supposed to be single digits in the AM suppose I better take a thermos of hot choco or coffee .

Went dove hunting with a young man and he killed two at his granddad's farm yesterday and I was skunked. I did not know he had been out the evening before and chased them all away. Only saw five birds. It got up to 39 yesterday afternoon so I went after deer. Three little beagles were coming so I got up and the lead dog was the only one barking behind a herd of ten does and fawns. When they got to a fence they split up and went every way. They had been out of range but one doe split off and ran my way. One load of 00 from a Beretta Extrema gave me meat for the landowner. He is crazy about a rack of venison, and this young deer delivered today already cut up with ribs intact to the tenderloin and soaked in salt water overnight made him happy. Bitter cold today to make up for yesterday. Single digits tonight.

I sure wish we could use buckshot here in Missouri. I'd like to use one of my old guns with some buckshot like we did when I was growing up in Virginia. It's muzzleloader season here now, but way too cold for me to climb into a tree stand and sit (Zero right now!).

Was at camp in Pittsburg, NH, for the holiday weekend. Minus 24 degrees yesterday morning. Cold:shock:

“We’d be crazy to go if it’s minus 40”. So said my hunting partner of several decades. I replied “So we’re good to go up to minus 39 then”. Picked him up at 7:30 am for the hour and half drive to pheasant country. As it turned out the real temperature was minus 32 with light winds that dropped the wind chill to minus 39 so it never did hit minus 40, not that another degree would have meant anything other than that minus 40 is the same in both Celsius and Fahrenheit. All that could be seen on the two of us were four eyeballs. Charlie is a good cold weather bird dog but she did take breaks in the vehicle and refused any more searching for birds by 2pm. Wish I had known about mushers secret but no mattter. By then we had four good roosters and decided to head home. Limit is 3 each. We removed the cold weather gear and even seeing a few feeding roosters did not tempt us to get it all back on. That is the coldest hunt I have ever undertaken and quite enjoyed it. No pics as never exposed fingers for any reason. Cheers, Jack