We have a stand of virgin white Pines in the lower peninsula which is roughly half way between Ed Norman and me. Called HARTWICK PINES. Now a state park, but all the big Pines are gone - struck by lightning, high winds or disease. The park is now progressing to the final stage of a climax forest. It is now covered with young maples. In another 100 years it should renamed HARTWICK MAPLES

Great country and guns Garry. Most of us only dream of 3.5 flushes/hr! Must be a good year. Enjoy it before the population starts to diminish. I too have always loved 26" guns, especially on the lighter frames. I have several, including a damascus GHE12 on a #1 frame that is perfect for tight cover and long days. Even better in really hvy cover is my 24" PHE16 that seems to nail birds despite my clumsy shooting skills. The open chokes on it have you not hesitating to shoot flushed woodcock when they pause to go from vertical to horizontal flight.

That PHE sounds like a dream woodcock gun, Richard. I ran out of funds at a recent auction where a nice DHE 20 with 24" barrels was sold. I still regret not bidding on it.

John, you point out some things about forests over time that we often forget -- they evolve and change their composition. Some folks hear the term virgin and they think of the giant sequoias. Not always the case. Back in my younger days, I trekked to the top of a mountain in Giles County, Virginia to see the virgin hemlocks there. I was surprised to find twisted, stunted, and very short trees. They were "virgin" because no one wanted their lumber. In the Missouri Ozarks along the Jack's Fork River, there are virgin cedars, incredibly old, growing from the cliff faces. They were too stunted and too difficult to get to. All are spectacular in their own way.

After two (much needed!) rain days, Friday dawned with calm winds, no rain, and the promise of hunting. After the early morning fog and clouds broke, we had one of those days that you don't want to end -- damp, clear and with a slight breeze. The grouse, having been hunkered down during the rainy period, moved out into the trails, I believe to avoid the wet vegetation (and eat the clover in the trails as evidenced by an examination of a crop from a bird we took). We moved 24 birds in 4.5 hours and had some decent dog work, especially from Aspen, who, in on our last walk at end of day, pointed nicely 6 of the 12 birds we found. Chances for shots were slim though, but the CHE took two with two shots. Elaine and I covered over 10 miles on this day, and though tired, could not help but remark on the beauty of the day.

Colder weather is forecast for the beginning of next week, but if the forecast is correct, we'll have light winds. We moved our trip back to the end of the month to avoid the early October crowds and the warmer temperatures. Last year we were stung by frigid, snowy conditions, but this year we have experienced some of the best weather days every. In my old age, I like hunts you can savor, at least in part, because of the weather. We've been blessed this year.

Photo Key:

1. We've had some gorgeous sunsets, but this sunrise from yesterday was unique in the way it cast an orange glow over everything. This shot is actually facing west as the clouds began to break. Hard not to love a morning like this.

2. We see lots of Bald Eagles, often eating carrion. We interrupted this one who gave us the evil eye as we went by.

3. We stopped at the Lost Forty and tried to take some photos of the forest. It's impossible to capture the majesty of these trees in a photo, but here's one that might give an idea of how large these trees are.

4. The day was still and sunny, with temperatures near 50. Aspen makes good use of water in the ruts of the trails we walk. Until the last two days' rains, most of the ruts were dry and we carried water for the dogs.

5. One of the grouse we took, this one over a nice point by Alder. Its black ruff was accentuated by a sprinkling of white end-tipped feathers -- unique for us to find here. Most of the birds we take are gray phase in color, and the biologists say that as the populations trend down in the cycle, you're more likely to see a predominance of gray phase birds, while the red phase shows up during the peak of the cycle. I cannot confirm this, but I have noted that when we take a red bird here, it's generally during high populations times. Our Minnesota birds are generally gray and smaller than the larger, red phase birds we used to take in the Appalachians.

wow some great pictures...that is a big tree...I never tire of hunting scenes like this...thanks charlie

The forecast for a mild day with sunshine started that way, but then a front moved in at mid-day and made conditions more like Halloween -- gloomy and blustery. I can really see Aspen maturing, and he is a comfortable dog to hunt over in the grouse woods. Alder (approaching 9 years old), who was resting today after waking up stiff, is the direct opposite. She has two speeds: all out, and -- tired. She requires lots of handling to keep her close enough to get to when she points. She was bred to be hunted from horseback and is a delight on the prairie, but not in the grouse woods.

Photos:

1. The weatherman was right about only half of the day, but the morning was so nice it made you want to stop and take it all in.

2. Although most of the leaves have fallen, the Tamarack are still what Mr. Leopold called, "Smokey Gold." They provide a bit of color when the day turns gloomy.

3. Most of our points are like this, and they seldom offer good photo opportunities. If you look closely, you will see Aspen's head in the left of the picture. This was a great point by him, but the bird, buried in a blowdown, offered only the sound of a flush. Most of our points ended like this.

4. When you get a point along the trail, your heart really gets to thumping, and you have the prospects of at least a glimpse of ole Mr. Grouse. But just as often your hopes are dashed...

5. ...and this becomes the ending to the story of the point.:banghead::crying:

Garry, the little VHE 20 I carried in the UP has 26" barrels--cut from 28, and the PH 16 I shot also had 26" --CUT FROM 28. I have a VH 20 26" cyl/M and a DHE 16 26" cyl/M, per factory specs.
Great pictures BTW!

Harold, that's a dandy arsenal of brush guns!

Garry, that's a Dandy Bernard CH!!





.