Back at Cabin #6 Somewhere in the Northwoods
 

I've been reading the threads of Harold, Shawn, and Dean with great interest. This precious time in our grouse woods and prairies is the focus of the entire year. Elaine and I are ending our first week in Cabin #6 in Northern Minnesota, our 34th year of coming here.

Like the weather Harold has experienced, we had gorgeous -- but too warm -- days to begin our trip. We have been finding birds when we hit the good cover, and the dogs, especially Aspen, who is going into his 3rd year, are having their chances.

We've been revisiting our tried and true coverts, but also searching out new spots this year. Some have proven to be keepers, while others have provided a good walk through poor cover. When I look at my shooting journal, I note that my flush counts reflect a good year, if my shooting skills don't reflect well on me. The first day I made some good shots and was feeling pretty smug, but Ole Mr. Grouse put me in my place pretty quickly. Such is grouse hunting.

When you've been coming to a place as long as we have, you can't help but reflect on the effects of time. On one particularly beautiful evening as we walked out of the woods, the time when your bones ache from the day's miles, but you're fulfilled with the splendor of the hunt, I thought about this place over the course of the 30-plus years we've been tramping its swamps and sand hills. The clean, balsam-scented air was the same, the aspen glowing in the afternoon sun were the same, as was the large rising Woodcock Moon. I was the thing that had changed, hopefully for the better in my appreciation of this place. Yes, I have some miles on me and can't bust the brush like I used to, but I think I appreciate things all the more for the years of experience. I know that others of you, long in the tooth as am I, will understand that the hunt is about so much more than shooting (in my case "at") birds.

Good hunting to all!

Key to the photos:

1. The first afternoon, hot, but gorgeous, suckered me into thinking I was a good shot. Here is my third bird (from my third shot) of the only hour we hunted this day, taken with my 26 inch 1904 vintage DH 16. I'm glad that Reggie and Randy have not discovered the delights of the Parker 26 inch barreled guns.:) We'll break out another 1904 gun next week to see if we can blood it in good fashion. Stay tuned.

2. Elaine and I have some coverts we revisit just to see old friends, like this sentinel virgin pine. I wonder often what transpired for this regal tree to have been left by the loggers.

3. I like photos of points. What hunter owned by a pointing dog doesn't? Photos of points are hard to come by in the thick grouse woods, but this one seems to sum up much of the experience -- cover so thick it's hard to maneuver through it, much less get a shot off.

4. I often think of the gentleman -- and I know he must have been one -- who ordered this Parker back in 1904. I can't thank him enough.

5. The Huntmaster (Mistress?), Elaine, without whom none of this happens. She plots the course with her map reading (now done electronically -- when we can get a signal), and she is the best, darned "kennel boy" this side of the Mississippi (the source of which is not too terribly far from here). I am blessed to have the best hunting partner.

Excellent as always Garry. Wonderful writing and photos! I happen to have two 26” guns and I can’t find a thing lacking with either! Enjoy the uplands and your upland Parkers!

Beautiful photos and words. I was lucky enough to put up 9 grouse yesterday in upstate NY, but with all the leave saw only one. Walked for 4 hours and a 26" 16VH on an 0 frame is quite the gun to carry. Without birds it's just a joy to carry. I find the 26" barrel perfect for grouse and woodcock so I'm with you on that one.

Garry,
I really look forward to your Minnesota trip and pictures, we are both so lucky to have "dog loving wives". Going 3 for 3 is quite a feat in itself, that should get a star next to the days hunting in your journal:) Our weather here today is almost perfect, cloudy skies, just a hint of a breeze, and temps in mid 40's. We took cash out today, one of my wifes spots, and sure enough cash found grouse. I am feeling pretty spry this morning, so I might take him out again for a short hunt. Please keep the pictures coming, all you guys that post pictures in here is just such a joy for my wife and I to look at.

Gary: Nice work.... The pics are great. Looks like the short barrel 16 works great for you. I am going to give my 26" Lefever a chance when the woodcock finally get here if I can walk a bit.

Thanks for the comments. We have pretty poor internet connections, so I'm slow to post.

We finished up week one of our trip with some of the most beautiful weather we've had in years. Our first days here were 40+ degrees warmer than last year's snowy-cold deep freeze. Bird numbers are good. Checking my notes, we had a flush rate of about 3.5 birds/hour. When you consider that we spent time searching out new coverts (which just as often turned out to be poor), the flush rates don't quite reveal a clear picture of the bird numbers. Teasing out the good cover coverts results in a flush rate of over 7 birds/hour. When you consider that we walk in on a trail and then walk it back out, it makes the rate even higher if you don't count the cover you just hunted. In any event, I'm happy with 3.5 flushes/hour.

This coming week promises at least one day of rain, and shifting temperatures. We took one day off last week to try to limber up my bad back -- I'm channeling Ed Norman, I guess -- and sore legs, and will look forward to a "rain day" this coming week. The trip is about all of the experiences, and I've come to appreciate the time in the Cabin with the dogs and our excursions into the local towns as much as the actual hunting (well, almost as much).

A new gun will start the week -- need I say it will be a Parker -- and we have plans to revisit some coverts we've not seen in a while. There has been a great deal of new clearcutting in the area, a good sign for the future. Elaine and I are pondering if we'll be still able to tramp the bush when those new cuts are prime. I'm planning on it, but I never take our trips for granted and try to treat each day as the jewel it is, here with Elaine and the dogs in Cabin #6.

I hope everyone's season is starting off well.

Key to the photos:

1. One of the many marvelous things about rural America is the chance to see what her citizens are up to away from urban sprawl and clutter. We often stumble upon "country artists" far from the nearest gallery. We were fortunate enough to catch the artist here as he picked up his mail. We had a nice chat with the retired welder who lives back in the woods, enjoying life. We discussed the deer herd, the weather, out-of-state hunters...but not politics(!). Sometimes I feel like we've engaged in a civil war -- urban v. rural -- for many years. Those of us who are able to live in the country have a different point of view often times, and you seldom see it portrayed in popular media.

2. There's a lake just up from the Cabin that holds some special appeal to swans, and this year we have seen more than ever before. What you see here is only about a fifth of what the lake held this day. Quite a sight.

3. Our last hunt on Saturday was on a trail we'd not visited in many years. It is usually occupied by duck hunters, as it ends at a lake with good shore access. We did not flush many birds, but did have a great point by Aspen from which the DH did its job. When we got to the lake, we found a duck shack replete with all the trimmings -- boats, decoys, etc. I'm standing here at the hunters' landing. It kind of makes a person want to be a duck hunter to be able to hunt a place like this.

4. There's a Gordon Setter on point here, if you can see him. This bird flushed too far out and offered no shot. The birds have really learned to run as I'm sure all grouse hunters know, and getting to them in the thick cover is difficult. Just as it should be.

5. There's a magical moment after a hard frost when the Aspen drop their golden leaves. Soon they will turn brown, but for a short time, the streets of heaven, at least heaven for grouse hunters, are paved with gold.

Very cool, headed to MN next year for a walleye & grouse trip. Will be my first attempt at grouse. :-)

Garry,
Simply marvelous as always. Joe from MO, I wish you the best on your grouse adventures. I hope you get at least one somewhat clear shot:) I have decided that our grouse around here must be 20 years old, they know every trick in the book, it doesn't matter if its one or 2 hunters, they are so elusive. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Hey, Pat, I assume you have your destination already chosen, but if not, let me know and I can tell you about the area we hunt. We've been to other spots in MN as well. Not sure when you are going, but if possible we could meet while you are here. I don't have any experience on the fishing around, but years back, my parents came with us and hired a guide to take them for walleye. I believe they fished Island Lake near Northome, but there are lots of lakes that have good fishing.

If you've not been to the North Woods, you are in for a treat. I would recommend reading Gordon MacQuarrie before you go -- not for how-to tips, but to get a real sense of the North Country. There are some wonderful recordings (by a great reader!) of some MacQuarrie stories. Listen on the drive up and you will be all primed for the North Woods.:)

Ed, not to start a rumor:whistle: but I heard from a friend of a reliable source that your DNR trapped grouse from the area we hunt and released them in your coverts. So, your birds are the same strain we hunt here. Sorry, but they all have PhD.s in Escapeology.:crying:

Blooded my CHE Bernard 16 over a point by Alder from which 5 grouse erupted. I've had this gun for several years and waited until this trip to bring it out of the safe. It just seemed the proper time to use it. Call me crazy, but things have to be just right for a special gun. Not by chance, it was built the same year as the DH 16 I've been using on this trip. There's a story there...

Dang Garry you keep pulling those nice graded Parkers out your safe! Now I know why there aren't any nice ones to be found, you have them all!

McQuarrie is my favorite outdoor writer by far!

some days I call the grouse and woodcock around here "houdini" birds. Today I was so excited to get to run cash around 2 p.m. that I forgot my hand held g.p.s. I didn't realize it until I started to let cash out of car. I put him back in, drove to a long straight 2 track area and just let him quarter back and forth across the 2 track. 5 minutes in his bell quit, luckily I remembered the general area the bell quit. 3 minutes later I found him and a woodcock flushed, another houdini flush into the thickest stuff you can imagine. Cash had 4 points, one he stayed on point for 15 minutes until I found him, another houdini woodcock. I won't do that again, I will go back and get my handheld. I tried to keep him within 20 yards, every time he ranged out a little further, he seemed to go on point. Now I know what it must of been like many years ago before all the beepers and hand helds. My buddies are not finding many woodcock, so both guys I talked to today both were quite happy about cash finding woodcock.

All I use on Grace is a bell. Sure, she goes out a bit too far into the thick stuff from time to time but the bell tells me where she is or was when the bell went silent.





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I have posted numerous times in the past (when I had a good English setter) about the use of bells vs. electronic "beeper" collars. I hate the damned things! They remind me of a trash truck backing up in the woods! The bell is sweet music by comparison and if nothing else it teaches you to really pay attention and listen in the woods.

Great pics, Garry. Thanks.

Is that sentinel pine really virgin growth? If it is it must be existing in some really poor soil.

Best, Stan

Stan, these scattered giants are indeed considered virgin growth, and are probably in the 300-400 year old range. The native forests of Northern Minnesota were comprised of White and Red Pine, part of the successional growth over the area after its most recent glacier receded. Over a long period of time the glacial till and moraines eventually produced these pine forests. The area is comprised of sand hills and bogs/swamps, and it supports a wide variety of plant life. I'm sure that the soil is very acidic, so no matter how rich, it probably does not allow good uptake of minerals by plants, but it obviously suits the pines well enough.

Coincidently, there is a spot not too far from where we stay, call the Lost Forty, where there is a small contiguous stand of virgin pine. It seems that through some error by surveyors, the land was never plotted for harvest, and so was never logged. It's a really unique area (https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/chip...a/?recid=26672), a kind of time capsule for what the forest looked like before the loggers took all the pine back in the 19th Century.

If you're thinking that pine does not look very large, the picture does not do it justice. These are massive trees. As a tree farmer, I'm always drawn to trees wherever we hunt, and we always photograph them when we come across them. If we make it to the Lost Forty area again this year, we'll snap a few photos and post them.

Here's a virgin pine that has died not too long ago. Again, I'm not sure the photo captures its size well, but you get some idea of what these behemoths looked like when the loggers arrived.

We got a late start yesterday, and found a new-to-us spot that looks to have potential. The wind blew a gale, making it hard to track the dogs, and making the birds hunker down. Aspen had several grouse points, but we had no chances from those. He did find one, lone woodcock, and the CHE did its job. I forgot to mention that this gun is an 0 frame 16, and it weighs right at 6 lbs. (in perfect agreement with the research letter). It's about a pound lighter than the DH (and has two inches more on the barrels). At this stage of our trip, it's nice to carry a bit less weight. We are all dragging at this point, and will take a "rain day" off today.

If I were a woodcock... or even a grouse for that matter, That is the gun I would love to fold to and pose with!!





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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!!





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Thanks for the replies!

Today is our last day. Sunday we were snowed out, although there was little accumulation. Yesterday dawned with majestic clouds and sun. I had saved a good spot for end of day and as we pulled up, the skies let loose. Heavy snow squalls made seeing the road back to the Cabin difficult. Just at sunset, the snow stopped -- of course. Not sure what today will hold, but this has been a great trip. Aspen made lots of progress, I blooded a new-to-me Parker, and even if my chances were few, I shot fair (for me, at least) and enjoyed the scenery and weather -- in all its iterations.

Photos:

1. A nice shot by Elaine that shows how our coverts evolve. To the right was last year a mature aspen forest. Those whips will be great cover in a few years. It's too bad that urban folks can't get the fact that a forest is a living thing, that human hands have shaped most of our forests, that tree loss is at times healthy for the ecosystem, and that beauty is not just what shows up on calendars and Disney.

2. We hunted from off this road earlier in our trip, and saved a second visit for yesterday. When we pulled up, this is what we found. Those are pine logs, not aspen, but this covert will need a few years to get back its potential. Thankfully, aspen grow fast. We "older folks" don't have time to wait on oaks to regenerate.

3. You'd think that in this cover, there would be a happy ending for the hunter...but, like so many times this trip, I had no shot from this sparse cover. I think the birds know how to foil me.:banghead:

4. After negotiating the road back to the Cabin in a driving snow squall, the skies cleared about 5 minutes before sunset. From the Cabin window the clouds to the south looked like mountains. Hopefully today will bring better hunting conditions.

Good luck Garry! Have a safe trip home. Great to see you the end of September.

Thanks, Jeff! Elaine and I passed by the Hoot-N-Holler several times, but didn't see your vehicle. Maybe next year??

(PS Am enjoying the books -- thanks again! Interesting reading about places we hunt in Southern Iowa.)

Gary: Is that stack of wood "short wood" other wise known as pulp cut ?

What we saw was cut longer than I generally see for pulp, and the diameter of the logs would definitely produce good boards. They were being stacked "long ways" on the hauling truck, whereas pulpwood is stacked crossways. I believe they were in the 10-12 foot range -- pretty sure they were for lumber, not pulp. There was some beautiful wood coming from this area. This stack was one of 5 we saw (similar size), and they were still cutting. We don't see much pine cutting, except for thinning. I love watching the cutting. Those big machines are awesome.

On a related topic, there's a pressure treating facility (wood preservative) not too far away from here. There are some very impressive stacks of treated wood of all kinds in their yard.

That is odd. There is a newsprint mill across the river from our county that has been producing newsprint for about 50 years I think. I think they may have expanded their products to other paper products due to the decline in newsprint.

But all my life I have seen logging trucks hauling "pulp wood" to the mill and they were always full length logs. The butt ends are always near the cab of the truck with the long slender tops trailing off the end of the trailer.

I've seen that method, too, Reggie. Here they have these really impressive machines that cut the logs to length in the woods. The skidder brings them in and this machine aligns them, cuts them, and then stacks them. Amazing to watch the skilled workers.

We are headed home today, a two day drive. Yesterday was, for me, a perfect ending to a wonderful trip. Because of the snow on the ground and the blustery conditions that greeted us in the morning, I decided to wait until noon to begin our hunt, thinking the birds would have time to move out of the cover of conifers to feed after the snow squalls of the day before. Things started the way they'd gone for us much of the preceding week -- flushes, but no chances. We had hunted through a cut and found ourselves on a trail that we had hunted years before. The cover was older now and it did not look good to me. Elaine insisted we hunt it, telling me there were birds ahead. I half-heartedly gave in...and within 50 yards Aspen locked up in a small opening of ferns. The bird tried to sneak out around the only spruce in the area, but the CHE 20, my third Parker used on the trip, took it just in time. Farther down the trail Aspen again pointed, this time on a hillside of frost-singed ferns. For one brief second, I thought I was back in Missouri hunting Bobs, when a covey of 5 grouse got up in unison. It's rare that grouse get up at the same time, at least in numbers like that. There's usually a straggler or two. I managed to keep some composure and hit a bird that fluttered off. I took a line on the bird, brought in Aspen to "hunt dead," and watched with pride as my "young man" brought the bird to hand. Moral of the story: listen to your wife.

It started to snow just then, so we worked out way back to the truck and then to the warmth of the Cabin. Although we did not kill lots of birds (not a goal of mine), we had good flush rates, great dog work for a pup working towards his PhD., and had the privilege to use 3 wonderful Parker small bores.

Our flush rate for the 16 days was just over 3.5 birds/hour, and my shooting was just a smidgen over 50% (pretty good for me on grouse). We had some incredibly beautiful weather, and managed to walk quite a few miles in some stunning cover.

We've already made our reservations for next October for Cabin #6.

Photos:

1. Elaine and I smiled a good deal watching Aspen on this trip. He matured right before our eyes, and was not the same dog at the end of the trip that we saw at the beginning. And he had fun -- you could see it in his every move. It's hard not to take on some of the joy of your pup.

2. I've never had a brood/covey of grouse get up all at the same time like quail, but on this hillside of dead ferns, I experienced something for the first time. I'm not sure just how I was able to hit one bird when they rocketed out of the ferns. I'd say good shooting, but good luck would be more accurate. The icing on the cake was Aspen's find and delivery. He hates to stop and pose (as do I), always wanting to get going after more birds.

3. This little 1918 CHE 20 is a delight to shoot and carry, and probably fits me -- and my idea of a bird gun -- as well as any gun I have. I'm grateful to its previous caretaker for letting it go. (wink-wink)

4. Aspen's birds, as he clearly lets us know. The coloration on these birds was incredible. The (what I call) mid-phase color, and red-orange are not often encountered. I would like to have seen the color on the other birds in that brood.

Just outstanding! Thanks for once again sharing your upland adventures.

Garry, 3 1/2 flushes per hour is great, and you have to do some legwork for that. I averaged 4/hr--not including woodcock. My shooting percentage was not as good as yours, but I shoot alot. I like/do well in older clearcuts, and the shooting is generally a little easier. Found an old cut last Saturday with the logging road grown up waist high in grass and berry cane. Shot 3 birds over Doodle in less than an hour. I am still exhausted from 16 straight long days in the woods, but if the weather holds out will try to go back after their deer season.