2012 Grouse Season
 

Our grouse season just opened yesterday here in Idaho. Here's my first grouse of 2012. Its also my first bird ever with a damascus gun. Those RST ultra light 3/4 ounce loads keep the wingshooting sporty with that old D grade. I flushed enough birds today to restore my hope of a decent hatch even though we had a terribly long, wet and cold spring. Sorry the bird looks a bit rough. My two young labs are overly competitive and a tug of war contest almost occurred. Anyone else blessed with an early grouse opener with new photos to share?

You're KILLIN' me Justin... :crying:

Our season opens Sept 15th. I have more than one gun that needs to be bloodied but Gunner's Parker is first up.

wish all well on the grouse hunts..them young dogs usally areusally a little rough on them feathers and other parts.but lord would not i like to have a young dog and a quail for it to chew on... charlie

After opening my grouse season with a DH's tried and true damascus barrels, I decided to give that new fangled Titanic fluid steel a try. Sure enough, that new hi-tech fluid stuff kills grouse too! Managed to bag 3 young birds this morning, just one shy of a limit. Here's a pic of the DHE with those new fluid steel style barrels and the birds, along with one of my two eager grouse flushers, Luke and Toby, who don't always treat the birds as gently as they should (one came to me sans its head)...Dean, I hope my being blessed with such an early grouse opener isn't too painful to bear, and makes your long anticipated opener all the more enjoyable once it arrives.

Grouse, doves & rattlers? Man, I miss everything:crying:
Just you guys wait until tommorrow. I can't hardly keep my mind on work. Good thing the ain't nothing to do:whistle::whistle:

Justin, good things come to them that wait. It seems like a long time away but for me it really is less than a month at this point. Heck, I can't even decide which 28 to use... :whistle:

Dean your are a girl if you don't kill 1 with the 10 I will even supply 5 shells or how many it takes. No disrespect entended toward girls really like them, but they tend to be a little weaker.

I'm lookin forward to a lot of miles and few birds. But hey I'm getting fat. best ch

Looks tike a ton of fun Justin

My wait is 11 days:) Gunner's Gun gets first point...ok maybe the first day's points, the H&H 20 is next as I have yet to get a bird with this gun:shock: then it's a toss up between two GH damascuss guns a 16 & a 20. This should bring me into the Woodcock flights of October then it's time for the VHE 28 to shine:bowdown:

That's a lot of fine doubles waiting in line for their turn. Don't forget to post the pics. Especially looking forward to seeing Gunner's Parker.

I'll give it a try but only if I can use Dave's gun caddy. The thing weighs 9 lbs and has FULL / FULL chokes (I hope I don't hit anything with it) I'll need all-terrain baloon tires though. I'll be shooting it at SC or 5-Stand at the Vintager's in RI this month.

My early season shooting isn't really panning out very well. Was supposed to have a couple days on the doves and barn pigeons down at home but the rain held me back from going. Goose season opens Thursday in Canada and I'd planned to go but just heard this morning that the birds left for a freshly cut field so we're going to hold off. If this keeps up Quebec is going to be my first shots in anger for the year. That is unless the weather is right and I make a squirrel hunt or two.

DLH

season for them squirls could be open soon...seen about 15 in my dads pecan trees yesterday morning... charlie

It opens here on the 15th I believe, I think I'll go if it's not windy.

DLH

Grouse open's on the 15th up here,Ptarmigan on the 22nd ...after my awful season last year,workplace woe's etc,etc I'm really looking forward to this year and all these photo's have me really excited !

My first shot's this year will most likely be on Coyote,while I tag along next week on a bear hunt with my brother.

Justin if you search for the thread Gunner's Parker you will find the pics of his gun.

OK fellas, I'm just trying to share the wealth here, so don't hold it against me if your grouse season hasn't opened yet. A slow day at the office gave me an opportunity to run the labs again, and a young ruff was felled by an old Parker. Not sure why I missed the other two....was going to say that the sun got in my eyes, but it was over cast...maybe the gun malfunctioned? Nah, its a Parker, so you'd all see through that one...bad shells?--not a chance with RSTs....OK, I'm out of plausible excuses, so if anyone can lend me a good one, I'll promise not to wear it out.

Justin, Justin,Justin.....:shock:
The dog tripped you.:eek:

The snarl of a Mountain Lion caused me to lift my head.
My attention was diverted by the flushing Grizzly.

In truth, last Fall the local game warden stood in my yard and pointed to the very hill side behind my cabin where I shot these grouse and said, "I leg snared and radio collared three grizzlies right there a few years ago". So I do make it a habit to talk loudly to the dogs as we work our way through the brush patches. And you can add wolves to the list of things I must keep watch for, as they are known to kill all dogs that cross their paths. Don't get me started on the wolves; they're why I'm doing so much more bird hunting and almost no elk hunting anymore....oops, there goes my blood pressure again.

Thats why God invented Tequilla:bigbye::bigbye:

Great picture!!!

A true gentleman grouse hunter always leaves some "seed birds". Heck, you can't just shoot 'em all... it just wouldn't be fair.

I can now comfortably inform others that I am a "gentleman" hunter. :) My Saskatchewan gale force winds excuse has worn thin over the years.

Ruffin it again today.....

Used those dangerous old damascus barrels to bag a pair, and missed two others on purpose to leave behind as seed birds (hey, I really like that one!).

This is makin me crazy......:throw:

Me too, so I'm leaving for Utah Sunday
Also Great pic's Justin

Mixed bag on opening week
 

Here's a uniquely "mixed" wild bag on the opening weekend...though I must admit that the 5 point bull has nothing to do with a fine old double...

Well come over to Michigan and hunt with Rich and me... Very easy:rotf: Last week of Oct Rich will be up at his camp and I am trying to make it too unless I have to hunt anothe spot come on up ! Oh sorry you have to shoot those clay things.....:corn: :)

Thanks for the invite Eric. Danny and I decided at 4pm Friday to head to camp. So we threw a bunch of stuff in a bag grabbed 3 box's of shells ,three guns a 12 ,16 and 20 and headed to VT 5 1/2 hours later we rolled up. A fantastic weekend...

We got rained out this weekend but still being in grouse camp, well there is nothing like it, even if you don't see birds....

OK guys Please notice the PGCA ball cap! But don't tell TOOL MAN! However, I did use a Fox in Maine last week. I do have the #2 frame Parkers all set for Mallards this fall
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t.../DSC_0012a.jpg
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t.../IMG_0005a.jpg

O.P. I hat to break the news to you but you can hunt Grouse in a fiels but you can't/won't shoot a Grouse in a field:nono: The clear cut would make a nice place for a deer blind however.

mighty pretty country your in there and love the dog...its not about game or birds the important part is just being there...as you said nothing like being in camp... charlie

No, it's not always about the birds. It's about the memories made; the other things we find in the woods; the people we're with and the good times.

1.) Dave was coming up out of an extremely old cut and found this peavey stuck into this stump just as you see it. How long ago had that woodcutter thrust his peavey into the fresh cut stump and left the woods that day without it. The pits in it go almost through the metal.

2.) Jamie, my brother in law, Danny's huntin' buddy, and Danny on the road back to camp. Dave and I quietly watch and admire those two.

3.) Dave talkin' with COB on Saturday night... "Grouse Camp to Grouse Camp".

4.) These doors open to new beginnings every day. G.T. Simons was the great-grandfather of our benevolent host who we know as Tom Simons... a man who knows no bounds both mentally and physically.

5.) Danny displaying a wonderfully light 12 ga. "Gift Parker".



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nice old peavey Dean, i found one while grouse hunting on a mountain in Pennsylvania many years ago. figured I would pick it up on the way out rather than carry it up and down the hill side, so you know I never saw it again

whats the story on the "gift' Parker?

We really had to persuade Dave to stick it in the game pocket of his vest... he wasn't especially keen on the idea but it now hangs prominently on the wall behind the woodstove.

We'll let Danny tell that one.