Opening Weekend
 

It's hard to believe but the opening weekend is just around the corner. grouse season opens tomorrow. the 4th of July seems like yesterday and Memorial day wasn't that long ago. Befor we know it X-Mass will be upon us. Stores are already doing their holiday set ups.

My fellow PGCA members Dave Miles and Eric Eis and myself will be searching the coverts with our trusty four legged companions armed with the best (that we can afford) from Meridian, Ct in search of the King of the Uplands.

The season is upon us. Keep it safe.

Indeed! I will be in the woods by sunrise this Saturday. Now that I have retired for the 2nd time, I will make up for all the nice days I have missed the past few years! Cheers!

You're killin' me...

Our 4-day dove total in Missouri was so large I cannot post it here... man its good to be back in the field (never mind the chiggers).

Grouse opened for me lasr weekend. Downside was I couldn't get out until sunday afternoon. I don't know why but 80 degrees plus and green leaves on the trees just doesn't feel like grouse season.

Oh we moved one barely out of the nest bird. I let it fly on without even shouldering my gun.

Ah, chiggers! Back around 1980, I fell asleep beneath a tree on the bank of a river just outside of Murfreesboro(?) North Carolina and woke up COVERED with little red dots that itched for months! I am glad we don't have them up here.

I have discovered that there are ruffed grouse around the mine I'm working at! There's lots of spruce grouse but I'm sure that no one, the RGS or fish and game knows that they're here.... they do now that I've sent pics to F&G and to Trigg to forward to RGS. If they're here they have to be in a LOT of country between here and Anchorage and Fairbanks.

There was one little fellah struttin his stuff around this female that had so few feathers that he looked like someone had tossed him into a plucking machine for a few seconds then let him loose. Didn't stop him from displaying what he had and getting into the game. Pretty funny to watch.

Here's Jr. struttin his stuff... He likely can barely even fly he has so few feathers!

Spruce grouse are uncommon here. I have taken 3 in the past 30 years! All 3 just sat while I waited to see if they would move so I could identify them. They looked like odd shaped tree stumps! Most people here discard them once they realize what they have shot. I actually like the unique taste of them.

Dean, we will have whiskey too.
I'll be thinking of you as Richard and I are setting in our easy chairs in the evening, tired dogs by are sides, whiskey in one hand and a fine cigar in the other. Hopefully there will be freshly killed grouse hanging from the rafters.

Now you're really killin' me.... :crying: