Do you remember your first grouse over your first dog?
 

My son Doug has worked is butt off training his first dog Roxie. He has put AKC Senior Hunter title on her, trained all summer, hunted her on wild pheasants in SD and ducks in NY. But he really got hooked on grouse hunting and did tons of scouting this summer. Last season he learned cover and started to flush birds but no scores. He stayed with it and made his first kill today in the Tug Hill of NYS. I was so proud of his efforts last year I bought him VH 16ga 26 incher which he bloodied on his first grouse. Good feeling the younger generation is getting hooked on the pull of the outdoors. He's not much of a photographer, I think he was shaking with excitement LOL!

Oh, to be young and have a bird dog. A vicarious experience for all of us older guys, and especially for a proud father.

A moment of pure pride and joy was Gracie’s first grouse when she was only 4 1/2 months old. I winged it and it went under a big brush pile. Gracie literally disappeared under the pile and eventually came out with the grouse still alive. That was seven years ago almost to the day.


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I was hunting my young springer with a friend and his GSP. His dog was moving a grouse towards a river bank. Finally, the grouse couldn't run any further, so he took flight. Doug shot the bird which fell into the river. I sent Abby into the river, and she made the retrieve. Great teamwork

My first hunt over a bird dog (not mine) was back in the 70's I believe it was a wirehaired pointer maybe a griffon? This couple also trained beagles and had gotten me started with beagles so they invited me for a grouse hunt. The couple explained to me that when the dog went on point I would walk up next to the dog and if the bird hadn't flushed by then I should keep walking in front of the dog until the bird flushed or they would tell me what to do next. On his first point that day I got just in front of the dog about 6 or 7 grouse flew up in front of me I took my shot and 2 grouse fell. Patty said to her husband did you see that, Bob replied yep (he was a man of few words) Patty said Ed you shot 2 birds with one shot! I said yep I like to do that, it saves on shells:) Patty told me again, you got 2 birds with one shot, I said yeah I only brought 3 shells with me to get my limit of 5 birds. Finally the man of few words started laughing so hard he unloaded his gun and sat down shaking his head. They were my mentors, I miss them dearly. Fast forward to our brittany Johnny Cash, opening day of our first hunt together cash found 8 grouse and a woodcock, I was floating when I got home, not really believing what happened, twice I could not even shoot I was so engrossed in seeing my dog work. It took about 3 weeks to get my first grouse with cash I finally figured how to get myself into a more open shot when in heavy cover. The grouse literally skyrocketed across a small poplar slashing a left to right shot, I just remember the barrel getting in front of the bird and the bird falling. I had to unload my gun I was so excited, I called cash over and he sniffed at the bird and started hunting again. I will never forget that moment, I remember the exact spot I got that bird, I hunt that slashing often, the trees are now a mile high it seems compared to 3 years ago.

I remember Sherwood's first point on quail. The best was his first true point on woodcock. I have a video of that somewhere

Not the first bird over the first dog but the first over my current setter. He was about 8 months old and out hunting for the first time. A solid point and the retrieve was a circus as he had to run down a cripple.

Cam ran down a cripple for me about 7 years ago. When he grabbed for it all he came up with was a handful of tailfeathers.... I finally went in for the grab. ;)



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