Back from a Month in Northern NH
 

Enjoy reading the posts and seeing the photos describing member’s bird hunting experiences from around the country. Just returned home from spending almost the entire month of October in northern NH behind 2 Griffs. Have hunted there for over forty years. But before I retired it was a week up there if I was lucky and the other three weeks at my work dreaming of being there. I feel so lucky to have that much time afield now. On a rainy day I don’t feel compelled to hunt but rather give the “dogs” a rest day- sometimes.
Our grouse numbers were down this year or I guess I should say they weren’t as “up” as they had been for the past several years. Still, we found decent numbers. The woodcock numbers were definitely up for us and that was especially fun. We hunt along streams mostly and the pups were rewarded with a number of challenging water retrieves.
Photo 1- 3 year old “Arcas” with a grouse he pointed;
Photo 2- “Arcas” making a water retrieve of a woodcock below a beaver dam;
Photo 3- 8 year old “Gunny” keeping a close eye on a woodcock at the “Bikini” covert.

Okay inquiring minds want to know how that covert got it’s name…





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Oh God that's a long story and I mean story...but here's the short version. I have shared a hunting cabin in October with 4 other buddies for years. 4 of the 5 of us are retired. The covert used to have another name but one day, when I wasn't there (of course), the other 4 returned to camp after doing quite well there (bird-wise). They claimed that when they arrived to hunt they got out of the truck and went to go pee in the bushes (something old hunters have to do) when suddenly they heard giggling and three female 20 somethings wandered up from a deep pool in the stream where they had been swimming on an unusually warm October afternoon. They each wore very cute, and allegedly "tiny" bikinis the total sum of fabric which would not have made an extra small bird hunting vest...
I'm pretty certain that the guys who had heart conditions were quickly grabbing for their medications and checking their pacemaker batteries...
The veracity of this tale is questionable but I do know that every time we drive that forest road and pass that stream those guys are craning their necks out the windows.
And since that day it has always been referred to as the bikini covert.
BTW- my friend Larry, who's 80, took 2 woodcock out of there a few days ago, courtesy of some nice points by Gunny and Arcas. And yes, Larry described the bikini scene in detail AGAIN for me...

Thanks Chris. That’s about in line with what I was hoping for.





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Chris, long or short version, that's a great story. I'll bet there's some winking going on in its telling.

Gorgeous dogs!! I'm sure you know you're blessed.