Marc,
Late season was a bit better than earlier with regard to birds located. Still, it was a pretty poor season. The late season birds were holding well for the dogs but ran off and flushed or flushed from trees. Spooky, old birds are tough.
I will relate this story though as it has to do with the cold. It was a snowy, windy, and cold day. I don't remember the temperature but it was darned cold - so cold I had to wear heavy gloves to keep my hands functioning. Both setters went on point in an old apple orchard with lots of multi-flora rose on the ground. The dogs on point on the opposite side of a barbed wire fence about 20 yards distant. I walked up to the fence and made a ruckus to get the bird to fly to no avail. Anybody that has hunted grouse knows what will happen if you try and cross the fence. Well, cross I did and still no flush. I walked to within 10 yards of the dogs thinking this may be an unproductive point when out goes the bird in the relative open no less. An easy shot for grouse - as easy as they come. I thumbed the safety while keeping my eye on the bird, then pushed it again and again without getting it off. My heavily gloved thumb just sliding over the top. I had no choice but to watch a beautiful bird, in what seemed like lazy flight, just sail away, a nice full fan signalling his departure. Damn cold! Yea, the dogs looked at me like, you gotta be kidding. Well, that's late season grouse in the cold. Good for a long, hard laugh.
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