Grouse season is something of a mess here in the Kentucky/Indiana area this year. Grouse and woodcock seasons have traditionally (as I remember) opened on October 1st in Indiana, with Kentucky's season opening shortly thereafter. Well, Indiana's DNR reportedly did a total of 12 roadside drumming surveys and heard no grouse, so are prepared to declare the bird extinct and have suspended the season indefinitely. Woodcock will open on the 15th, which should be fine with October's full moon occurring on the 27th, I believe. I have a number of excellent areas within thirty miles of home and had splendid luck last year.
Kentucky's seasons both open November 1st with grouse hunting suspended between the 13th and 16th for the modern gun deer season. Apparently, one can hunt woodcock right through this period. In Kentucky, our grouse zone covers the eastern third of the state with any of the nearest opportunities being about 100 miles from my house. I'm hoping gas prices remain somewhat low because there's going to be lots of driving this fall. I hope we all have some excellent days afield.
My primary grouse and woodcock gun is this old Parker Trojan 16 ga. built on the #1 frame. It's suffered at the hands of previous owners, as you'll note by the beavertail forend, replacement buttstock, buffed receiver, and so on. Still, I don't think money could buy the gun. I've often said that a week spent with H&H or Purdey could not produce a shotgun that fit me any better. It's one of those magical guns in that I have no recollection of sight picture, or even an awareness the gun was ever present and shouldered beyond the initial lifting of it.
