A few days ago, I hunted in the North Maine Woods with a guide and his two English Setters. It was an off-year for Ruffed Grouse, but I did get a few very good opportunities on them, mainly due to my guide’s skill in setting up the shot.
It was the Woodcock shooting that was a pleasant surprise, and is aberrational for those environs, according to the regulars up there.
The cover we found the Woodcock in was very dense (and curiously evergreen). Thus, I got very few good chances for the many flushes.
Most of my past hunting has been without a dog and I have rarely put Woodcock up. So, it was a new experience for me when “Archie” pointed 14 birds in 1 ½ hours, late in the final day of a three-day hunt -- intensive sport; great aerobic exercise and lasting mental images.
Dean: we did meet a trapper working his line in those woods last week.
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"First off I scoured the Internet and this seems to be the place to be!” — Chad Whittenburg, 5-12-19
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