Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed Norman
Garry,
We are having similar situations here with the grouse and woodcock. A week ago last saturday, we went on private property about 300 acres, and had quite a day with woodcock in about a 20 year aspen forest. We thought most of the woodcock had gone south. My buddy is walking in open fields with small pine trees and finding grouse and some woodcock where he normally does not find many birds. The birds are not in their normal places so he goes to the most unlikely places and usually finds birds. His dog is ranging out 80 yards or more. I hope you get some better weather, the hunting weather has been almost perfect down here, a little cold but the dogs are running hard. We are not finding as many grouse as we hope for so tomorrow I am hunting more open fields with few trees and see if my luck changes. good luck, Ed
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Thanks, Ed,
This has been the most frustrating weather we've experienced in the time we've been hunting Northern MN. The forecasts are seldom correct, and even the radar seems bewitched (being close to Halloween, maybe?), showing snow when there is none, and not showing it when it's snowing hard.
We have days on our calendar to mark important things. Yesterday was "Pop's Day," the day my father died. We honor him on this day by hunting, since it was Pop who gave me hunting so many years ago when I first served as his squirrel "dog" at age 5. I was still feeling pretty sick from the bug I had the night before, but we went out late yesterday to a special spot we've been saving. Contrary to the forecast (again!), the weather was windy, cloudy, and cold. We flushed one bird in two hours -- no shot. We found fresh tracks, but no birds following them up. Maybe they are in those unexpected places, but it seems like we've tried those, too.
We'll hit the woods again today. I still think as the weather moderates, we'll see more movement and have our chances. I'm glad you've had good conditions.