The Judas Grouse

[C.O.B.]

I have just returned from another long weekend at Camp Wiskey hunting Grouse in Michigan's Upper Pennisula with my faithfull companion Crazy Daisy.
In anticipation of an early start Friday I took Thursday off from work as a Mental Health day to get some administrative things done and new tires on the truck, go to the bank, pay some bills all that fun stuff. Needless to say I got a much later start on Friday than I wanted and arrived at camp in time for a wiskey, a cigar and relax a little befor I met fellow PGCA member Harold Pickens for dinner.

Saturday was cool (oh alright it was cold!) and Daisy and I were just putzing along on an old logging road trying to decide where might be a good place to park the truck and start our hunt when a Grouse crossed the road right in front of us. I backed up about 30-40 yards where I could get the truck off the road, and got my gear ready and Daisy wired for sound with her bell and beeper collar. I had marked the spot well and as we approached where I saw the bird cross Daisy went on point....on the opposite side of where the bird went. I tried and tried to get her to cross the road but she was staunch and wasn't moving. After some verbal admonishment a Grouse flushed about twenty yards from her and a Hail Mary shot just spurred him along his way. At the shot the bird I saw cross the road flushed wild.

We had two birds flush in different directions so it wasn't rocket science to hunt one side down and the other back up towards the truck. We didn't see that Grouse or any others on the first leg of our hunt but on the back swing things got interesting.

There is a small creek on this side of the road that wasn't seen as it doesn't cross the road we came in on. An Aspen covered hillside runs along the creek. So I have a creek and a ridge with an Aspen stand that was logged over about 10 years ago right in the middle. Daisy got birdy almost immeditely and locked up near a big Hemlock tree on the ridge. I poked around but nothing flushed...right away. I heard the whirr of wings as three birds flushed from the upper portion of that Hemlock. Once again Daisy was on point this time on the flat between the creek and the ridge. The bird had no place to go. I was using a DHE 20 with 26 inch bbls choked IC/IC which was perfect for the thick cover I was in. I approached Daisy with caution and the gun at the ready, she was solid as a rock not moveing and I just knew that Grouse had to be right under her nose....WRONG! that bird flushed from behind her to the right. A sloppy gun mount was overcome by those wonderfull open chokes as a load of chilled 8's dethroned The King. Daisy made a wonderfull retrieve and as I was dispatching the Grouse she pointed another one which flushed wild. In the space of 300 yards we moved 18 Grouse but most of them were heard not seen as the cover was so thick 10 yards was a long ways and most of the birds flushed another 10-20 yards in front of Daisy. By late afternoon we were both ready to head for camp, a meaningfull refreshment awaited yours truly and a cool drink and dinner for Daisy.

Sunday was colder than Saturday and as I put some heat into the truck I heated up the passenger side for Daisy. We were headed for a friends camp about an hour away north of Crystal Falls and even though the dog box has plenty of straw at 22 degrees it's just cold.

I put the truck into 4 wheel drive as I entered Wendell's gate. The ice cracked and broke as we plodded along the frozen ruts of the camp road all the while my breakfast of sausage, eggs, toast and coffee was being rudly mixed together one vicious rut after another. The 30 minutes it takes to go the 1 1/4 mile was haveing an adverse effect on my digestion and I soon visited the one holer upon arrival. Daisy even headed for the woods immediately upon arrival. BUT we did see a Grouse on the road on the way in.

Wendell has two Brittany's and one will bark treed. I must confess this is a trait I have never seen befor in a bird dog. Being a true Youper he isn't above potting a bird from a tree but he does refrain when I'm along. We headed for a place we hunted befor and put birds up, it's the same cover I shot a report pair from a couple of weeks ago. We wern't gone long and Daisy was on point. It's as if her beeper collar says hey you two Brittany's the birds are here as they rushed in and Grouse were in the air as I fought through the briars and tangles to get to Daisy's point. A late riser paid the price and Nelle one of the Brittany's was on it in an instant.

Our morning hunt moved 10 brids in a couple of hours but there were no more shooting opportunities. The deer blind I'll use has been visited by a bear who tore the door off and used the chair as a chew toy and this needed fixed so we gave the dogs a break had a cup of coffee and tended to repairs.

On the afternoon hunt we headed up the road with the dogs working both sides. Daisy pointed a bird which flused wild and flew across the road. Disbelief flooded my being as I missed with the right barrel but I composed myself with the second although I thought I was behind my target. There wasn't much time for the first shot let alone a second. The sear broke just as the bird put a Hemlock between us but feathers floating on the cold afternoon air revealed a hit. I feared the bird sailed deep into the underbrush but Nelle and Daisy found it at the same time. A short tug of war followed and I feared my prize would be seperated into two halves. Size does matter as Daisy won out but she was loathe to surrender her prize.

In two days over 30 Grouse were flushed, some seen some just the whirr of wings was heard as the bird managed an artfull escape. Three came home with me. While this may not sound like much I shot 5 shells at four birds for the weekend. I met a fellow PGCA member form West Virginia, spent a day with a long time friend and enjoyed good dog work in spectacular country. As the headlights bounced from one rut to the next a single Grouse ran along the road then flew into the woods with his tail fanned as if to say "till next time" . It just doesn't get any better than this.