A Red Letter Day

[Cold Spring]

I’m calling this a Red Letter Day but its 24 hour period actually stretched over two days.

A friend and I hunted the PA mountains last week (northwest of Hausmann's) and just couldn't find the birds. Only one random/wild bird all day.

Back up to that area on Wednesday and solo hunted late afternoon, stayed overnight at the cabin, and hit it again for about 5 hours Thursday in some light rain on and off. It was quiet walking and I hunted four big coverts between the two days, limiting out by 3 pm. This is walk up hunting on old woods roads and century-old RR beds. Both Foxes are 20-bores, a Utica Sterly and a New Britain XE Special. I took the Sterly because rain was predicted but both guns got caught in passing showers. That XE has proven to be very lucky gun and she took three of the four birds. Check out the second bird from the right that has a reddish ruff, only the second one I’ve taken in my haunts here in northern PA. The two birds I cropped both had 100% buds from twigs ..... no berries, nuts, ferns or pieces of green leaves. That grouse and the one on the far left are now in freezer for a “Fox gets the Game” hanging mount for my room.

Cell phone pic, not the best

[C.O.B.]

congrats Frank. When you say walk up hunting does that imply you aren't hunting with a dog?

[OH Osthaus]

a great day to be out in the Endless Mountains Frank

that red ruff also looks like a big bird, did you measure the fan?

[Dean Romig]

That one looks like a big female.






.

[Cold Spring]

Dean, the big reddish ruff bird has a full band on the tail; it's cut off in this pic. Rick, no I didn't measure the fan and the bird is in the freezer now along with the other one. Rich, yes this is walk-up hunting, no dog. I have a system for flat areas that was shared with me in confidence by my mentor Goldie when I was a teenager and it helps to keep birds from getting spooked when walking up on them. If Goldie appears in a dream and releases me from my promise I'll post it some day.

But when hunting along the old RR beds and timber roads on the side hills here in the Endless Mountains, imagine yourself sneaking along the uphill edge and looping to look for birds on the downhill side, like every 20 yards or so. These beds have grown up a lot since this pic was taken in that general area. But the beds were made of cinders, mine tailings, rocks etc and that tends to keep it in weeds and rough brush rather than trees.

[Alfred Greeson]

Thanks for the great post. I don't have a dog and have read everything I could find about how to do walk up without one. Sounds like you know the trick. Driving up your direction with only a day or two to hunt still looks like a good possibility.