38 Years of Minnesota Grouse

[Stan Hillis]

Picture no. 6 was a big surprise for me, very unlike anything I could have ever imagined being so far north. Although I'm sure the pine species are different from ours in
GA the cover looks almost exactly like a good bobwhite quail course here!

Thanks for posting them all, and for the excellent narrative.

[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Stan Hillis

Picture no. 6 was a big surprise for me, very unlike anything I could have ever imagined being so far north. Although I'm sure the pine species are different from ours in
GA the cover looks almost exactly like a good bobwhite quail course here!

Thanks for posting them all, and for the excellent narrative.

Stan, this area was once covered almost entirely by pine, mostly white and red. There are now lots of stands of pines planted by both the state and feds. The stand in the photo is such a planting, probably 60-plus years old, and thinned multiple times over the years.

It's interesting now that you bring it up, but in many ways there are similarities between the Northwoods and some parts of the South (not that familiar with your state, but I grew up in coastal Virginia). There are vast stretches of sand, not unlike areas of Virginia where they grow peanuts. Of course Virginia does not have the potholes and bogs, nor the frigid winters, but if you have ever been to the Dismal Swamp in Virginia, there are at least superficial similarities. Very little farming here, and it must take tons of lime to sweeten this sour soil. You should visit some day...and bring that big duck gun of yours (and maybe a .410 to see if a grouse in the popple is as tough a target as a dove over the peanut field).