North to the Border Line

[Blue Collar]

Sure sorry to hear about Triple. Seems like, when you take a dog afield, something always arises that needs emergency medical attention. The cover and the firearms seem outstanding. Good luck and safe travels.

[Dean Romig]

Great pictures Bruce! I had no idea that Pine Ridge was that big.

Oh, by the way, I want that grouse lamp - what a beauty!

[Mills]

Great photos!

[Richard Flanders]

Bruce and I had a good day and definitely worked for our birds here today at Pineridge. The hunting is on a myriad of public and some private land around the area. More woodcock than grouse this year- 13 woodcock and 6 grouse flushed today. The mossy pine forest in pic 2 was an unlogged surreal bit of forest that is drastically different than the surrounding forest that has been logged 3-4 times over the years. I was shooting my inherited VHE20 yesterday - I've been shooting it for 40 yrs this year - and the 24" PHE16 today. The PHE is a great pointing gun for me and with no choke is deadly for close shots on woodcock. This is the first time I've shot RST shells. The lightly loaded 20's of 1125 fps are absolutely perfect for this kind of shooting. I can now see why everyone likes them so much.

[charlie cleveland]

mighty nice..them short barrels are the thing for close work..shoot one for me... charlie

[Blue Collar]

RF, it is good to see you getting a bead on some of that game. BD is such a game hog! ;>)

[Bruce Day]

More grouse and woodcock.

More great food, wine and fun.

So, here's some photos. Dick shot his first ruffed grouse and had a song written about him, plus a toast of Famous Grouse whisky. Tom Wooden ate two deserts. Charlie danced with all the girls.

Dick brought a Fox shotgun as backup.

Some have asked about Triple. She worked well today and was holding grouse and woodcock, but we were still picking quills out.....mouth, legs, she got hit hard. She was certainly more subdued today.

We are staying in the Parker cabin.....see the inside photos.

[Blue Collar]

BD and so it goes.... And how appropriate that the "Parker Cabin" has artwork on the walls of squirrels and nuts?

Your documentation of this adventure allows those of us at home sitting by the fire on this chilly morning to enjoy it vicariously. Thanks, green with envy.

[Bill Murphy]

I was beginning to doubt your choice of dogs, but then I saw the picture of the beautiful Wirehair. You guys can't be all bad. Whose pup is the Wirehair or Drat?

[Bruce Day]

A bittersweet last day. Had a wonderful time with great people. I can't recommend Pine Ridge Grouse Camp highly enough. Run by PGCA'ers, its a first class operation.

So a few photos of the last day and evening. Triple got into her second porcupine.....it may have registered this time. I sent Mr Porky to porky heaven with Rich's 16ga, then after holding Triple down , strapping her mouth open and pulling out each quill, we walked all the dogs up to the dead porcupine on a lead. If they showed any interest in it, they got the E collar on fry power. This time, she wouldn't go near it, and wouldn't even look at it except a sideward stink eye look. Rich took a photo of a mouthful of quills. If that had been me, I would have been down and out, but pull the quills, and a dog is raring to go again. Amazing.

The whisker faced dog in a previous post is a Drathaar.....my first experience with any of those whisker breeds, and I can see where they would appeal to many.

So a fellow had a birthday at Havel's, complete with cake and candles, a crown and throne.

Then Nancy Whitehead took pictures of the Parker gang which she will develop with sepia tones to look like a turn of the century hunt camp photo. What a talent.

So in the past I have said I only go ruffed grouse hunting every five years or so to remind me why I don't go ruffed grouse hunting every year, but this time, we had decent bird opportunities and a wonderful time up north and at Pine Ridge......so we already set a date for next year.