We went 11 miles yesterday, hitting young aspen, pine thickets, swamp edges, and spruce plantations. The sun was out for the first time since we've been here, and some of the south facing slopes were snow free. I thought I might find a bird or two sunning and looking for "salad" -- nothing! In 5-plus hours of hunting, we moved three grouse -- two only heard -- with no shots. After we got home I got pretty sick with some sort of intestinal bug. Not one of my best days. I think we'll take the morning off and regroup. We have had some of the least productive days in my 33 years of hunting here. We are not even seeing many tracks in the snow, at least grouse tracks. The wolves are on the move and we encounter fresh sign daily. There are some big ones roaming the Northwoods.
Reports from hunters before us were that the bird numbers were decent, so I can only speculate that they are sequestering themselves back in the thickest, protective cover. It was 13 degrees this morning with a stiff breeze, but tomorrow is forecast to be in the low 40s. Maybe the birds will move around more. Hope springs eternal in a hunter. I'm encouraged to read that Harold is finding birds and getting chances. I hope Bruce has better luck than we've had so far.
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"Doubtless the good Lord could have made a better game bird than bobwhite, and better country to hunt him in...but equally doubtless, he never did." -- Guy de la Valdene (from A Handful of Feathers )
"'I promise you,' he said, 'on my word of honor, I won't die on the opening of the bird season.'" -- Robert Ruark (from The Old Man and the Boy)
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