Maine Grouse Hunting

[John D.]

Hi Dean and Edgar - and all...

Yep, Dean - the mossy woods are incredible. It's almost like you don't dare step on the forest floor given that you'll disturb the moss and leave a footprint. It's as pristine a place as you will ever see...

Edgar - where I'm staying and where I'm hunting are two different places - so, I'm guessing Jen and I have driven past your place on Lily Bay Road at least a dozen times - maybe more... I did go to the local spot down by Big Wilson Stream and Wilson Pond - but, it was too crowded with two trucks parked along Outer Pleasant after the power line cut..? So , Jen and I and the dogs hunted up more by Burnham Pond and Little Indian Pond (Little Indian you can get lost getting to - unless a local shows you the secret )

Anyway - today was an outstanding finale to the week. I snowed last evening - just enough to let you know winter is about to arrive hard. We left the cabin as the sun rose and headed out with the mercury hovering at a mild 21F. We just arrived home a few minutes ago (just after 3PM) as the sun is headed down behind the mountains...

But today? Was a day which paints memories in the mind as to why we do all this - the Parker thing. The hunting thing. The dog thing. Crisp mornings, the quiet of the forest, new snow - all set the stage. A fine old double just "feels right" as well - or moreso - is "just right"...

Can't wait until next year - and was reminded of that on the way out of one of the timber areas as we left the final hunting spot today.... Why do I say that???

We were the only people in that area today - as out tire tracks and footprints were the only ones in the snow from our entry early in the AM. On the way out - a Grouse strutted across the road not 20 feet in front of the jeep. It didn't run. It didn't take flight. It "strutted" right across the road.

I stopped the jeep and just watched as it meandered into the tickets on the other side of the road - and I muttered to mostly myself - "I'll see you next year".

Being up here is just sort'a like that....

Magical.

John

Here are a few pictures from today - where we hunted without another living sole around for miles....

[edgarspencer]

Well guys, I am not as familiar with the area as you all probably are. My wife Julie, and I have been married only 9 years. (My 2nd marriage) but we dated for 6 years before we decided to stop living in sin. I started going up there in '96, when both her dad and brother were still alive. Warren was a real sport, and it's easy to understand why he moved back there when he retired. A real four season guy. I have done my share of exploring the lower Moosehead area, as well as lots of time off-roading in the Allegash. We pulled off the Lilly Bay Road somewhere around First Roach Pond, and told my son to take the wheel. He was 13 then, and we spent the next 3 hrs hanging on while he got the feel of driving. We've dangled a line in just about every spot bigger than a puddle, cooked on the beach what we caught and generally soaked as much in as we could. I set my parking brake years ago, but my son flies every day, and has since high school. He is as comfortable is a 185 as he is in the right seat of an HC-130. He loves floats. We discovered a birdie spot off the Scammon Road one day while picking blueberries. I see them in the road pretty much all the time, but unlike the locals, I still won't take a shot unless they're on the wing.
Dean, I called Julie's uncle a few minutes ago to ask if he knew Pete Grass, though I don't. He said "sounds familiar" but says Russell Ryder, over in the Junction, now does the towing.