16 Slam Completed

[Gary Laudermilch]

Harold, I used to have problems with barked shins on my setters. A field trialer suggested it was the bell and I did not believe it. However, I moved the bell from it's own collar, as in your photos, to the e-collar strap and guess what, no more barked shins. I use a Canadian low tone bell which is larger than yours and it rings just fine tight against the dog's neck.

[Harold Pickens]

Thanks Gary, I will give it a try. My bell collars are generally loose so that I can just slip them over their heads. I sure hope that works as I just hate the way those raw shins look--and I'm sure it doesn't feel good either.
Now if we can just fix Betty's tail-- it is a bloody, raw mess unless I wrap duct tape around it before hunting. I have found that duct tape holds up better than anything else. THe male, Shiner, does not have this problem.
How is the grouse hunting in central Pa. this year?

[Mills]

Originally Posted by Rick Losey

Charlie - that is a J P Sauer and Sohn - I would guess it would be one of the last pre-war style made -although it's actually not "Pre" - proofed in April 1944 - I have always wondered about who could have ordered a nice bird gun at that time in Germany's history. And did they ever get to use it while busy ducking air mail from my wife's father's bomber group and shortly after - the tanks from my father's division.

My Dad and I have a JP Sauer 16 gauge that Dad bought from an older friend who was in the war and saved the gun from a burning house while marching through Germany during the war. It is a cool gun with a cool story, but not much fun for a left handed shooter

[Gary Laudermilch]

My oldest setter(13) has no hair on the tip of his tail after years and years of grouse cover. Multiflora rose is tough on a dog. A friend of mine clips the hair on his setter's tail tip, then slips the plastic tube from a 12 ga. shell over the tip fastened with duct tape at the bottom. It solved his problem with a bloody tail.

At least in my part of northcentral PA the grouse hunting last year was the worst I have ever experienced in many decades of chasing birds. This year is slightly better but still far from good. Only six years ago when my middle dog was a pup I had 154 grouse points with over 300 flushes. This year I have only 22 points and 26 flushes total thus far. It can only get better. Cannot get much worse. Waiting for deer season to end so we can get back to bustin' brush.

[Harold Pickens]

Gary, I hope it doesnt get worse, but here in the northern panhandle of WV and across the river in Ohio where I do the bulk of my hunting, grouse are now a rare find. Up until 2000, i was still flushing 20-25 /day. Now it is hard to get 1 flush /day in what seems to be good habitat. I shot my first grouse
in Ohio since 2009 last year only because I felt my old setter deservred it.
Oh, I still hunt my dogs==I just dont shoot at the few birds we move. That is why you see so many pictures of pheasants. my club turned loose 140 in late October, and I am one of the few who has bird dogs. I am a marathon running, tennis playing fool, who hunts early until late, but you cant shoot what isnt there.

[Brush Buster]

Harold ,I agree with you ,You can't shoot what isn't there ! In the SW corner here ,we were moving a few Birds before Deer season but I don't believe we will ever see the days of the late 60's and seventies as for the Grouse numbers ! We have had a lot of logging in our area in the past 15 years and the habitat looks great but still very few birds ! Congrats on your " 16 Ga. Grand Slam " and to think ,I don't even own one at this point ,your post gives me a great excuse to go Gun Huntin ! Russ

[Dean Romig]

Huge clear-cuts are the bane of ruffed grouse because there are no roosting trees in groves. Cover, food, water, and roosting areas are what grouse need. Take any one of these out of the equation and grouse numbers will drop dramatically.

[Brush Buster]

Dean ,I honestly never gave any thought to the roosting areas being gone ,I am sure you are correct on this as the system needs complete balance to survive! In our area we see mostly select cut but even that gets a little carried away at times and leaves limited numbers of Trees for Roosting ! Personally ,I have blamed it on the Turkey's more than anything else in our area with the predators not being too far behind due to limited trapping as to the low price in furs in recent years ! When I was younger we seldom ever seen Turkeys but had bushels of Grouse , but since the Game Commission started their Turkey transfer programs we have so many Turkey that when you see them you don't even slow down to give the flocks a second look ! I attributed the depletion of Grouse to the Turkey's scavenger ways and picking and scratching their way through the nests during the brooding season , you are a knowledgeable Gentleman and Fellow Grouse Chaser and Turkey Hunter , do you think this has any bearing on the lack of Birds ?