If grouse, woodcock and trout are your life... - Page 6

Gary Bodrato · 01-31-2021, 05:51 PM

A local Police Officer charted the National Weather Service and other means to chart the mean average temperature across the US every day for ten years prior to his retiring. His conclusion was Eastern Tennessee for the least fluctuation of temperature. How the hunting and fishing is, is another question.

Harold Pickens · 02-01-2021, 10:13 PM

Rich, that would be a great combo, have to speak to the wife about the southwest.
Are you back from Georgia?

stumpstalker · 02-02-2021, 09:27 PM

Andy:

On the Hauseman’s thread you asked if there were other Bone-fishers on the forum. This thread may be more suitable for my answer.

I generally fish for what I can eat (which is bad form in Bone-fishing), even if most of what I generally catch is released. But I did sample a day of Bone-fishing on a chartered trip, out of Islamorada, in the Florida Keys. It was many years ago.

That Bone-fishing is a sight-fishery appealed to me, making it as much a hunting as a fishing trip.

We were spin-fishing, not that such a "crude” method in our case made it any more “effective”, as my friend and I did not hook one.

We saw a huge Tarpon underwater on the edge of the bank that we stopped to fish on, and most exciting of all was seeing a moving Permit cutting its fin out like a Swordfish would. It was working its way across the reef at so rapid a clip that our guide could not pole fast enough to keep up with it. Thus, the elements were present of hunt AND chase.

It was an enjoyable and memorable outing, with all the “Conch” atmospherics – pastel colors, sun, and warmth -- that one would expect in those climes.

In reading through this entire thread, it does look like we are fortunate to have a myriad of hunting and fishing opportunities in this country, from sea to shining sea. I wish you luck in settling on a destination that is best for you and your wife.

Ed Norman · 02-09-2021, 08:40 AM

Andy,
I live in northern lower peninsula of Michigan, about 1.5 hours south of the mackinac bridge. We have very good grouse and woodcock hunting here, we have trout streams, good fishing almost everywhere. I can take a run to the upper peninsula and hunt and fish up there too. About an hour or so south of us seems to be the better weather area, if we get 8 inches of snow they get 4. Every once in a while the tables will turn and they will get more snow than we do. I am looking for property in the upper peninsula as we speak,for another grouse hunting area. I may end up in the eastern upper peninsula because I have a cousin that lives up there. We are in the snow belt area (around Gaylord on the map) So you just have to get used to snow, I have often thought about durham north carolina to get away from the snow for a while during winter we have relatives down there too. My taxes are under 2 grand a year, we live on a canal that goes out into an 850 acre lake. We will be selling this home and I am building a home with an attached/heated garage for my wife. She struggles every winter our garage is 100 feet from the house and full of my stuff. She parks as close to the house as possible and when she gets home at 11 p.m. its tough to walk to the house on ice. We also have cross country skiing and snowshoeing and ice fishing, if you set your house up correctly then the winters up here aren't nearly as hard. Good luck Andy.

Harold Pickens · 02-09-2021, 11:46 AM

Ed you are certainly in the snow belt. This past December your area was covered with snow on my way up and back down from the UP, but had no snow in the UP, except for right around the bridge. I remember several times when the road was quite dicey in the Gaylord area (4WD), but was nothing after getting across the Mac--and that was in October.

Andy · 02-09-2021, 12:25 PM

Why thank you Ed! Sounds like you live close to paradise.

Gary Laudermilch · 02-09-2021, 12:43 PM

Ed, I hunted grouse in the Atlanta area for a number of years. Nice country and easy shooting compared to where I live and hunt. On our first hunt there my son commented that you can actually see the birds here, not like at home.

Ed Norman · 02-10-2021, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Laudermilch

Ed, I hunted grouse in the Atlanta area for a number of years. Nice country and easy shooting compared to where I live and hunt. On our first hunt there my son commented that you can actually see the birds here, not like at home.

Gary,
Atlanta is one of the many many places I want to try hunting, its about an hour away. There is another place about a half hour north of me, a glass customer gave me a book his neighbor wrote called "ghost" by Capt. Tony Petrella, it was quite a nice book to read. Tony used to donate a hunt every year to the ruffed grouse society. His dog I heard was quite a bird dog, the guys would go crazy bidding for the chance to watch his dog hunt so they raised a lot of money for that society. Tony used to plant trees for the grouse all along the manistee river where he lived. Tony passed away, there is a plaque on a tree commemorating him, someday I hope to hunt that area and find his plaque, after reading his book, that would really mean something to me.

Reggie B · 02-10-2021, 01:19 PM

When I was a teenager my family lived in rural Tennessee. There was a large tract of land that had what seemed like at least 100 minnow ponds on it. The owners raised the minnows to sell to retail outlets. Some of the ponds didn't hold water well being mostly dry with water on one side or in one small spot. Late in the day doves would fly into those "dry ponds" to water and take their fill of small gravel. I sat there many days as the sun was setting with my 20 gauge Winchester shooting those birds. It reminded me of a waterfowl hunter shooting incoming ducks only the target was mush smaller and zigged and zagged much more than an incoming duck! That was hunting to me!

mobirdhunter · 02-10-2021, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reggie Bishop

When I was a teenager my family lived in rural Tennessee. There was a large tract of land that had what seemed like at least 100 minnow ponds on it. The owners raised the minnows to sell to retail outlets. Some of the ponds didn't hold water well being mostly dry with water on one side or in one small spot. Late in the day doves would fly into those "dry ponds" to water and take their fill of small gravel. I sat there many days as the sun was setting with my 20 gauge Winchester shooting those birds. It reminded me of a waterfowl hunter shooting incoming ducks only the target was mush smaller and zigged and zagged much more than an incoming duck! That was hunting to me!

Reggie, I know we can't "go back," but it doesn't keep me from wishing we could.