A one grouse day

[Richard Flanders]

Spent the day exploring my favorite ruffed grouse covers in the forest south of town. Used my inherited VHE-20 and vintage Winchester and Remington paper ammo. Didn't see a lot of birds but, based on the feather piles along the logging road pullouts, see that there's been a lot of grouse killing going on, at least 99% of which is from road hunters sluicing them on the road. I managed one spruce grouse; note the wicked looking velociraptor-like claws on that bad boy! Good thing they don't weigh 100#; they'd jump US and take us home for dinner! Having Triggs GSP along sure would have helped but he's in Michigan hunting Ruffies with RGS folks.... At least the ruffed grouse population is way up from the past few years.

We're out for a day duck hunt tomorrow. I flew over yesterday and see that most of the lakes are frozen over there so the birds are concentrated on the river and in the unfrozen lake centers. Could be a very good day of shooting.