The Cherry is popped...
Had a great grouse hunt this morning with my 5 month old pup. We heard a lot of birds, but with all the foliage on the trees still, he got two solid points. One bird flushed just out of my sight. I saw him for a brief moment, but not enough time to get a shot off. The second was much better.
He was about 50 feet from me off at about 10:00. I saw him go on point, and just after, I saw the grouse move from on the ground. He took to flight just in front of me; I got a quick shot off and said, "ok". I have no idea if my pup was waiting for me, or what, but as soon as I said "ok" (I probably should have said "fetch", but I was too excited), he took off. He has a habit which my breeder says is common, where when he's chasing something, he gives out a high bitch yelp. Well, he did that for about 10 seconds. I assumed the bird was not dead and he was chasing it. Then the barking stopped, and I called him to me. Man, I wish I had a camera when he came strutting up to me with that bird in his mouth. I just can't wait for the next trip.
Cheers,