RE: So it begins, (Upland bird Hunting)
 

Sorry guys. I have been busy trying to hunt by day and work by night.
I have hunted every day this week either in the morning or the afternoon. I got a chance to go with a board member on Sunday and we did not do super well. I need another chance to prove myself. I went monday and got 2 mountain quail. Tuesday I got four more mountain quail. Today I got another four. I finally saw a ruffed grouse today. I missed him on the flush. We did see quite a few band tailed pigeons today as well. I hope to get one of those tommorow. I will try to stay on top of things from now on. We had a good rain the last few days, an that has opened a lot of my favorite areas to hunting again. I should be able to score on some birds in the morning. Hopefully I can get into the ruffed grouse. They have eluded me so far this year.

Use a Big Lead to shoot them
were they aint.

RE: So it begins, (Upland bird Hunting)
 

Big Lead I scored on three ruffed this morning ,they were all down low in the creek bottoms . I did see a few covey of mountain quail up high but never went after them . Had to be somewhere .

RE: So it begins, (Upland bird Hunting)
 

We got 3 more mountain quail this morning. I missed a shot at a blue grouse going through the timber. I am going out with my father this afternoon and have another go at them. Good luck Halcon. Maybe we can get a hunt together next week.

Use a Big Lead to shoot them
were they aint.

RE: So it begins, (Upland bird Hunting)
 

Got one more blue grouse this afternoon. Was'nt sure if I hit it, but my springer came back with it.

Use a Big Lead to shoot them
were they aint.

RE: So it begins, (Upland bird Hunting)
 

Missed the opener in Western SD as my son had a back operation and I have been helping him this weekend. Everything was fine = too much chasing after and away from fires with a news camera on his back I guess.

We have gottten some good rains in the last few days and the temps are way down. Saw several coveys of grouse on my way to Rapid City today.

RE: So it begins, (Upland bird Hunting)
 

Hey eveyone. Uplandchessies and I hunt together all the time. We are going to Michigan next week for grouse and woodcock. He got a banded woodcock last year. Very good hunt. I cant wait to go again. Ill also be going for black phase gray and fox squirrel. Im gonna try and eat a porcupine this year too. Anyone else hunt Michigan? We hunt near Rose City, Rifle River Recreation Area, and Huron National Forest. Talk to you all later. Squirrel Master

RE: So it begins, (Upland bird Hunting)
 

Went out Sunday afternoon and got 2 more Mountain quail. I missed a nice blue grouse. I went out tonight and got 3 more mountain quail. I am going out in the morning with a board member. I will keep everybody
informed about how the hunt went.

Use a Big Lead to shoot them
were they aint.

RE: So it begins, (Upland bird Hunting)
 

Went out this morning with Halcon. We had a good time. The first event of the morning was we jumped a nice Ruffed grouse on an old logging road. I knocked him down and thought I saw another coming down the hill. It pounced on the grouse I had just hit and was trying to fly off with it. It was a little falcon or small hawk of some kind. He was a feisty little cuss and I was afraid he might not let me have my bird. After this we got into a small covey of quail, I managed to get one and so did Halcon. The dogs were busting them out, but they were not flying into a good shooting lane for us. We later jumped a nice blue grouse that Halcon knocked down over a brushy hill. I sent the dogs down after it. They were hunting short of were I had seen it go down, so I decided to get them down closer to it and see if they could find it. I got down into some timber and gave the command to fetch em up. They searched the area that I figured he was at, and did not come up with him. My Lab ended up back up the hill and need some water to get freshened up. After being hydrated she went back down into a dry creek bottom about 80 feet from were I knew the grouse was at. I was about to call off the search when I saw her tail go up and start winding. I watched her get down there and start going through a bunch of old rotten logs and a maze of Mountain laurel. She came back out with the blue. I guess when the bird was going down it was able to glide or fly another 30 yds or so past where we figured it was. We got into another bunch of 4 grouse after that and managed to miss a couple of gimmee shots. After this we jumped one more small covey of quail that managed to keep the brush between us. Overall it was a pretty good hunt. Between seeing that little rascal hawk try to steal my grouse, and my Lab make a nice retrieve it was a memorable morning.

Use a Big Lead to shoot them
were they aint.

RE: So it begins, (Upland bird Hunting)
 

Wend. night I got a Blue grouse, and a Mountain Quail. Thurs. Afternoon I was able to get 2 more mountain quail. I went this morning and got 2 ruffed grouse. Tommorow deer season starts, so it should be interesting out there. Many of the usual hunting places are closed due to high fire danger. I hope I get a deer quickly. I would like to get back to bird hunting. I wish some of you others would post. I keep putting it off so that I don't have to post every day. Lets hear it. How have some of you others done lately.

Use a Big Lead to shoot them
were they aint.

RE: So it begins, (Upland bird Hunting)
 

Just got back last night from Michigan. Had a good hunt but could have been better. Grouse numbers we down, at least they were down in the areas we hunted in. We shot 27 woodcock, I lost 2 of them running thru the alders. I went thru almost 2 boxes of shells in about 45 minutes. So many woodcock in this one area. I was crouched down on my knees it was so thick, letting the dog work. I also had one grouse flush, the dog actually got it up instead of it flushing wild. Had no idea where it went. I shot 3 woodcock on the third shot, one landed in the river, cinnamon retrieved it. I shot one a little to close, say 10 or so yards...blew it up. I wasnt doing so good on my numbers for woodcock till the last day. So i got 7 all together and 5 squirrels. 3 were black phase grays, 1 gray and 1 fox squirrel. I lost 1 black one. When I shot it, another one came out and so I shot him also, but when I went back to the area I thought I shot it at, it wasn't there. Everything looks the same. Anyways, I was a very good hunt again. Hopefully we will go back next month. Oh yeah, no porcupines this trip, but we did manage to find a bee nest in the ground. The dog got stung a few times, so did uplandchessies. I just hauled ass outa there. And one possum. I think thats just about it.

Squirrel Master