he got an older dog (i think he said the dog was 9?). yeah blaine has been pretty much my best friend since we were really little. always been neighbors...we talked for a while when i got back, he was over at his grandmaws which is right beside my grandpaw and grandmaws house. he said he is ready to start hunting...like me hes trying to shed a few winter pounds.

i know he and i are gonna try to go saturday. since he got married we dont get to hunt or fish but about once a year (most times he takes his father in law...guess thats marriage for ya), but hopefully we'll get to go this weekend. found a couple more good spots while riding this past weekend...going to probably hunt the fern lake side hollows...talk about getting some good exercise...let me know next time you can go...hope your dogs foot gets better. hes a dang good dog, i really enjoyed watching him hunt the other day.

Date--1/20/07
# of hours hunted--4-4.5
# of hunters--3
# of dogs--2
# of flushes (1st flush & re-flushes)--5
# of birds killed--0
# of birds shot at--2
# of birds crippled--0

pace and i and his nephew i believe hunted here in bell county saturday morning til saturday afternoon. had a good hunt overall, it was good to meet both of them. i was real disappointed in my dog. She had been in the grouse woods several times already after having her 2-3 weeks, but Saturday she did just plain bad. When she got to an open spot in the road or a field she'd hunt great, but in the woods she'd stay right by my side or go right to pace or his nephew. shed almost act scared, which is weird cause shes not done that either of the other 2 times. pace and everyone tells me shes just having a bad day in the transition from field dog to grouse woods dog, so this upcoming weekend im going to take her behind fern lake and hunt with her by myself, hopefully build a little confidence in her. i really need to get a grouse or two shot over her too...so maybe ill go back to the same spot. we got up a couple birds on this trip....chief hunted fantastic, it just wasnt in the cards to get the birds that day. did find some great new cover and some potentially great spots for spring turkey season. did a lot of hard walking, im still sore. hopefully i can get up to harlan before season is out and see some of that grouse country!

I was just getting ready to make this post; we had a great time hunting with you BCO and as we talked, I wouldn't worry too much about your dog. I've seen it several times before. Dogs that are broke on pen raised birds in 'fields' have a transition period that they go through when you start them on grouse in the woods. To start, they act like they're on a nature walk because they don't really understand what their supposed to be doing. When they're in the field, everything clicks because they've been exposed to that environment and are comfortable with it. IMHO, you just need to hunt the wheels off of her by yourself as much as possible and knock down a few for her. She'll get more and more comfortable w/you and will soon understand why she is in the woods and what she's after. She's a beautiful dog...

As soon as you get a day, let me know and I'll put you in some grouse country...not sure we'll get any, but it'll sure be a pretty walk through where they should be!

buddy that sounds great! thanks for the encouragement, im going to do just as you said. any weekend, im ready. as soon as you get a chance on a weekend again let me know and ill be up! we saw some pretty good cover on our hunt i thought. im glad we at least got a few up in the air, even if they did both present pitiful shots. i still had a great time! did your nephew get that picture online? id like to see how it turned out, he should have had a heck of a background!

Hey BCO,
My neighbor and I are think of buying some birds for Sunday afternoon and letting the kids have a shoot...it will be good work for the dogs if you are interested...we will probley go to the same field we used on Mt Drive, ..it is easier for the kids....I will call you if sat. night if we are get it all together...watch the weather...the more birds you can get your dog on the better the dog...

sounds like a plan, just give me a call on saturday. weather should be ok, milder (high 40s, low 50s and partly cloudy) on both saturday and sunday. saturday i think im gonna go hunt for a while then go fishing, but sunday should be great. just give me a call brother!

BCO,
we are def. going..Sunday to let the kids shoot..I am going to buy about 20 quail...after church we will get a quick bite and leave M-boro about 1..

BCO did you ever get that new gun?

nope, i didnt. ive been all caught up in getting some new fishing gear, decided to save a little more money towards the gun. maybe a few more weeks....i did get a choke for my mossberg though, an IC choke, so i plan on using it in a few future hunting trips.

Good luck, although I'm pretty sure you'll find some birds , on your all's hunt and be careful!

I'm going to chase the grouch, I mean grouse this weekend. Hopefully they've started to bunch up some.

I know we will find a few... It's great for the young kids they really enjoy it. If they get tired I just let them unload their weapon (I usually hold the shells) and let them go back to the truck it is always in sight and we always have plenty of pop and food..they like to watch the dogs and hold the ones we harvest. This is a controlled envorment to pratice safty and shooting over the dogs it is a great learning and bonding time. They learn when to shoot and when not to shoot and it makes for a better hunt when you do go with friends on a real hunt. You don't have to worry as much and when you need to tell them(the kids) something they know what you are talking about. Not to mention a great work out for your dog..

I agree completely; we often put our birds and will be going to the preserve in Owenton soon. I really like it up there...

I got a better place than Pheasant Ridge...Walk about Farms in Boston Ky..they got a great place and the birds are jumbo quail and they are cheaper...I got several flyers from the last time I was there PM me address and I'll mail you one....Quail Unlimited held the Quail youth Hunt there...My brother is hunting there this weekend...Wayne is going to have his place open next week...in Harrogate Tenn..

your son seems like hes gonna make one heck of a woodsman, you can tell he really listens a lot to what you say and takes it to heart. i think itll be great for him bill, and like you said great for the dogs too. just give me a call saturday. im gonna get the dog in the woods on saturday morning, hunt for a few hours, go fishing (its supposed to be in the mid 50s), and sunday its supposed to be 20 degrees colder. 35 is the high on sunday so itll be cold on top of that mountain.

Date--1/26/07
# of hours hunted--4
# of hunters--2
# of dogs--1
# of flushes (1st flush & re-flushes)--17 (approx. 14 different birds)
# of birds killed--0
# of birds shot at--3 I think
# of birds crippled--1

What a day; sometimes they seem so easy to kill and other times you wonder how in the he you ever knock one down. Chief pointed one at the beginning of the hunt, I move in and the bird comes up just over a little hump about 5 yards from me...my fingers are froze and I can't get my safety off. Soooo, on around the road we go. As we get to the upper level, Chief is real birdy and working the bank to our right real hard. We go about 15 yards and he locks...up comes a bird about 20 yards out. I unload and here comes about 5 more after I'm empty. My nephew unloads and nothing; at that point, we're both empty and here comes about 5 more up. All we can do is watch them as we get reloaded. As we're both standing there dazed and confused, here comes yet another bird out of the cover...he hits it, feathers fly and it just keeps on flying. Go figure... Toward the end of the hunt, we had one come up wild with no shot.

Unbelievable......................

Date--1/27/07
# of hours hunted--4
# of hunters--2
# of dogs--1
# of flushes (1st flush & re-flushes)--3
# of birds killed--1
# of birds shot at--1
# of birds crippled--0

Date--1/28/07
# of hours hunted--4.5
# of hunters--3
# of dogs--2
# of flushes (1st flush & re-flushes)--1
# of birds killed--0
# of birds shot at--0
# of birds crippled--0

wow...that really is hard to believe...17?!?! Jeeze O. Pete Man....Thats unreal! That would have been a site to see Im sure! At least you got one this weekend...Heres my report

Sat, 1-27-2007
# of hours hunted--2
# of hunters--1
# of dogs--1
# of flushes (1st flush & re-flushes)--2 (2 different birds)
# of birds killed--0
# of birds shot at--1
# of birds crippled--0

I didnt hunt long, why Im not sure, probably because I wanted to go ride the fourwheeler cause it was so nice out on Saturday. Hunted somewhat of the same area we hunted Pace, more off the trail and up in the woods more. I hadnt been out of the truck 2 minutes when Saphhire locked up on a hemlock tree off the roadside. I stopped, took one more step toward the treee and BOOM, a eruption of wings exploded out of it. He flushed from the opposite side of the tree I was on (imagine that). By the time I got around the tree to take a shot, he was long gone, but I took a couple anyway. Probably should have made the shot to be honest. He flew straight up the side of the mountain, I started after him and I heard him reflush again and go OVER mountain, so I said to heck with it and moved along.

Half a mile later one flushed wild right above me behind a little knob. It was more or less an impossible shot, but again I tried anyway. Only saw the bird for a half second, and didnt see where it went at all.

So again, no birds
But seeing 2 in 2 hours isnt too bad I suppose. And plus the dog hunted a LOT better. She was all over the woods, in the thickest cover, and pointed one and got birdy several other times in spite of the super windy conditions (wind was swirling really bad).

we need to try to go this weekend!

2 birds in 2 hours; I'd take that 1:1 ratio any day! lol Sounds like you had a good hunt...I told you she'd line out. I think that it's best that you took some shots at the birds, especially the one she locked up on. It helps her make the connection and understand what it is she's looking for.

You'll learn that often, when grouse hunting of course, you will tend to zig when you should've zagged! The bird yesterday flew the ONLY way that he could have and live to tell about it. I had the bead on him and he turned dead away and put a tree directly between me and him...would've been an easy shot for sure. I was going to go today, but needed to get some things done around here...if there is no school tomorrow I'm going to go for sure. Yeah, we'll take a trip real soon!

yep, i noticed that too. if that one on saturday would have flushed from any point of that hemlock tree other than what he did, hed have been a lot closer to being a goner than he was. thats kinda uncanny how they can strategically put a tree between you and them. im gonna try to go with wayne one day this weekend if hes able to go.