Wild Bird Contacts: Early and Often

Few moments afield accompanied by a prospective hunting pup leave as striking psychological imprint on its developing psyche as wild bird contacts. That being said, the volume and frequency of said  contacts are of equal importance and cannot be understated.

Dark Hollow Grace on wild scent...

 

Wise 'Ol Sage and Apprentice.

Dark Hollow Grace, backed by 18 month old, Sugar Creek Adeline.

Northeast Kingdom

New England's Northeast Kingdom is a destination worthy a visit for any itinerant, upland bird hunter. A biodiverse ecosystem encompassing over 2000 square miles of primitive wilderness area. The remote location is coupled with rugged topographical features allows this area to remain virtually unspoiled and wholly intact. Furthermore, the unique ecological diversity coupled with comprehensive, selective timber harvesting provides exceptionally healthy diverse habitat, sustaining a seemingly endless myriad of our quarries most desirable flora, in short, a seemingly endless amount of  early-successional habitat suitable to accommodate exceedingly large populations of both Ruffed Grouse and the American Woodcock. The combined effort and best-management practices has resulted in some of the finest Upland bird habitat anywhere in the world.

 

Red phase...

The air hung heavy, laden with moisture. As was the leaf-litter covering the forest floor. Fine scenting conditions for any young grouse dog.. Historically, flush rates have remained stable in this piece for a long time. Red phase birds dominate this covert, a genotypic variation of the area in general.

January Grousin'

Whistled up the pup, grabbed the snowshoes and hit a couple covers out of desperation this morning. It is always tough to watch the season slip away.

 
Moved a pair of birds out of this corner...roosting in the spruce as always. Can't they just bust across the open field one time? A nice day afield

Salmo salar

Really dig swinging streamers for Landlocks in November.  

My wonderful friend Alex from Argentina, aka "The worlds most interesting man" When in Rome they do as he does. Stay thirsty my friends...

Mixed Bag

Old, familiar, fallow farm pasture. Birds were a touch jumpy today. Moved half a dozen, most were runners. Cedar pinned Ruff' x2, affording a young lad the luxury of an education. I dinged one that  glided into a spruce blowdown, burying itself. "Hunt dead", he worked the area determinately for several minutes, popped out of the snag and dropped Ruff near my feet. 

Woodcock numbers were heavy today. Found them in a finger that meanders down a sidehill, sprinkled with young spruce, Poplar and Grey Birch, leading to a small, Alder studded creek bed with a couple old, scraggly Apple trees.