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< 16ga. General Discussion ~ Grouse season |
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Posted:
Sun Aug 15, 2021 12:11 pm
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Joined: 08 Nov 2020
Posts: 7
Location: Northwest Colorado
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It's just around the corner. I love to hunt grouse with my Winchester SxS 16 ga.
Love to hunt them as much as I love to eat them.
Hoping this season will be good up in the Flattops. |
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Posted:
Mon Aug 16, 2021 7:27 am
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Joined: 17 Jan 2014
Posts: 1381
Location: Denver, Colorado
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I like ruffed grouse a bit better, but blues are darn fine as well. Back before Colorado got run over by endless transplants, I could chase blues in the morning and cast flies for trout in the afternoon. |
_________________ 'Tis better to burn out than it is to rust...... |
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Posted:
Mon Aug 16, 2021 11:09 am
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Joined: 17 Mar 2017
Posts: 2803
Location: Endless Mountains of Pa
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Gentlemen,
In reality here in the Pa mountains we hunt Grouse more than any other game bird.
Each season is a might different as we grow older. Many of my friends are now Grouse hunting in Gods never ending forest, however we still have new sportsman to help develop their Grouse hunting skills, and great Grouse dogs to keep their interest high. This past season here at home we had some very good Grouse numbers, and the bird contact was just fantastic. Although we have a good number of Grouse hunters who still come from out of state, the number is nothing like prior years. Our actual Grouse hunter numbers have fallen by about 60% over the past few years, this is both a good and bad thing. Our PGC has shortened Grouse season till just before Christmas, another good and bad situation also. The PGC has done a good job of stocking Pheasants and we actually have some chicks being born in the wild, still this is no real substitute for our incredible Grouse hunting. As our number of Grouse hunters declines each year, Grouse season could actually be extended not shortened. There were so few Grouse hunters actually hunting 2nd season I hardly ran across another man with his dog even before the season was shortened, nobody once the snow actually started to fly. In our family Grouse season is just not hunting, its a way of life handed down thru many generations. Now that I am over 70 I usually only hunt every other day, so cutting my 2nd season really limited my time in the woods severely. We only have a 2 Grouse limit and I usually only take one bird out of a covert each season. The men who hunt with me do the same, we are very aware of the proper management of our Grouse coverts. I have 2 new pups, a Gordon and Ryman and am looking forward to this coming Grouse season with very high expectations.
all the best,
Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man
Great Grouse hunting with fine guns and great bird dogs, a Potter County, Pa way of life.
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_________________ "L.C. Smith America's Best" - John Houchins
Pine Creek Grouse Dog Trainers |
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Posted:
Mon Aug 16, 2021 12:41 pm
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Joined: 08 Nov 2020
Posts: 7
Location: Northwest Colorado
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Great picture, Dave.
Well, Lloyd, the hay growers have screwed up the White River so badly that trout fishing for the most part is non-existent. |
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Posted:
Mon Aug 16, 2021 2:23 pm
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Joined: 17 Oct 2019
Posts: 456
Location: New Jersey
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Dave, you’ve obviously been blessed by the grouse gods. Luckily you could kill a grouse in each covert every day of the season and never run out of new coverts to hunt. I’m really looking forward to this season. I think it’s gonna be another good one. |
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Posted:
Mon Aug 16, 2021 7:47 pm
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Joined: 17 Jan 2014
Posts: 1381
Location: Denver, Colorado
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[url=https://imgur.com/fopP6zi]
[/url]
Along the road, in front of our grouse camp about 4 years ago.
sbilson: Sorry to hear about the White.
[url=https://imgur.com/HeFDqUf]
[/url]
There's birds at the end of that rainbow...
[url=https://imgur.com/PtpelFY]
[/url]t
It's not Potter County but it sure looks similar. |
_________________ 'Tis better to burn out than it is to rust...... |
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Posted:
Tue Aug 17, 2021 11:08 am
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Joined: 17 Mar 2017
Posts: 2803
Location: Endless Mountains of Pa
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Lloyd3,
That looks like a honey of a Grouse Covert no doubt about it! Very much like home.
all the best,
Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man |
_________________ "L.C. Smith America's Best" - John Houchins
Pine Creek Grouse Dog Trainers |
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Posted:
Wed Aug 18, 2021 7:25 am
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Joined: 27 Nov 2020
Posts: 84
Location: mtns of central PA
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I'm also bullish on PA grouse & excited for the season. The glorious (October) 16th! I have the first 3 days off, and my mother is kindly watching my son. Between the hot weather & an unfortunate dog injury, I haven't been scouting, but hopefully I'll turn that around as the weather breaks. I'm sure to wander into Potter County at some point... This will be my pup's 2nd season. Grouse usually outsmarted both of us last year, these PA birds are spooky, but you could see him start to figure it out. Just hoping for progress & strong points. I have been doing a lot of steadiness training w/ him this month. Once PA season ends, I'll dip down into my home land of WV for the late season (as long as those high mountain roads can be traveled, which is not a sure thing). Happy hunting. |
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Posted:
Wed Aug 18, 2021 11:10 am
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Joined: 17 Mar 2017
Posts: 2803
Location: Endless Mountains of Pa
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boon haggenbeck,
Sounds like you have a good plan, hunt Pa and WVa both! I use to due the same thing for many many years. I would much rather give my hard earned money to WVA for their hunting license than NY, however my log cabin in Potter County, Pa is a stones throw away from some serious NY Grouse habitat. It is a dilemma for sure, as much as I hate gun control, those NY Grouse coverts and Grouse limits are mightly inviting, especially just after Christmas. However I am usually down at the Murrysville, Pa home at Christmas time, and the upper part of Wva around WVU is not far away. We will see how the seasons plays out, at 70 plus and recovering from open heart surgery, I can only due so much now. Having 2 new Grouse dog pups, one Gordon and one Ryman Setter I want to make the most out of this coming Grouse season.
If you are planning a trip to Potter County, Pa drop me some e-mail at pine-creek@live.com and we will make time to take you out in the Grouse woods.
all the best,
Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man
Happy memories of Gunny Bowman with Pine Creek Ryman Daisy Grouse hunting in Potter County.
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_________________ "L.C. Smith America's Best" - John Houchins
Pine Creek Grouse Dog Trainers |
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Posted:
Wed Aug 18, 2021 11:38 am
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Joined: 17 Oct 2019
Posts: 456
Location: New Jersey
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Hi Dave, just checking to see if you received my email. |
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Posted:
Wed Aug 18, 2021 5:13 pm
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Joined: 27 Nov 2020
Posts: 84
Location: mtns of central PA
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Hi Pine Creek Dave, that sounds excellent, I'll drop you a line... I'm hoping to explore Potter & Tioga a bit more this year, particularly in PA's "late" (or late-ish) season. Would be fun to meet & glean some knowledge from you, as I'm fairly new to this part of PA. I have an 18-month-old setter, and another pup on the way this spring.
Honestly, you will surely find better grouse numbers in NY. The grouse population in WV is in pretty dismal shape at the moment, and there is a dire lack of good habitat on public land, at least in northern WV where I hunt. (There are pockets of better stuff, but they're locked up on private deer leases.) However, when RGS let their biologist go last year, WV snapped her up, and she and the foresters are doing good work coordinating cutting on WV State Forest land. Hoping things improve because it can't get much worse.
Yes, I know Murrysville--one of my grandfathers worked in the Pittsburgh steel mills, and spent his last years in that Trafford/Monroeville area. It was "the big city" for us, when we came up from the mountains a couple times a year.
Good luck with your recovery! Serious stuff. |
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Posted:
Wed Aug 18, 2021 6:02 pm
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Joined: 17 Mar 2017
Posts: 2803
Location: Endless Mountains of Pa
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Swampy16,
No sir I did not receive it, send again to pine-creek@live.com make sure you put the - between pine and creek, pine-creek@live.com
all the best,
Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man |
_________________ "L.C. Smith America's Best" - John Houchins
Pine Creek Grouse Dog Trainers |
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Posted:
Wed Aug 18, 2021 7:02 pm
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Joined: 09 Mar 2016
Posts: 756
Location: Mn.
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Lloyd3 wrote: |
[url=https://imgur.com/fopP6zi]
[/url]
Along the road, in front of our grouse camp about 4 years ago.
sbilson: Sorry to hear about the White.
[url=https://imgur.com/HeFDqUf]
[/url]
There's birds at the end of that rainbow...
[url=https://imgur.com/PtpelFY]
[/url]t
It's not Potter County but it sure looks similar.
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Similar but not. I grew up there and hunting ruff, while grew up might be a liberal use of the word was also back there on recruiting duty in the mid 80's. Had Western half of Tioga and all of Potter to downtown Shinglehouse out of NRS Wellsboro. Did so well for 2 years that they sent me down to Lancaster, Pa. where all branches were struggling.
Duh I was back home in the mountains for the first 2 years and knew most people and everyone knew me or my kin folks. Down in the Flatlands they counted Amish and Mennonites as target market analysis. Hey not much for a Nuke Engineer to do on shore duty which is why I ended up on recruiting duty, didn't want to push boots or work in ship repair facility.
I did enlist Mosses in the Navy in Lancaster though. He cut a perfect score on the ASVAB. Couldn't go back to the Amish community after he enlisted so had to make an exception and do a quick ship.
NC Pa. taught me a lot about grouse growing up. Worked well from the Olympic and Cascade Mountains in Wa. to Western NC. But Mn. is a totally different story.
No coverts, you go for hundreds of miles with prime habit everywhere so where do you start? Took me awhile to figure it out.
But I did. Finally figured out the relationship to poplars and breeding grounds, cover when the broods break up, and cover from ancient old growth. They are intertwined and a lot different than walking into a bramble choked apple orchard with wild grapes growing in them. The field stone fences with lichen growing on them have been for the most part removed and shipped to NJ where it was a "thing" for the flatlanders. Sighh...
But you do learn if you put the work into it. No multiflora rose that leaves scars for life. However the density of vegetation and type of plant life will lead you to the star of end result.
Picked up a Ryman out of Decoverly back when I was home in the mid 80's. Only person that I know that had an English Setter let alone a Ryman. Everyone else was a City Boy and had a cabin in Potter. Or was something they read in a rag or book and talked BS about. Most of us couldn't afford a pointy dog. Only those that lived outside of Potter had them.
Went back to Flushers with my Tollers. And no regrets. Hunting ruff and phez in the Dakotas.
Wait as far as ruff go Wi. or Mi. is the place to be. Why I have heard they are so numerous there that they impale themselves on the antenna of your truck! There are no grouse in Mn....
quote="boon hogganbeck"]I'm also bullish on PA grouse & excited for the season. The glorious (October) 16th! I have the first 3 days off, and my mother is kindly watching my son. Between the hot weather & an unfortunate dog injury, I haven't been scouting, but hopefully I'll turn that around as the weather breaks. I'm sure to wander into Potter County at some point... This will be my pup's 2nd season. Grouse usually outsmarted both of us last year, these PA birds are spooky, but you could see him start to figure it out. Just hoping for progress & strong points. I have been doing a lot of steadiness training w/ him this month. Once PA season ends, I'll dip down into my home land of WV for the late season (as long as those high mountain roads can be traveled, which is not a sure thing). Happy hunting.[/quote]
Sounds like you are back home?! Haven't seen an email from you but will hit you up on UJ to see if you still want the 37. It isn't going anyplace except to you if it does.
Like most growing up in the Twin Tiers I hunted both NY and Pa. I assume that when you talk about NY you are now talking about the Northern part. Land is fractured but not so much as the Southern Tier is and from my friends I grew up with there is some good hunting to be had. If you are willing to work for it.
Talk soon I hope. And either way good luck and hope the pup is doing well! |
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Posted:
Thu Aug 19, 2021 5:35 am
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Joined: 17 Oct 2019
Posts: 456
Location: New Jersey
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Ok Dave, I sent it again. I also sent you a PM when I originally emailed you. Maybe check your spam folder and let me know if the PM came through. |
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Posted:
Thu Aug 19, 2021 10:05 am
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Joined: 17 Mar 2017
Posts: 2803
Location: Endless Mountains of Pa
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Swampy16,
Received your message in my junk folder the 2nd time you sent the message, I also gave you my home and log cabin telephone numbers in the reply. You should have it now. No PM however.
all the best,
Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man |
_________________ "L.C. Smith America's Best" - John Houchins
Pine Creek Grouse Dog Trainers |
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