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Covers Magazine

The Ultimate Woodcock Gun

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by Tom Keer One year we turned an unused camp closet into the most spectacular gun cleaning and storage area. Take a scrap of ½-inch plywood, screw it onto an old chest of drawers, cover it with felt and you’re done. Ours had rods to wipe out powder and carbon fouling, cleaning rods with bristle brushes that accommodated all gauges – and mops and patches. The drawers held backstock and, though there were a dozen or more solvents, only Hoppe’s 9 was ever used. Nicer stocks were oiled while we sprayed Plain Janes with Lemon Pledge. The best part of that room...

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Featured Artist – David Hayes

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“Ruffed Grouse”Watercolor14” x 13” on Fabriano 140# cold press paper David Hayes loves grouse hunting and painting, and has been doing both for more than 60 years. Hayes graduated from the University of Michigan, and after military service worked for the U.S. Forest Service. Upon retirement he returned to Boise State University and earned a bachelor of fine arts in painting. Hayes takes inspiration from Charles Reid. The famed watercolorist and workshop instructor has been his painting mentor. Hayes primarily paints sporting scenes and wildlife, especially big game, upland game birds, waterfowl and game fish. He’s adopted Reid’s style of loose, impressionistic style...

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Seared Ruffed Grouse Breasts with Ramps and Morels

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Seared Ruffed Grouse Breasts with Ramps and Morels by: Adam Berkelmans, The Intrepid Eater This beautiful springtime dish makes use of some ruffed grouse breasts from the freezer as well as freshly foraged ramps and morels. It’s a rich and buttery dish and the flavor will blow you away. Serve this on its own with a crusty baguette to soak up the sauce or with a pretty foraged spring salad.  Prep Time: 25 minCook Time: 15 minTotal Time: 40 minYield: 2 servings Ingredients – 2 grouse breasts– Kosher salt– Black pepper– 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon butter– 6 ramp (wild leek) leaves– 1 large shallot, thinly...

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Book Review – “Mouthful of Feathers”

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by Glen R. Blackwood | RGS & AWS Regional Director of Development – Lower Peninsula/Eastern U.P. of Michigan & Indiana “Mouthful of Feathers”Publisher: Cornmill PressPaperback$16.99Editors: Reid Bryant, Greg Mc Reynolds, Thomas Reed A Buffet of BirdsThere is something comforting about an old-fashioned potluck meal, surrounded by family and friends, both old and new. Whether the location is a church basement, a high school gymnasium, a county-fairgrounds or a park pavilion is moot. What matters is the experience of home-cooked flavors and the home-spun conversations that occur. This medley of vegetables, casseroles and desserts may seem to be the gathering’s focal point, but...

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RGS & AWS’ Covers Magazine Honored at 2024 AGLOW Awards

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The Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society (RGS & AWS) is proud to announce its quarterly magazine, Covers, has been recognized at the 2024 Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers (AGLOW) Awards-In-Craft held at the Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park. In a celebration of excellence in outdoor communication, the AGLOW Annual Conference gathered industry leaders and creatives to honor outstanding achievements. Among the top honorees was the Spring 2024 issue of Covers magazine, which received accolades for its exceptional conservation content and contribution to print media. The issue, celebrating the 10th anniversary of AWS, showcased content exclusively about the...

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For the Health of the Spirit and of the Forest 

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By Charlie Booher Photo Credit: White Oak Initiative White oaks (Quercus alba), like most good bourbons, take years to mature. However, white oak groves are disappearing or, more accurately, are not being replaced as these trees are being harvested or dying. In the near-term, stocks will remain available, but we are facing a long-term sustainability problem due to a lack of young trees.  For maintaining healthy forests across the East – and for keeping coopers, distillers and other craftspeople in business – this has become a major issue.  Stands of white oak currently occupy more than 104 million acres – roughly the size of...

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