Written by: Ken Griffin Sr. Linthicum, Maryland
Stories of the hunting trips, dogs, and guns of a Maryland family
“I’m a Yankee Timberdoodle, I’m a Yankee Grouse or die”
Fall in Maine is the perfect time of year to experience upland hunting at it’s finest.
Accompanied by my sons Ken Jr, David, Joe, and grandson Andrew we visited the Grants Camps at Kennebago Lake near Rangeley Maine to try our luck at grouse and woodcock hunting. We were not disappointed.
We left Maryland on October 4th, 2023, arriving October 5th and hunted for three days, October 5 afternoon, October 6 and 7, returning Sunday October 8th. No hunting is permitted in Maine on Sundays.
Grants Camps, as our base lodge, offered excellent accommodations for hunters, with vintage cabins, excellent food, and an atmosphere conducive to upland hunters. The Camp offers Guides for the less experienced hunters or those who don’t have dogs. We came with our own pack which included 4 Pointer Labradors and 1 Boykin Spaniel.
The hunting area around Kennebago Lake is privately owned with permission to hunt for those staying in Grants Camps. Keyed access gates allow hunters into several thousand acres of prime upland hunting woods. The area is in various stages of logging with many areas in transitional growth.
Our hunting days consisted of the initial day of arrival (for an afternoon hunt) and the following two days. Weather on those two days was ideal except a little too warm for the dogs. We managed a few flushes but generally a little disappointed with the number of birds we flushed. However, it was all made up for on the third day when the weather turned wet and rainy the entire day. We managed to flush 40 grouse and about 6 woodcocks.
We hunted primarily on logging trails which winded through low mountains (terminus of the Appalachian Mountains). With 5 hunters and 5 dogs we hunted with 2 hunters each on the low side of the mountain and 2 hunters on the high side. Me, being the elder statesman of the group, chose to walk the trail. The action was good on both sides of the road. I had two great shots of woodies but disappointedly underperformed.
Despite the rain we had a spectacular hunt. Saw one black bear that our dog Colt wanted to chase but was deterred by Joe. And one of us got lost for a brief time but was able to find his way back. The area is out of phone coverage, so a GPS is in order.
No upland hunt is complete withouta talented team of dogsto makeour work easy. Supporting us were:
Ken Jr’s dogs Harley and Clove:
Our dogs are what holds our family together in many ways. They provide us with a purpose to get together and create special memories. Harley is an 8-year-old female yellow pointing Labrador from Hunters Point Kennel out of Marshalltown Iowa. Harley is a good representative of the best in Pointing Labs. She holds the title of Advanced Pointing Labrador within the American Pointing Labrador Association “APLA” which tests their ability to run both marked and blind retrieves on land and water, and their upland skills to locate, point, and retrieve to hand. Harley is a sweet and gentle soul always wanting to please and keep the peace amongst the pack. Loves to be on the sofa with family and is happy to allow children to tug on her ears and tail without a quibble. But, in the field, it is “Game on”. Harley will bust through the thickest of thorns leaving a pint of blood behind to “Get that bird”. One of the greatest traits of this breed is their ability to adjust to the game at hand. Whether it’s timberdoodles and Ruffed Grouse in the northern woods or Prairie Chickens, Huns, and sharpies of the grasslands, or Pheasants, or waterfowl on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, they all present very different scenarios to a hunting dog. Pointing labs are excellent at adopting to the situation. They will hold a point if the bird is holding, or they will tract and flush if the situation calls for it and are excellent at marking and retrieving – often due to our shooting skills tracking down and bringing back a cripple. Worth their weight in gold!
New to the family is “Griffin’s 4 Leaf Clove” or “Clovie”. She is a controversial 2-year-old female Silver Labrador that often gets mistaken for a Germany’s Grey Ghost the Weimaraner. Kens daughter Madison brought her home from college with no real intention to hunt her but she did bring her into a household that hunts after all. Clovie comes from a hunting pedigree out of WV. We have been pleasantly surprised with her attitude. She absolutely loves hunting and with most young dogs has a spring in her step. She has shown a great nose and drive to find birds. She is more than holding her own with the rest of the pack. Clovie is an alpha which creates a completely different approach to training than Harley who is a Beta – the two styles of training could not be more different. The other reality is Clove has a real advantage in her training. She has Harley to learn from and it’s showing.
Andrew’s dog HUK is a 3 -year-old male Boykin Spaniel out of South Georgia Kennel in Albany, Georgia. He’s a great member of the family with a motor that keeps running on a hunt. While not his first exposure to woodcock, this trip was his first on grouse. His attention waxed and waned between hunting birds and lady dogs in the beginning, but he hit his stride by the end of the trip with several great grouse flushes and one fantastic track and retrieve on a wounded runner. There are plenty of trips to the Northwoods in Huck’s future. Boykin’s are most at home letting their spaniel side run in the uplands.
David’s dog Koda is a 3-year-old male red fox pointing lab out of Rivers Wild Kennels in Shelby MI
This was Koda’s second time hunting Grouse and Woodcock, and he has finally figured it out! He had a blast pointing and flushing Grouse and Woodcock!
Joe’s dog Colt is a 11-year-old male pointing lab out of Hunters Point Kennel, Iowa. We can’t say enough about this guy, he has been the mastermind behind our success in the field and on the water for over 10 years. Retrieved birds after we had given up.
PS: Following our Maine trip, we went on a 12-day trip to MN and ND for both upland and waterfowl. About 4 days after we returned home Colt started losing control over his hind legs. Diagnosed as Degenerative Myelopathy we were forced to put him down. He was buried on Ken Jr’s farm next to Buck and Tank. He is sadly missed.
Guns:
Ken Sr. shot a 28-gauge, side by side, CZ-USA, Bobwhite, G2., 7 ½ lead shot.
Ken Jr. alternated between a Browning Maxus II and the DU edition Beretta 390. Both semis., 12-gauge,28″ barrels. The Browning is chambered in 3″ and the Beretta is a 2 3/4.
David enjoyed shooting his new CZ 1012, semi-automatic,12 gauge, 28” barrel, shooting Winchester 6 ½ lead
Joe shot his 20-year-old Beretta AL 391 Urika, 12 gauge, semi-automatic, 28” barrel, 7 ½ lead shot.
Andrew brought along his semi-automatic Beretta A400 in 12 gauge and while double-guns are traditional, some of the young folks were wise enough to recognize those three-shot situations.
Food and Lodging:
A grouse hunting trip at Grant’s Kennebago Camps was an unforgettable experience for our group of enthusiastic hunters. The rustic and charming camp provided the perfect setting for our adventure.
Throughout the trip, the camp ensured the hunters were well-fed and comfortable. Three hearty meals a day were served in a cozy dining room overlooking the serene water. The camp’s focus was on traditional Maine home-cooking, and the menu changed daily to keep things fresh and exciting. From robust breakfast to a light lunch and delicious dinners that ranged from prime rib to lobsters with all the fixings.
The dining room wasn’t just a place to eat; it was a communal space where we came together to share the day’s hunt. Many hunting tales were woven around the table, often with a touch of exaggeration.
Dinner options were extensive, offering choices like prime rib, seared scallops, whole lobster, steak, salmon, and pork chops. And, of course, no meal was complete without indulging in a delightful selection of pies for dessert.
Lunch was a practical affair, with the camp packing sandwiches of choice, snacks, and beverages that the group could take with them during their exciting grouse and woodcock hunting expeditions each morning.
Breakfast was a hearty start to every morning, serving up a range of options such as eggs, pancakes, breakfast meats, omelets, coffee, and a variety of juices. The nourishing breakfast set the tone for a day full of hunting.
Beverages/Snacks:
We brought several whiskies with us and snacks we devoured in our cabin at night. We tasted each whiskey and agreed to the following:
Sagamore Spirit Straight Rye Whiskey (Maryland):
Nose: Rye spice, caramel, vanilla, and citrus notes.
Palate: Bold and spicy with a balance of sweet caramel, honey, and a hint of fruitiness. Some batches may have a touch of mint or herbal notes.
Finish: Generally, a long and warm finish with lingering spice.
Blanton’s Original Single Barrel Bourbon:
Nose: Rich with notes of caramel, vanilla, and a hint of citrus.
Palate: Complex and well-balanced, with flavors of honey, toffee, and a mix of fruit and spice. Some variations may have a creamy texture.
Finish: Long and smooth, often with a touch of oak.
Tobacco Barn Distillery Straight Rye (Maryland):
Nose: Rye-forward with spicy and herbal notes, along with hints of caramel and oak.
Palate: Spicy and robust, with flavors of black pepper, cinnamon, and a balance of sweet caramel. Some variations may exhibit fruity undertones.
Finish: Generally, a warm and lingering finish with a mix of spice and oak.
We also had some venison sausage provided by Ken Jr. and I brought the Terrapin Ridge Farms nashville hot spice mustard. Both were very good.
