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You are here: Home / Archives for bird hunting

bird hunting

WHY WE HUNT, Member Don Mallicoat

June 22, 2017 by Ruffed Grouse Society

I don’t remember the first bird I shot. But I do remember when I knew I was a bird hunter. As a burr-headed boy of about 12, I was walking with Uncle Jim along a field edge in Alabama hunting rabbits behind a couple of beagles. The sudden eruption of a covey of quail not only startled my nerves, but drew something up from deep within that said, “This is who you are.” I have now been a bird hunter for 50 years.

[Read more…] about WHY WE HUNT, Member Don Mallicoat

Filed Under: Dogs, Hunting, Read, Why We Hunt Tagged With: bird hunting, grouse hunting, hunting, hunting dogs, ruffed grouse, ruffed grouse society, Why We Hunt

WHY WE HUNT, Member Payton Gunby

May 31, 2017 by Ruffed Grouse Society

I grouse hunt because it’s in my DNA. Surprisingly, it doesn’t have to be passed down through genetics. Take a stroll through the grouse woods and you might find it quickly imprinted in yours.

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The story of grouse hunting for me starts somewhere in the Deep South . . . in a part of Georgia, oddly enough, where there are no grouse. I’m still a third generation bird hunter – Every winter from December to the middle of January, we hunt the bird every grouse hunter knows: woodcock.

At a young age I was always with the bird dogs in the kennels until I was old enough to go and watch, then shoot. Prior to grouse hunting, I had hunted quail, chukar, pheasant and woodcock. Most of my hunting was with my dad, so grouse was the only bird he had hunted that I hadn’t. He made his first trip to grouse country a couple years before I did. The bird dogs are my world, and when I found another game bird to hunt, I wanted to burst with excitement.

[Read more…] about WHY WE HUNT, Member Payton Gunby

Filed Under: Dogs, Hunting, Read, Why We Hunt Tagged With: american woodcock, American Woodcock Society, aws, bird dogs, bird hunting, dogs, forest, forests, Grouse, grouse dogs, grouse hunting, gun dogs, habitat, hunting, national forests, rgs, ruffed grouse, ruffed grouse society, upland hunting, Woodcock, woodcock hunting, young forests

2016 RGS GROUSE CAMP TOUR – North Carolina & Georgia

November 21, 2016 by Ruffed Grouse Society

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North Carolina/Georgia

RGS chapters are striving to ensure national forests are properly managed in the Southern Appalachian Region to preserve our grouse hunting traditions for future generations.

The famed conservationist Aldo Leopold once said, “We shall never achieve harmony with the land, anymore than we shall achieve absolute justice or liberty for people. In these higher aspirations the important thing is not to achieve but to strive.” The word “strive”, being the operative, is exactly what RGS chapter volunteers are doing in North Carolina and Georgia to ensure our public lands, namely national forests, are being properly managed for wildlife.

[Read more…] about 2016 RGS GROUSE CAMP TOUR – North Carolina & Georgia

Filed Under: Grouse Camp Tour, Habitat, Hunting, Uncategorized Tagged With: american woodcock, American Woodcock Society, appalachia, bird dogs, bird hunting, conservation, dog, dogs, forest, forest management, forests, Grouse, grouse hunting, gun, gun dogs, guns, habitat, habitat management, hunting, mountains, ruffed grouse, ruffed grouse society, shotguns, southern appalachia, tree, trees, upland, upland hunting, uplands, Woodcock, woodcock hunting

2016 RGS GROUSE CAMP TOUR – Monterey, Virginia

November 12, 2016 by Ruffed Grouse Society

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RGS 2016 GROUSE CAMP TOUR – Monterey, Virginia

The Birthplace of the Ruffed Grouse Society

Walking down the short main street of Monterey, Virginia, a small mountain town in the northwestern part of the state, it would be difficult to assume that North America’s leading forest wildlife conservation organization was started there way back in 1961, but it was . . . welcome to the birthplace of the Ruffed Grouse Society.

[Read more…] about 2016 RGS GROUSE CAMP TOUR – Monterey, Virginia

Filed Under: Grouse Camp Tour, Habitat, Hunting, Uncategorized Tagged With: american woodcock, American Woodcock Society, appalachia, bird dogs, bird hunting, conservation, dog, dogs, forest, forest management, forests, Grouse, grouse hunting, gun, gun dogs, guns, habitat, habitat management, hunting, mountains, ruffed grouse, ruffed grouse society, shotguns, southern appalachia, tree, trees, upland, upland hunting, uplands, Woodcock, woodcock hunting

Why We Hunt, with Member Douglas B. Egenolf

September 14, 2016 by Ruffed Grouse Society

Be careful . . . ruffed grouse will burn a passion into your hunting heart from which you can’t break free.

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Give me just a touch of cooler air and for some reason, I have to start roaming. If the calendar is on the right month, that means the ruffed grouse season is in full swing. I am going to spend my free time experiencing a dense woods devour me, bones and all. I could spend some time waiting in a treestand for a whitetailed deer to come by but, I must admit, I still get fidgety. That sitting in one spot doesn’t give me any relief from that feeling that I have to roam. As I study my simple reaction to cooler weather, some will call it many things. I no longer think of it as being a passed-down tradition, being taught by someone, etc., etc. It is in my blood, and this feeling comes over me much the same as breathing; so simple and natural.

[Read more…] about Why We Hunt, with Member Douglas B. Egenolf

Filed Under: Hunting, Read, Why We Hunt Tagged With: bird, bird dogs, bird hunting, birds, dog, dogs, Grouse, grouse dogs, gun dogs, hunting, pointing dogs, ruffed grouse, ruffed grouse society, upland hunting, Why We Hunt

Why We Hunt, with Member Tom Keer

August 16, 2016 by Ruffed Grouse Society

Our hats look like oil pans, our favorite vests have more patches and thread than original cloth, and while we may be late to supper, we are never late for opening day. Anything done in moderation shows a lack of interest, and we are among the obsessed. Go hard or go home.

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I don’t think we grouse and woodcock hunters are very smart.  At least I know I’m not. For what kind of hunter volunteers to get shredded by cover only to get a glimmer of a snap shot at cagey birds that dart behind aspen swales and pine boughs? And what kind of hunter shrugs off a bark dusting so easily that it’s considered normal? We do it again and again so much so that we are reminded of Albert Einstein’s ‘Definition of Insanity’: “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” Even though I know your answer, it’s not right for me to answer for you. But for me? By Einstein’s definition, I am insane.

[Read more…] about Why We Hunt, with Member Tom Keer

Filed Under: Dogs, Hunting, Read, Why We Hunt Tagged With: american woodcock, American Woodcock Society, bird dogs, bird hunting, birds, firearms, Grouse, grouse dogs, grouse hunting, gun dogs, guns, hunt, hunting, ruffed grouse, ruffed grouse society, shooting, upland, upland hunting, uplands, Why We Hunt, Woodcock, woodcock hunting

Staff Meeting & Info Updates

June 13, 2016 by Ruffed Grouse Society

RGS and AWS staff and their dogs convened at headquarters in Pittsburgh last week to plan for the future of habitat programs, membership, events and communications.

STAFF MEETING

RGS and AWS staff and some of their grouse dogs convened at headquarters near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania last week to plan for the future of habitat programs, membership initiatives, events and communications. Numerous presentations and break-out sessions allow staff to collaborate planning at the national level and also specific to their regions. Biologists, regional directors and headquarters staff are able to meet and plan in-person and brainstorm ways to create and implement more effective and efficient programs that enhance healthy forests that support abundant wildlife and preserve our sporting traditions for future generations.

[Read more…] about Staff Meeting & Info Updates

Filed Under: News, Read Tagged With: abundant wildlife, american woodcock, American Woodcock Society, biologist, bird dogs, bird hunting, dogs, forest, forests, Grouse, grouse dogs, gun, gun dogs, guns, habitat, healthy forests, hunting, hunting dogs, ruffed grouse, ruffed grouse society, shotgun, sporting traditions, upland, upland hunting, uplands, wildlife, Woodcock, young forest

Coming soon . . . Ruffed Grouse Society Summer Magazine

May 19, 2016 by Ruffed Grouse Society

Get premier content on grouse and woodcock hunting and conservation, exclusive to RGS and AWS members

Cover
The cover image by renowned ruffed grouse photographer Tim Flanigan certainly fits the RGS and AWS mission depicting a great image of a ruffed grouse with the view of cut logs in the background signifying the benefits of forest management on young forest wildlife species.
[Read more…] about Coming soon . . . Ruffed Grouse Society Summer Magazine

Filed Under: Dogs, Gear Reviews, Hunting, Mentored Hunting, Uncategorized, Wildlife Ecology Tagged With: american woodcock, American Woodcock Society, articles, bird dogs, bird hunting, birds, dogs, forest, forest habitat, forests, Grouse, gun dogs, guns, habitat, hunting, hunting dogs, magazine, magazines, photography, photos, publishing, ruffed grouse, ruffed grouse society, shotguns, stories, trees, upland hunting, Woodcock

Day 5 Redux of the Grouse Camp Tour

January 10, 2016 by Ruffed Grouse Society

Day 5 began with a tour at the headquarters of Stormy Kromer, Jacquart Fabric Products, Ironwood, MI. (U.P.) Owner Bob Jacqaurt, who’s one of the most studied Kromer historians today has been a longtime friend of RGS Regional Director, Dave Johnson. Dave paired the Grouse Camp Tour crew up with area chapter committee member Matt Tingstad and friend and fellow RGS member Luke Lamb. It was a short and wet morning hunt but proved to be productive.

Filed Under: Gear Reviews, Grouse Camp Tour, Hunting, Watch Tagged With: 2015 grouse camp tour, bird hunting, grouse camp, Grouse Camp Tour, grouse hunting, hunting, woodcock hunting

Day 1 Redux of the Grouse Camp Tour

January 4, 2016 by Ruffed Grouse Society

Day 1 of the inaugural RGS Grouse Camp Tour took place on October 19, 2015 in central Minnesota. RGS Staff, Matt Soberg, Seth Heasley, and Nick Larson met up with local member and chapter committee member Aaron Regier. The day was spent following him and his setter female “Wren” around some of his favorite public hunting spots.

[Read more…] about Day 1 Redux of the Grouse Camp Tour

Filed Under: Grouse Camp Tour, Hunting, Watch Tagged With: 2015 grouse camp tour, bird hunting, english setters, grouse camp, Grouse Camp Tour, grouse dogs, grouse hunting, woodcock hunting

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