Virginia/Tennessee
Grouse/woodcock hunters are speaking for the wildlife that cannot speak for themselves – influencing forest management on public lands.
Only partially down the Tennessee mountain trail, Parker Street, of the Appalachian Highlands RGS Chapter, pointed to some Rhododendron sandwiched between clear old growth and a more recently managed mountainside. “Right here . . . there ought to be a bird in here, boys,” he urged.
[Read more…] about 2016 GROUSE CAMP TOUR – Virginia/TennesseeGrousing soon became my religion, one that challenged me to view the world through a lens of ethics, stewardship and conservation, community and wild untrammeled beauty that is the sport.
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On the morning of Sunday March 6, 2016 my roommate and I found ourselves driving towards Winslow Maine. A drab, brown coat of mud, salt and sand paints the roadside snowbanks of the old farm roads. Spring is so close we can taste it, each night I walk the blueberry fields along the ocean at my home in Cutler eagerly looking to see if my woodcock have returned. I’m in the final full semester of my college career, and the world as far as I can see it is my oyster. Friends, colleagues and family had all begun to ask, “What are your plans after school?” I would answer them all with the same patented response I’d been giving since I was seven years old, “I don’t know what my life plan is, but I’m getting a bird dog.”
[Read more…] about Why We Hunt, with Member Landon KnittweisWorking your dog in the off-season with training partners helps ensure you get the most out of your fall.
Working your dog in the off-season is a good way to ensure you get the most out of your fall. Find some training partners, develop relationships with them, and if you don’t know anyone, reach out to others in your area that might have birds, equipment and access to training grounds.
Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society members are a dedicated group of hunters and conservationists, and attending an RGS or AWS birds and brew event, meet and greet, fun hunt, shoot or banquet can be a great resource to find like-minded hunters that have a passion for good dog work and time in the field pursuing birds.
[Read more…] about Training in the Dog Days of SummerDay 4 took place at a very unique grouse camp in Wisconsin. Father and son, Chuck and Chris Bye have tailored their camp specifically for hunting grouse with their prized crew of English setters, including ideal habitat for grouse and woodcock as well as tons of trails for hunters of all mobility levels. Also in camp was Henry Page, longtime friend of the Bye’s and fellow RGS member. It didn’t take the crew long to realize that the most of elements that made up this camp were also in the minds of many grouse hunters’ who strive for a special camp of their own. No element of the grouse camp and hunt experience were lost on these guys, for them it’s about the entire experience, not the game bag status at day’s end.
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
