by Nate Kennedy
It was three Septembers ago. My first real opening day and my initiation to the joy of hunting over a grouse dog. It was hot and humid, and the air grew thicker and thicker as the golden hour set in. I stumbled along through the alders, trying my best to keep up with Tripp Way and his wirehair, Ruby, not wanting to miss any opportunity to learn or, even more, to shoot. It was a day I’ll never forget – and the first of many great days learning from Tripp and his dog. I took notice of every detail from his well-worn double gun to his old school strap vest as, at the time, I was building my own sort of “kit” for the grouse woods. As I tangled on behind him, the series of patches adorning his vest caught my eye. One from a local gun club, two from RGS & AWS and a third that really piqued my curiosity.
The patch read, “Loyal Order of Dedicated Grouse Hunters.”
I eventually asked him about the Loyal Order of Dedicated Grouse Hunters (LODGH) and he told me it was a great group with a newsletter and a very interesting citizen science kind of data sharing opportunity. He said that many of our RGS & AWS members were also members of LODGH. He encouraged me to join. I did and I, too, received a patch, which I wear proudly on my vest beside my own RGS & AWS patches. It was the patch that I just had to have. Admittedly, I’m a sucker for a good merch opportunity. Yet, for many reasons other than wearing that patch, I’m glad to be a member of LODGH.
LODGH is just as it sounds: a group of hunters with a special place in their hearts for the king of upland birds. Their official publication, Grouse Tales, is a bimonthly newsletter published by Mr. Ken Szabo since 1975. Reminiscent of a classic small-town newspaper, the Grouse Tales envelope puts a smile on my face every time I find it in my mailbox. Its pages display a great mix of photos, hunting stories, scientific intrigue and odes to bird dogs both here and gone.
What’s more? When you join, Ken will send you a diary of sorts. A grouse hunting log. You fill it out with your flush counts, shots fired, birds pointed, dog type, gauge of choice and other information, and maintain it throughout your grouse and woodcock hunting season. At the season’s close, you send it in and in the postseason issue of Grouse Tales you receive a detailed spreadsheet of data from all across the grouse range. It’s an incredibly interesting and involved bit of information and it was a treat to receive my first year as a member. Even better, this year I got to see my own contributions with my own dog and my own sub-par shooting.
My favorite thing to do is to try and hone in on others whom I may know and follow along with the story that their season’s numbers told, what their gun of choice was for the year and which dog breed they proudly choose to display (Lookin’ at you, Colonel!). I’m sure I’m not the only one sleuthing through the Grouse Tales data this way.
Along with that postseason data are postseason highlights – one of which this year included my own success over my first grouse dog in addition to stories and photos from several RGS & AWS members and fellow grouse and woodcock hunters.
The record keeping for LODGH isn’t just a fun thing to do as a part of that organization, it’s a bit of pressure on myself to maintain a record of the days spent afield, which is rewarding in many ways. It’s my favorite part of the newsletter. I’m already looking forward to next season!
I recently caught up with Ken Szabo to learn a little more about LODGH. He told me, “In the fall of 1969, George King of Jeanette, Pennsylvania, began publishing the newsletter Grouse Cover. Due to the demands of everyday life, he ended publication in 1973. During those years, I was a driving force in his overall membership list, particularly in Ohio. After several discussions and meetings – and with his approval – I began Grouse Tales in the fall of 1975.”
“I had no experience as a writer and was a firefighter for the City of Cleveland, Ohio, serving in that capacity as a nozzleman on an engine company. It’s been 49 years since. I never thought I would still be publishing Grouse Tales at age 85.”
Ken went on to tell me that his time with LODGH has been a tremendous education with ruffed grouse hunters all across the country that money cannot buy. “Trust me. They and I are far different from all other types of hunters,” he said. “I learned what grouse hunters like, want and need, but, more importantly, what they don’t like. I know they greatly enjoy Grouse Tales, and I must continue on. I will not let them down.”
I asked Ken what he hopes members “get” out of their LODGH participation. He said, “I hope they will learn more respect and love for ruffed grouse. I hope they enjoy reading the thrills, success and failures of other grouse hunters from across the country. I hope they become proud of belonging to a tremendous and unique group of upland hunters. As the saying goes, there are fishermen and there are trout fishermen. There are bird hunters and there are ruffed grouse hunters. I hope they heed my words, ‘Let me hear from you.’ I hope they learn to love and understand the ruffed grouse as I always have through the newsletter.”
Ken is quite clearly a real deal grouse hunter. In the years when he first began LODGH, he was hunting more than 50 days each season. Those real deal grouse hunters whom we all know and love often tend to be gluttonous for punishment. They enjoy the action. Ken told me, “A cadet firefighter on an engine company is first assigned to the tip or nozzle and is known as the nozzleman. I was always assigned to engine companies and remained a nozzleman throughout my career. I could have very easily transferred elsewhere within the department, especially with advancing seniority, but I always wanted to remain a nozzleman. Why? Because that’s where all the action was at!” That’s the real deal.
The peak of membership in LODGH was during the stretch from 1980 to 2000, though its quality and value to grouse hunters has remained. To join LODGH and subscribe to Grouse Tales costs $19 per calendar year ($24 for the remainder of the year and all the following year when entered after June 30). To Canadian members, add $3. Send payment in addition to your name and mailing address to Grouse Tales, 35162 Schoolhouse Ln., N. Ridgeville, OH 44039. Be sure to ask Ken about procuring a patch of your own to display next to the RGS & AWS patch on your vest this fall. Ken can also be contacted via email atgrousetales1@gmail.com.
The greatest connection between RGS & AWS and LODGH from where I sit is our shared membership. I’ve been in a number of grouse camps over the last few years and always enjoy seeing our members’ LODGH certificates proudly displayed on the wall. Beyond that, their shared love of birds, dogs and habitat. If you’re a proud member of RGS & AWS, I’d encourage you to join LODGH, participate in the annual survey and share your stories and photos within the pages of Grouse Tales as I hope you do within the pages of Covers. When you’re sleuthing through the data, look for me. I’ll be the New Yorker with the Griff and the horrific shooting percentage.
Thanks to Ken Szabo for his nearly 50 years of dedication to LODGH and Grouse Tales and to the birds we all love and cherish.
Nate Kennedy is the Northeast Regional Engagement Coordinator at RGS & AWS. He’s a lifelong hunter, angler and writer with an MPS in environmental communication from SUNY ESF. Nate lives in Northern New York with his wife Jessica and their WPG Raquette.
