Closing Out the 2019/2020 Season

We certainly had an abbreviated hunting season, being completely occupied with puppies for most of the late fall and early winter. To cap off the final days of Washington’s upland hunting season, we headed over the mountains and spent a week in the southeast corner of the state. Despite cold weather and being terribly out of form for late season hunting, we made the most of the opportunity end the season with some birds in the bag!

The breaks of the Snake River were calling to us after finding our first chukar there last year. Hindsight suggests that perhaps starting our big hunting trip chasing chukar up canyon walls may not have been the best way to ease into it, but we heeded their call. The plan was to make a quick loop up the canyon since Abby would be waiting (hopefully patiently) in her kennel in the truck. Everything was covered in snow, so we picked a reasonable ascent and started exploring. Just a short while later, Piper was on point up above us. She held that point staunchly for at least twenty minutes while we dragged our sorry rear-ends up the mountain. I looped around and tried my best to approach her from above. She held steady and indicated the direction of the covey. They flushed a bit far away - and I was heaving and wheezing heavily - so I shot in their general direction but unfortunately did not connect. Regardless, the extraordinary dog work - and having hardly hunted at all this season to stay sharp - was really impressive and absolutely made my day.

We slowed down a bit in the following days and hunted pheasant and quail in the Pomeroy area. We met up with a friend who taught us a ton about January pheasant cover. We were seeing lots of birds but, despite sub-freezing temps and gusty winds, they were very spooky and flushing well out of range. Finally, on the last spot of the day, we were able to pinch a running rooster in a creek drainage and get him to take flight within range. I connected on the shot and Piper executed a perfect track and recovery. She followed his trail for about 100 yards until she located him over the dropoff and in the flowing creek. I could not have been more proud!

We took advantage of opportunities to get Abby out into the field as well. We weren’t ready to shoot around her, but we definitely wanted her to smell some birds and get used to searching out in front of us. She got a huge kick out of following Piper around in the snow. Later, we took her to a site where we’d shot quail the day before. We let her search the drainage and look for birds on her own. The quail didn’t seem to be there, but she was lucky enough to happen upon a couple of rooster pheasants. She also led us to a rooster carcass hidden in the grass, likely taken by a hawk. It was clear that she knows that birds are something special.

We returned home tired, sore, nursing raw pads and a barbed wire cut… but also refreshed, rejuvenated, and happy. Piper continues to impress with her developing maturity and Abby is just about to find out what she was born to do. We are so excited to get started on training for next season!

Dusky Grouse Redux

Feeling pretty excited about our rookie success on Dusky Grouse, we headed back over the mountains at our next available opportunity. We retraced our steps to the areas we’d found birds and focused our efforts on identifying likely habitat and resting spots. We looked for clues in the vegetation and tried to find patterns. For example, the crop of the grouse we’d shot last week had been stuffed with blue elderberries and rose leaves, so we kept an eye out for these likely food sources. We knew there were birds in these mountains, so now we tried to predict exactly where they were hanging out.

Despite significantly different weather conditions with cooler temps and high winds, we found another dozen birds in similar locations. Our best success seemed to be along the edge of the clearcut for the high tension power lines - which makes sense with the grouse’s reputation as a bird “of the edges”. Sneaking up on the windward side of the hills, we crested over the top of each hill and found birds hunkered down on the downwind side. This tactic didn’t provide for any scenting opportunities for the pup, but most of the birds hadn’t held well enough for a point anyway.

The high winds made for strange flight patterns and we struggled to find many shooting opportunities, but I was lucky enough to connect on a beautiful Dusky Grouse that leapt up out of the clearcut and headed straight toward the safety of the thick forest. It made for a challenging retrieve because the bird fell into the thick brush at the edge of the forest, but there was never any question that Piper was going to find that downed bird. After a brief wait while she worked the scent into the cover, she appeared proudly at the clearing and delivered the grouse to my hand. I was ecstatic.

Piper did end up with a beautiful point on a sitting bird along a ridge, but unfortunately the bird flushed low on the steep slope and Piper broke from her point - so no shots were taken. It was nice to get a point on a bird that notoriously doesn’t hold well. We are still working on putting all the pieces together!

All in all, it was another successful day as we added to our notes and knowledge about these grouse and their habits. It feels good to come home with birds on our first two attempts and we look forward to further dialing them in!

Chasing Blues

We made it a goal this year to really focus on early season grouse hunting. With Piper being pregnant, we wanted to take advantage of as much of the September and early October hunting opportunities as possible. Here in Washington, that means forest grouse.

After a couple of unproductive outings in the thick undergrowth of the temperate rainforest that we call home, we decided to head over the crest of the Cascades to the dry side of the mountains. We studied maps and satellite images to pick a few forested public areas that seemed promising for both Ruffed and Dusky Grouse.

Just a few miles and several switchbacks up the first forest road, we had our very first grouse encounter. A pair of Duskies were starting to cross the logging road when we came rolling up. Joe hit the brakes and put the truck into reverse. We crept backward out of sight and looked at each other. What now? Excitement got the better of me and I hopped out of the truck, grabbed my gun, and tiptoed through the woods. Feeling a bit like Elmer Fudd, I swiveled my head back and forth as I stalked through the pines. Sure enough, two grouse leapt up out of thin air and flushed in opposite directions. I stood, slack-jawed, as I watched one sail across my field of view and into a distant tree. I later told myself that it was WAY too far away to shoot, but in reality, I was just paralyzed by the rush of the new experience.

Since this location seemed promising, we set off from the truck and walked the ridge in a large loop. Other than re-flushing the grouse out of its tree perch, we didn’t encounter any other birds in this area. It was quickly getting warm and we worried about pushing Piper too hard, so we went back to the truck and continued our drive through the National Forest.

The day continued in much the same way - drive to a new spot, hike in a big loop, and flush a few birds. We moved a total of eleven grouse before finally getting an opportunity to shoot. Right as the end of shooting light was approaching, a young bird crossed our path and froze when he realized his mistake. His exit wasn’t fast enough and I was lucky enough to connect. Piper had a flawless retrieve to hand - a perfect way to end our first day chasing blue grouse.

Zeke Goes Hunting

While Zeke (Bolt vom Coraschatten) was staying with us for breeding purposes, we took advantage of the opening of Washington’s grouse season to stretch his legs and to learn more about his hunting abilities. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to hunt behind the sire of our future litter; in addition to getting to know him in our home, I’d also get to know more about his hunting style and handling of birds.

We stayed close to home and hiked the logging roads of the state forest near us. This western Washington foothills terrain holds a few ruffed grouse - not a huge population, but enough to reliably get some bird contact without driving more than twenty minutes from home. The cover is ridiculously thick so the chance of actually seeing and shooting a bird is always slim.

Zeke’s enthusiasm for the impending hunt was infectious. Once he realized we were loading guns, boots, and him into the truck, he was positively buzzing with excitement. By the time we arrived at the trailhead, he was almost shaking. There was no doubt about it - this sweet boy was hunt-obsessed. Even so, his excellent training kicked in and he heeled nicely up the logging road before taking off like a rocket once he was released for the search.

Hunting behind Zeke was a bit like hunting behind a cannonball. It was apparent that this was new terrain for him, proven by the bloody nose he received from a blackberry tangle. He was undeterred though, and proceeded to search the forest with great enthusiasm. It was comical for us to watch his style of powering through the brush, since Piper is a much more thoughtful (read: cautious) searcher in thick cover. Neither approach is necessarily better than the other, just different. Despite his vigorous search, he checked in frequently and always stayed within a reasonable range for hunting in thick cover.

We moved a couple of grouse and Zeke had the opportunity to show off his tracking skills in the forest, but no shots were taken. My favorite moment was when a grouse flushed out of a tree along the road, completely unseen. At the first sound of wing beats, Zeke froze. What a good, steady boy!

Even though we didn’t have any birds to show for the outing, I was very pleased to see Zeke’s enthusiastic search and excellent nose work. He clearly has a nice mix of natural hunting abilities and trained skills such as steadiness and whistle handing. He was cooperative and showed great teamwork, much to my great delight.

Knowing the hunting styles of both the sire and the dam of our upcoming litter is really important to me. I think it’s essential to be able to discuss both parents with prospective buyers. Temperament and natural hunting abilities are essential to the future of the Deutsch Langhaar breed and to my breeding goals, so I’m really excited to see how these puppies will turn out!