Rory and I met online back in 2008. Our first date was at a Starbucks, where I proceeded to shock him by ordering hot chocolate on a 100 degree day. I'm not sure if that is what prompted him to follow up and ask for a second date (a hike up nearby 'mountain' looking for Shorthorned Lizards), and then a third (another hike on another very hot day), but whatever the reason, a bit over a month later I found myself out hunting for basically the first time of my life.
September first for Rory means grouse hunting. And from the start of our relationship, I've tagged along - taking pictures, staying behind the hunters, and keeping a look out for grouse & where they fall once shot, and then more recently I've joined the hunt with a shotgun myself.
That first hunt we got up at what I (somewhat) affectionately refer to as stupid-o-clock, which basically means anytime far earlier than usual, generally well before dawn starts to make the outside world visible. Rory was living at his old house in town, and I was down visiting. We had a 30 minute drive just to get to where we live now, then further still on the forest roads to get up to the good grouse spots.
There was nervous excitement in the pit of my stomach, and chilly wind blowing on my cheeks, in part to alleviate the foul air that I've come to accept as part of the Jeep experience. I quickly realized I was expected to peer sideways out my wide open window either upslope or downslope, depending on the road, and look out into the dawn light for grouse sitting on the ground, on logs, or on stumps, or perched on tree branches.
I don't remember whether he shot his limit that first time out or not, but I know I had a good time. Although by now I've hunted other animals with Rory - ducks, quail, huns, chukar, turkeys, and deer, my favorite by far is grouse. There is something about that first hunt of the fall. The cooler morning temperatures, the early dawn light, the scenic views from where we grouse hunt, the leaves starting to change color and drift to the ground, the first waft of smelly Jeep air.
Grouse hunting is something we do as a family, usually just Rory, the girls, and myself, with the hunting dogs bringing up the sides. We drive around looking for grouse, go on hikes with beautiful views, and have so much time to bond as a family - experiencing nature at its finest, while bringing home meat for the freezer.
As I looked back through 6 years of September grouse hunting pictures to accompany this post, family is definitely the center of the event. I can look and see Maddycakes growing up, from the first year I hunted grouse, when she was in my belly, to the following year where she wasn't yet walking, and on and on to this year, with new little Elsa just 3 months old.
That brings us to this year, these hunts with 2 littles, and a mama not yet back in shape from pregnancy. Rory's been just as interested in hunting every morning and night he isn't at work as ever, and hasn't been put off by us slowing him down. Ever the gentleman, he's instead adapted to our speed, accepting our limitations in stride. Too bumpy of a road for the baby? Nevermind mama, we'll just do this one over here instead. Too tired to be anything but cranky? Nevermind mama, how about I hike in and find you another grouse to finish out your limit and call you in when I've got it perched in a tree. Baby occupying your hands so you can't even help feather one bird? Nevermind mama, you just sit over there and Maddycakes and I will feather all your birds.
Although the first day this year we focused on getting him his limit, the second day was all about getting me mine. The daily limit here is 4 birds per person, and that second day we both limited out on our morning hunt. While the first day was a joint effort spotting the birds and finding where they lit up, the second day was all Rory. Bird after bird he spotted, and I'd move in for the shot. Five birds he spotted for me (the first one I would have gotten if I had been shooting high base not the low base that scared it off but didn't penetrate), and four birds he feathered and cleaned for our freezer for me.
With the baby this year, I'm not going to be duck hunting, and don't expect to be doing any deer hunting either. But grouse hunting was one thing that brand new baby or not, I was not going to skip out on this year.
On day two of grouse hunting here in north central Washington my one goal was to get my wife a limit of grouse. I was not going to shoot any grouse until my wife had her limit. This time I got a few hours of sleep the night before and again I woke everyone up to get going at first light. I rode the lucky gate and we headed to what we call "The Lower Road."
We get to the top of one hill but before we drop into the next drainage we have to go through another gate which is old, heavy and not fun to move at all. As I was going to get out to open it my wife tells me she will get it. As she drags it open like a pro I give her a smile as I drive through. After a couple moments of waiting for her on the other side I look in my mirror to see her moving the old heavy gate about an inch at a time and with a very flustered look on her face. I get out to HELP her and she quickly returns to her seat with a 'hurry and get this gate closed so we can go hunting' look.
A short time later I see the first grouse in the grass along the road. It flushes into a tree and my wife gets out to shoot it. She shoots a 7 1/2 12 gauge low base shell. So I like her to get a bit closer than she was when she pulled up for the shot. When she pulled the trigger feathers floated down out of the tree and the bird set its wings for the bottom on the valley. There are three choices to choose from in this situation.
A. Positive feed back. "Hey don't worry, at least you got feathers, we will see more."
B. Silence. "..............................................sniff, sniff........................................."
C. Poking fun. "Hey Annie Oakley did you have your eyes closed?"
I tend to start with A and after getting the just shut up look move to B. And if we ever do get some grouse I might be brave enough to move to C.
So this time I give her some positive feedback. As we are looking for more grouse after a few minutes I realize she is not that pleased with herself so I move to silence.
A few corners later I spot the next grouse. My wife gets out and drops it. and I revert back to some positive feedback.
When we finished the lower road my wife had three birds. So I put my big boy pants on and went in for some Poking Fun. "Well I did my job, I showed you 4 birds." with a smile and after an "yeah, yeah" from the wife, I knew she was feeling a lot better now that she had three birds in the bag.
I again decided to take the big loop around, with the idea of stopping in one creek bed where we have had good luck with ruffed grouse in past years. I pull the Jeep over and my wife asks me what I am doing. I told her I was going to go find some grouse. We both get out of the vehicle and load our guns. I went straight in to the thick and nasty stuff and my wife stayed out on the road. ( sometimes I like having someone out of the thick stuff so they can see where the grouse flush to.) Meanwhile our two Wirehaired Pointing griffons start working the creek bed.
5 minutes into the walk the bushes explode with flight. I yell to my wife "Get in here". Her response is "I am busy helping Maddy go Potty". I knew what that meant. BANG, BANG, BANG. My wife yells to me "How many are there!?" I told her - well I just shot three. The dogs start coming out of the brush with birds in the mouth like worker bees bringing pollen back to the hive. They drop the birds at my feet and go back for more. When all the downed birds are back they go back to searching for live birds. I see Remi get birdy and about 10 feet above her a grouse was sitting in a tree. I again yelled for my wife to get in to the bushes. She yells back and says she is on her way. She gets back to me, shoots the grouse, and I tell her I will get the bird and she can work the 70 yards back to the Jeep and kids. I retrieve her 4th and final bird of her limit. Remi flushes up another bird and I see the general area it went to. I have to crawl under some of the thick brush to get to it. I drop it with one shot and with 8 birds our day is done.
So peration get the wife her limit is complete. We sit on the side of the road and feather all of our birds. Maddy dances and plays in the falling feathers as part of a perfect grouse hunting morning.
The night before grouse hunting opened I had to work a night shift. I arranged my schedule to get off at 4 am instead of my usual 6 am. That gives me two hours to drive home, get ready and get the family up and awake for hunting. So I get home get both the car seats moved over to the Jeep. The best thing for me about getting the family up is waking up my three year old daughter Maddy by giving her a little shake and asking her if she wants to go hunting. I am always greeted with a big smile and a soft whisper of "yes". The wife heard me get home so her and baby Elsa got up without any help. We loaded everything up and got going about 10 minutes late.
While I am grouse hunting I am very superstitious. Silly things like, I have to be wearing the right clothes, I have to ride the gate to our hunting road and when I am driving I have to hold two shells in my one of my hands. I don't know what to say but it work for me.
We get to the road we will be hunting and start the slow drive. Since we had the baby a few months prior my wife wont be doing any long hikes this year. We get all the way to the end of the road and did not see a simgle grouse. I figure its going to be one of those frustrating opening days. We tell ourselves that sometimes we see birds on the way out to make ourselves feel better. So we turn around and start making our way out. A ways down the road I see the first grouse. As it starts running through the bushes it flushes into a tree. The wife offers me the first grouse of the year and I take the shot. The bird came tumbling down out of the tree.
A few minutes later I found my second bird. As I drove around a few corners all of a sudden there was a grouse running for its life in front of the Jeep. The grouse flushes into a tree and I get my second bird of the day.
A few more corners down the road I find one for my wife to shoot up in the bushes. So now the pressure is off and everyone is happy. Except now my wife has a bit of confidence and she tells me she would like to limit out in one of the up coming days.
We get to the main road and I decide to take the main loop around instead of the quick drive home. While driving down the main road I catch a flushing grouse out of the corner of my eye. I slam on the breaks walk back find the grouse and add my third grouse for the day.
We drive a few more roads and did not find any more grouse for the morning hunt. But we did see a bear with a funny yellow patch of fur on his right rear thigh. I was also able to get a rabbit in the bag as well.
We returned home so I could get some sleep since I had been up since 5 PM the day before.
My wife woke me up for the evening hunt. I was having a really hard time waking up, but then I remembered I only had one more grouse to go for my limit. We went to the same area but drove the upper road. A mile in on the road I spotted a grouse running through the grass about 40 feet off the road. I chased after it and it flushed. I shot at it in the air and missed. I shot under it as it flew into a tree. I knocked it out of the tree and returned to the Jeep with my limit for the day. We did not see another grouse for the night.
Five grouse for opening day was good enough for us and we went home very happy and content.
So grouse hunting starts in a week here in Washington State. This is the first day of serious hunting for me and my family. The family and I decided to take a drive around the main road in our hunting area to see if we could find anything.
We start off just before dusk, I mentally gave us enough time to get home just before dark. Of course everything goes out the window when you have a baby, and of course I did not factor in feeding time for Elsa.
We get back on the road and start seeing some rabbits. We get through some more of the popular grouse area's without seeing anything. When we get to the paved Forrest Service road where we normally would take a left to hunt, we took a right to take us back to the main road which will take us home.
At this point my wife starts telling me how she doesn't know where we are. I told her we never come this way because there is no grouse on this part of the road. Just as I said that we saw four Ruffed Grouse on the side of the road next to a small stand of aspen. My wife chimed in well I guess we will be coming this way this year.
The rest of the drive home we just saw a bunch of rabbits, more than we normally see and 4 whitetail deer(No Bucks). My prediction for this year is that it will be a good grouse season in North Central Washington. I think the spring rain held off long enough for the chicks to get big enough to withstand a heavy rain. We then had some early summer rain which would of let the berries and other food for the grouse come in nicely. Only time will tell.
So here is the first video I have ever filmed, edited and published by myself. Luckily hunting was really good. I missed some shots of the kills but that is what happens when your filming by yourself.
What the lakes normally look like this time of year.
So this year the weather has been
very warm for the season. Okanogan county had two weeks of rain and above
freezing temps. Normally the lakes I hunt at duck camp are frozen thick with
ice. But the day before Thanksgiving I figured I would drive over there for the
day and see what I could get into. The worst case scenario was the lakes would
be frozen and I would go do some upland hunting.
I get up into camp and lucky me the lakes are free of ice. I
get up above Long Lake and see a group of widgeon swim into a corner of the
lake where I can make a sneak on them. I follow the same little draw I always
do to the lake. It is harder to get down to the lake in the draw later in the
year because all the leaves have fallen off of the trees making you more visible
to the ducks. I get down to the lake edge behind some cattails and know I have
to make my way around the bottom of the lake behind the cattails to get to
where I think the ducks are. I notice that the cattails are not giving me as
much cover as they usually do because the water has risen a few inches from all
the rain. I get about as close to where I think the ducks are as I think
possible. I stand up and nothing happened, I find a rock and throw it into the
water and nothing. I’m starting to get upset thinking the ducks left before I
got down there. Then one lone widgeon drake gets up and I dump it. After I shot
the water beneath me exploded with ducks. I picked out two more ducks which
turned out to be another widgeon and a teal and dumped both of them. The dogs
were still at the top of the hill in the jeep. As I started walking back to get
the dogs another teal jumped out of the cattails and I dropped it. And again
another teal got up and I dropped it. Now I am at 5 ducks out of my limit of 7
and I just started hunting. I told me self I was going to stop shooting at this
lake so I could continue to hunt the rest of the day. As I walk back to the
jeep ducks keep flying right over me but I resist and don’t shoot.
I get to the jeep and drive down to
the lake. I let the dogs out and leave my Winchester SX3 in the jeep. I take
Lily over to where she can get a clear shot at a teal out in the water. But
Lily being Lily, she would not go that far out to it. Remi came over and went
out right away without hesitation and retrieved it. Then we went over the where
the other 4 ducks were. I was standing on some wet slippery logs trying to
guide the dogs to where the ducks were at the edge of the cattails. Lily caught
a scent of one of the ducks and was trying to stand as far out on the logs as
she could without getting in the water sniffing the air. After she fell into
the water a few times she swam through the cattails and got the duck and swam
back. I was very proud of her. Remi then settled down and went to work. She got
the two widgeon without any issues. I knew I had one more down but couldn't see
it anywhere. I figured it must have buried itself in the tall weeds. I threw a
rock into the cattails where I figured the duck must be and Remi jumped in. I
know when Remi gets quiet she is close. A second later she came out with the
5th duck of the lake. Of course while all of this is happening ducks are flying
over and landing in front of us. But sense we did so well on this lake I set a
greenhead only rule for the rest of the day.
We got back into the jeep and went
to the next hole. Again it was full of teal and widgeon which flew right over
us but we let them go since no greenheads were in the groups. I checked Rock Lake
and didn’t see anything worth putting a sneak on. I check some other private
lakes with nothing I was to pursue on them. Then I checked the pan lake at the
Y.
I normally drive by and see what is
in it and then sneak back to it if there is ducks, but it was full of geese and
swans. I knew there was no way to crawl into that lake with all those eye balls
watching for me. So I loaded up with 3 1/2 BB's and just ran over the edge of
the road till they started to fly and cut loose on them. One goose folded out
of the sky and they rest left without saying goodbye. The goose that was down
seemed dazed but definitely not dead. I again ran back to the jeep and got the
dogs. we got back down to the water’s edge and I sat Remi down pointed at the
bird and gave her command of "Dead Bird" which sends her into work
mode, not that she was ever out of that mode. Remi swam out to the goose and of
course it tries to dive on her. After a few misses Remi finally locks her jaws
onto the tail of the goose. As Remi is swimming holding onto the butt of this
goose it is still trying to dive pulling Remi down in the water every now and
then. I tried to run back and get the camera before Remi got to shore but Remi
beat me back. Once Remi got it to shore she was having a hard time picking it
up due to its size and weight.
I drove up the road and saw some
mallards in a lake that I normally don't hunt due to its proximity to a ranch
about 1/4 mile away. I got to the ranch house and speak with the property owner
who I know. I explained to her that in October I kicked some deer hunters off
her land that did not have permission to be there. I also told her that I found
her fences open a few times but I closed them up for her so her cows would not
get out. The I asked her if I could hunt the lake, which she gave me the OK
like she always does when I want to hunt that lake once or so a year. So I
drive around the lake and get into position for my sneak. The mallard were in a
group of spoonies. The wind was also howling over the lake. I get close enough
to where I think I can get my shot off and stand up. The ducks get up into the
wind and I pick out my greenhead. I shoot threes times and all the ducks left.
When they got about 70 yards out a duck dropped out of the sky into the middle
of the lake. I went and got Lily out of the jeep and got her downwind of the
duck. After throwing a few rocks and a few attempts of going out into the water
Lily swam out and got the greenhead.
I
then went to some lakes I thought would hold some geese. I was right and out in
the middle of cut wheat fields there is a lake shaped like an exclamation
point. In the period of the lake sat a group of geese. There is no cover around
the lake except for some tall grass at the edge of the lake. I walked round to
get behind the birds and walked as close as I could till I could start to see
water. I didn't think there was any way I could get close enough to the birds
to get a shot, but I was going to try anyway. I used the lay of the land to my
advantage and crawled around rocks and small hills for what seemed like
forever. I would take breaks every now and then. I was able to get behind the
grass, but then the geese started to move around and get nervous. I was able to
get to the last clump of grass between me and the geese. At this point I got
very confident. I stood up and realized that the geese were still about 35
yards out and they weren’t getting any closer. So I pulled the trigger and
watch handfuls of feathers come off of the bird I was shooting at, but nothing
came down. It was a long disappointing walk back to the jeep.
After only seeing widgeon and teal
the rest of the day and running out of I took off my greenhead rule and went
back to long lake where walked up the other end of the lake and shot a widgeon
to finish off my day.
It was a great day at duck camp and I am sure these lakes
will be solid in the next week or so. So till next year I will be dreaming of
duck camp.
So when I go out hunting I either just take my dog Remi pr both hunting dogs which includes Lily. Bother are German Wired Hair Point Griffons, Remi is 6 years old Lily is 3 years old. I have this theory that when you have a really good dog at swimming for ducks and you get another dog. The second dog wont be as good at it because the good dog is always there to get the ducks. The theory is deeper than that but that is the gist of it, but I will get deeper into it on another post.
So I decided to just take Lily duck hunting with me for the first time ever. I was nervous that she would not swim out and get any ducks I shoot in the water. We get down to the hunting area the Run Way and sneak into our first spot. It is a spot where the ducks will be in one of two spots and you just have to guess which one. Well today I was wrong and I guessed the spot where the ducks weren't and a group of mallards got up off of the other spot. A look down the canal I saw three swans. I have never seen swans in this area before. After they saw me they took off like 747's with their wing tips slapping the water as the fought to gain altitude.
Lily
So I went to the next spot down the canal. It doesn't provide much cover for sneaking but usually enough. Except when there are more swans and their three foot necks see you coming. Again when the swans busted me a small group of mallards left eh hole.
So far Lily has been doing a decent job staying in heal and listen to me. So we walk up to the upper holes and check them for ducks. I am beginning to think this day was going to be a bust. Then at about 200 yards I see a duck stretch it wings. Lil and I go way around and come from a direction so the tall grass would give us better cover. I come up over the little hill blocking the ducks view of me and a Widgeon gets up and I drop it, then a teal and I drop it when another widgeon comes around my gun jammed and I did not get a shot off on it.
Lily jumps into the water and the Teal is swimming / running wounded in front of her at about 10 yards. I know she sees it and I yell "Get That Bird" and Lily just watches it run into the tall grass. I make sure the Widgeon is dead and make my way over to where Lily is. After searching for the Teal for about 10 minutes we give up. I was not happy I do not like losing wounded animals. I don't like losing anything I have shot. Anyway we go over to the widgeon and Lil walks out into the watch and retrieves it with no problem.
So we left the run way with one little ducks, hardly worth the trip. But it was nice to get out and get Lily some work. On the drive home which takes about 5 minutes I decided to pick up Remi and see if we could go get some grouse above the house. With the 4 inches of new snow we had it was a great walk through the snowy woods. But we did not find any grouse, although we did see a huge mule deer buck. He just looked at me and I got within about 10 yards of him trying to get a picture of him.
So on Tuesdays I stay at home with Maddy. This Tuesday we were outside feeding the animals and I asked her if she wanted to go hunting. Her response was a simple yes. Her only request was that we bring her water, which was fine with me. So I packed her day bag with some crackers and duck jerky to snack on.
We set off to a spot I know grouse like to winter. I didn't want to be out long so I had a short trip in mind.
As soon as we get to where I think the grouse are one flushes into a tree. As i get out of the jeep another one flushes into a tree. As I load my gun a third flushes. Now I am trying to keep track were each one is. I find the first one that flushed and as I walked towards it it decides to leave and I dump it. I then went for the third one that flushed. As I see it in the tree I aim at it ready for it to flush as I get closer. While aiming at the third on About 10 feet away from me in my peripheral vision I see a the second one looking at me. I dump the third one and turn the the second still looking at me. I can only see his head and I know if it flushes out the back side of the tree I will not get another shot at it so I shoot it in the head right out of the tree.
Remi jumped out of the jeep and went to work. She found the three big blue grouse right away. As I climbed back into the jeep a fourth grouse flushed about 40 yards up the hillside into the a tree. I load back up and walk up the hill. Just as I see it it flushes and I can not get a shot through the thick fir trees. Just then a fifth on flushes back down by the road. I try to see where it lands and I think I have a good line on it. As I am walking to where I think the grouse is two more flush out of a tree and I get one of them for my fourth and final grouse of my limit.
I walk back to the jeep which is about 30 yards with my four grouse. The smile on Maddy's face when I come back with birds is priceless. Maddy always asked for a tail feather or two to play with on the drive home.
This is my first limit of grouse in November.
We did stop by a lake up in the grouse woods to see if we could get some ducks but they did want to fly over me.
The next day I was up cutting wood. Driving home with my second trailer full of wood a ruffed grouse almost flew into the jeep. I watched it land in a tree I got out of the jeep and shot it and Lily went out a retrieved the bird. When I got home my wife is has grouse envy with all the birds I have seen the past two days.
So this year there have already been some firsts , like the $100 duck. But today will another first for me and my wife.
It all started the night before when my wife got home a little early so I decided to head down to the local duck hunting spot The Run Way and see what I could get. I got to the first and best area to jump some ducks and I shot a triple in mallards. This area is a side channel of the Methow River and the area I hunt is the island it creates. After Remi retrieved all of my ducks we started to walk the loop of jump holes. I got to one of the bigger holes and to my surprise was a group of geese sitting on the bank. Now where I live in Washington State is Goose Management area 5. That means I can only shoot geese on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays during water fowl season. Since it was a Tuesday I was not able to shoot the geese. I went home with my three mallards and a plan.
The next morning Wednesday I got up early and got down to the hunting area before anyone else could. I sneaked into the area and sat down in some timber before day light in a light rain. I was about 75 yards from where the geese were the night before. Luckily I had my phone on silent because my brother started texting me. I told him I was sneaking in on some geese and he told me he was making banana bread, which we both thought was funny. At shooting hours I crawled in on the geese that happen to still be in the exact same spot. I didn't get as close as I wanted to but I was able to drop two out of the air with my first shot and missed with my second two shots. As Remi was retrieving them from the water I heard a couple of geese calling. I turned around and two of them where flying just over the tree tops I knew it would be a long shot but I took it anyway. When I pulled the trigger one of them came crashing down to the ground with a big thud. I knew it was still alive with the way it came down so Remi and I got over to the other side of the channel as quick as we could. Remi Quickly found the goose trying to hid in a small clump of grass.
I returned home to pack up the family for a over night trip of duck hunting over in another part of Okanogan County where our duck camp is. Lucky for us this involved driving over a dirt road where we hit about 6 inches of snow and snowing in the Jeep. WE love to play in the snow if our household. We got over to the hunting area with about 5 hours of hunting left. We got into camp and the wife wanted me to make lunch for her and Maddy. After lunch we got going to start hunting.
The first little pond produced a drake green winged teal. The second lake I shot at a green head but missed and hit a mallard hen and a pintail hen with the same shot. The third lake I shot triple on mallards because they were in a perfect spot for jumping.
The next little pond had a bunch of geese on it. I had my wife scare the pond and they flew remotely close to me. I knew I already had 3 of 4 for my limit of the day. So I picked out the last goose in the group and unloaded my gun on it. I could tell I hit it all three times I shot at it but it did not collapse. It struggled over the hill and into the lake about 1/2 mile away.
My wife, Maddy and I drove the jeep over to the lake while one of its friends joined the injured the goose in the lake. A half hour later and a 3 mile swim around the lake for Remi chasing the wounded goose, I was able to get a shot on the injured goose so Remi could retrieve it and my wife killed her first Honker.
All I needed now was one more duck for my limit of ducks. I really only had one more option to hunt. A small jump pond just off of the main dirt road in the area. The problem with this pond is the ducks can see you coming as you drive up to it. As I pull up I can see a couple of mallards in the pond, one green head and one hen. I loaded up got behind a clump of tall grass and ran up to the lake. With my first shot I dumped the green head. This time Lily my 3 year old German Wire Haired Pointing Griffon went down and pulled the drake still alive out of the cattails.
So lets review the firsts of the day: 1. Shooting geese at the Run Way below my house. 2. Shooting a limit of geese and ducks in the same day. 3. Wife killing her first goose.
So every year in September after my Dad gets back from his boat trip to
Alaska he tries to find some time to come to The Methow valley to do some
grouse hunting with me. I always enjoy hunting with my Dad so I look forward to
this every year.
This year he arrived and we basically had one day to hunt. So that morning
we set out with the whole family because my wife and Maddy decided to tag
along. We went to an area we call the upper road and went for a short hike. We
did not see anything but had a fun trip.
We got back to the house and my wife went to work and my dad and I hung out
with Maddy all day.
I like to start my evening hunts by leaving the house around 4PM. This time
it was Maddy , my Dad and I. I decided to take him to the next canyon over from
the house since we have been having good luck over there. We get off the main
road and right away I spot a grouse on the side of the road. As the good host
and guide I let Dad get out and shoot it as it flew up into the tree. About 200
yards down the road Dad spots a grouse running down the road. We get out and
chase it and just as its getting into the brush and about to get over the
hillside I say to Dad you better shoot it before its gone. Dad pulls the
trigger and down it goes.
It is at this point I see how the day is going to go, I see the grouse Dad
shoots it, Dad sees the grouse Dad shoots it.
Anyway we get to where we were going to start our hike with Maddy on my back and right away Dad
see's what looks like the biggest grouse ever sitting on top of a rock. Dad
sneaks up on it staying behind trees and shoots it. When the dog recovers it,
it turned out to be the smallest runt hatchling ever. I thought it was a quail,
HAHA.
The rest of the hike did not turn anything up. On the drive back home I see
a grouse fly up into a tree. I jumped out of the car as fast as I could and
shot it before Dad knew what was going on. In that split second I had two
choices. Let Dad get it so he could have a limit of grouse and never hear the
end of it how I was not able to shoot a grouse. Option two was shoot the grouse
and hear about how I was so mean and didn't let Dad get a limit. Of course I
chose the latter and shot my grouse.
The best part of hunting with my Dad is the variation of how everything
happened. The same event will have a million different stories depending on who
you ask. OOO what is going to happen next!
My family has been duck hunting the same area for around 65 years. This weekend
something would happen that has never happened there before.
Friday after work I head up do duck camp like normal. My wife wasn’t feeling
too well so she and Maddy decided to stay home. When I got into camp Dad and
Ellen are already in camp with their new trailer AKA the castle. They have the
fire burning which was great since the weekend before we couldn't have a fire
due to an area burn ban. Later that night my sister E'lana and her kids and my
little sister's (Ellary) boy friend (Caranza) with his little sister Jazmine
showed up in camp.
The next morning we all got up and got ready to go like any other day
hunting. The first couple lakes produced some Teal and Widgeon.
Caranza and his double banded Green Head
We get to the lake we call Rock Lake. E'lana goes around to scare the lake
and I sneak into my spot. My dad and Caranza are a ways on the other side of
the lake. While I am sitting in my hiding spot I can hear all the ducks
splashing and talking in the water and I can tell they are mallards by the
sounds they are making. Like a tornado they all get up as soon as E'lana shows
herself. Just my luck they all go over Caranza and Dad. As I watch the Mallards
start to fall I start walking their direction in case they need Remi my dog to
help find the ducks. When I get there they have found all the ducks but one.
They tell me the area where they think it fell and Remi goes to work. Remi get
birdy a few times but isn't finding anything. Finally Caranza says he sees it
in a mint bed about 75 yards away. When he picks it up he says it has two
bands. Everyone gets excited; Caranza had never shot a banded bird let alone
two bands. A two banded bird has never been shot in our group in this area; it
only took 65 years and tens of thousands of ducks.
Day one results
Later sitting in the truck after a closer look at the band Caranza finds out
that it is a "Reward Tag" worth $100. That has also never happened in
a group I have been hunting with.
We continued to hunt and Remi had a stellar day. She was able to find
numerous injured ducks in the thick cattails and bring them out. Remi even
brought out a 100% healthy coot from the cattails.
At the end of the day we all had our limit of seven ducks and were happy. We
returned to camp to clean the birds and tell the stories of past hunting trips
around the campfire.
Day two results
Day two (Sunday) yielded 10 ducks. Sunday is a relaxed day where we don’t
work as hard since everyone has a long drive home after hunting. It was a great
weekend and can’t wait to be back at duck camp.
So duck hunting and deer hunting open up the same weekend in Washington State each year. Since I shot my deer on Saturday opening morning, I got to go duck hunting on Sunday. So I get into duck camp on Saturday night and I ask my Dad how many ducks they shot during the Saturday hunt and of course my Dad tells me that he limited out, which in Washington is 7 ducks. Talking to some of the other camp member later I found out that the whole camp with 4 shooters only shot 5 ducks. OOOO that DAD...
Chayse and his duck
But on a good note my 11 year old Nephew Chayse did shoot his first duck on Saturday which was a Hen mallard and we are all proud of him for that.
So we wake up Sunday later than normal and we get breakfast and fumble around camp for a while. We finally get out of camp to the first lake we hunt. I sneak down for the scare of the ducks and shoot two teal, as all the birds flew over the other hunters they were able to shoot one widgeon. One of my ducks was in the toolies and one was out in the water. My six year old German Wired Hair Pointing Griffon Remi made quick work of both ducks finding them and bringing them right to me. For my first shots at ducks for the year it was ok but I should of had more ducks.
We then had to go back to camp because one of my brothers had their vehicle battery dead and Dad had to jump them. As Dad went back to help them My little sisters boy friend (Caranza) and I went to hunt a lake next to camp. I told him where to go hide as I went to scare. The ducks got up off the lake and started to fly towards me at about 40 yards the turned and I tried to make a shot on them and missed and went right over Caranza who also missed. Caranza they yelled to me that another duck was coming in at me as I stood up to shoot the duck flared and I dropped it.
The next lake we drove up to had a group of teal and one lone mallard drake. I don't always shoot this lake although I do have permission to hunt it. I pulled right up to the lake and leaned out the window and clapped my hands to get the ducks to fly. The teal took off but the mallard stayed there, which is unusual. So I figured if he wanted to get shot so be it. I got out of my vehicle and as I did the mallard took off, I loaded my gun brought it up and dropped the duck with one shot.
Remi
We drove through our loop of lakes with little success till we got near the end. There is one lake near the road that is hard to hunt especially when it was windy as it was. I could see a big group of Spoonies sitting in the pond. I told my dad and Caranza to go to one side of the lake and I would scare from the other side. As I belly crawled to the lake side the ducks spooked and started flying. I stood up and started to shoot and try and get the birds over the other hunters. I hit one bird as it glided back down to the lake and all the other birds flew out where there was not hunters. My ducks was wounded but to far in the middle of the pond to get a kill shot. Remi was let out of the truck to go to work. AS she swam after the bird she was yelping and howling at the bird. Just as soon as she would get close enough to grab it the duck would fly about 10 feet. After this happened for about 5 minutes Caranza was able to get a kill shot off and Remi brought the bird to shore.
At thins point the rest of the family has 4-5 hour drives home to the westside of the state so they decided to head back to camp and pack up for the weekend. Since I only have a 40 minute drive home I went to a few more lakes.
The first pond (Which is the same pond of the great goose jump of 2011.) I always peak over the sage brush to see if there are any ducks and where they are if they are there. I saw plenty of ducks and there was a small group of ducks right in front of where I normally jump them from. I loaded my gun and walked the 5 minute walk to the other side of the pond. I camp up over the mound of dirt by the shore and of course in the 5 minutes all the ducks had moved to other parts of the pond. I took three long shots at the ducks and nothing dropped. Lucky for me I know because of the lay of the land the ducks have to turn back towards me to get out of the hole the pond is in. When they did this I was able to drop a big Pintail Drake.
Now at this point I Only need one more duck for my limit. I also know I have one more lake to hunt with a little jump hole behind the lake. The road we are on my wife hates due to the number of rocks on the road. We get to the big lake and all the ducks fly out the wrong direction due to the wind. So all I have left is the jump hole. I slowly walk over the hillside and don't see a darn thing. As I walk closer to the puddle of water the rock on the far side turned and looked at me. As I was like O a duck I am sure he was like Uh Oh a hunter. The little teal got up and flew right at me and I dumped him in the deep grass.
Whew I was very happy to get my 7th duck on the last hole of the day. We made it back to camp before Dad left and went to feather and breast out the birds. My 2 year old daughter Maddy feathered one of the Teal all by her self. we then packed up and went home thinking about the next week when we all would be back.
So here in Washington State September 1st is opening grouse hunting and the start to my crazy busy hunting seasons.
This year the 1st, 2nd and 3rd I had to work till 5 and drive 40 minutes home before I could go hunting. I told my wife that she needed to have herself and Maddy ready to go when I got home so all I had to do was change clothes get in the jeep and go hunting.
Of course when I got home everything was good to go and we went hunting. We got up to where we go hunting and there was a log across the road. So since we did not have the chain saw with us we parked and walked the rest of the way.
Remi started getting birdy and I sent her up onto the hillside. Remi flushed a grouse which we heard but did not see. My wife went up the hill to see if she could find it in a tree. Remi went up with my wife and Lily and I continued to walk down the road. Lily then got birdy and led me to a wide spot in road and a grouse flushed from behind a log. I shot the grouse and hit it and it continued to fall about 100 yards over the steep hillside. The dogs and I walked down there and we were unable ti find the bird after about 15 minutes of searching, which did not make me very happy. I hate wounding a bird and not recovering it.
The rest of the night we saw 7 birds and were not able to get a shot at any of them.
On night two of course I had to work again and of course when I got home things were ready to go hunting. As we pulled out of the driveway the jeep had a strong pull to the right and i knew right away something was wrong. I got out and of course my luck we had a flat tire. After changing the tire we got back on our way a bit late. I did not see one grouse the whole night.
Day three while sitting at work all I could think about was "I DON'T HAVE A GROUSE YET!" Then of course there is my 10 year old nephew with a picture on Facebook holding two grouse. This was just not going to do. Then I get a phone call from my wife saying "UMMM A bunch of fire trucks just went speeding up the creek." So i called and got some info..... Just great a 1 acre fire burning about 4 miles up the road from my house. (PEOPLE!!!!!! When an area has not had rain in over a month and 90+ degree temps you do not need to have a camp fire.) So for the rest of the day I was worried that there would be a major fire event at my house.
As I got off of work I could hear on the radio that some of the fire trucks were clearing the scene, which means they had it under control.
I got home and things weren't as ready as normal but nothing I couldn't handle. I helped get my daughter ready to go and loaded up the chain saw for the tree in the road. We left the house and I felt good about my chances. We get to the good area and the log I mentioned earlier had a freaking grouse under it. I got out and got it just as it ran off the trail. Then another one flushed and went into a tree and a third flushed and sailed over the hillside. The one that went into the tree was just right for my wife to shoot. She was out with her gun ready and POW limbs and sticks fell from the tree minus a grouse. I tasked my wife uhh can I shoot it now? She said no and then lost sight of it while I was watching it the whole time. It is amazing how time slows down when you think a grouse is going to leave a tree when you are watching it. Finally my wife sees it again and POW............. And the grouse flies down the to the canyon. This is not normal for my wife, I don't think I have ever seen her miss one in a tree. But i do know that my wife will be very upset at herself over this so I need to try and stay calm. So I tell her no worries there will be more. Which I am sure doesn't help her frustration.
So I cut the tree out of the trail and get going. A few corners later i see another grouse run across the road and then fly into a tree. Of course I load my gun get ready and let my wife take a crack at it. As my wife was getting her gun loaded I could see Remi and hard point over the hillside. As my wife shoots and gets the one in the tree and second one flies from about 2 feet in front of Remi into the same tree as I get ready to shoot it I hear "PLEASE , let me shoot it." So I lower my gun and let my wife shoot the second one which she does like a pro. We don't see anything for the rest of the night but it is ok because the weight has lifted.
So the snow has finally arrived in the Methow Valley.
With the mercury saying 8 degrees outside and snow falling harder than it has all year, Remi and I set off to the "Runway" for some jump shooting for ducks.
We get to the parking area and we are the only vehicle, and there are no fresh tracks in the snow which is a good sign that no one has already been in the area hunting earlier in the morning.
As we walk to the side channel there is just enough wind to blow the snow sideways. I have to walk with my head down only looking up every few yards to make sure I am still walking in a line to where I want to go.
We get to the berm with the channel just on the other side. I push the safety off my gun and slowly raise up. I see one wigeon, then another. With the heavy snow and their heads constantly in the water feeding they had no idea I was there. I take aim at the first one and dump it right there on the water. The second one got up and I pull the trigger and nothing happens. I rack the chamber myself to clear the spent shell just as a green head flies from the bank in front of me, and I dump him dead. I see another wigeon and luckily I had a 3 1/2 shell as my third shot and I dumped him at a distance. Now Remi gets to work retrieving all the ducks from the snowy, icy water.
We get all the ducks to shore and continue our way down the channel. A ways up I see the shape of a duck in an open area of water. I move back into the woods to get a better angle at the duck. Remi and I crawl into an old blind and as I stand up to shoot Remi leaves the blind scaring the duck. I got off a shot and broke the wing and again Remi went out through the ice to get what turned out to be a golden eye.
We get on our way again and I can see a dark silhouette of a duck flying through the snow coming right for us. As I sit down so does Remi, and the green head flies right over us. I warn him on the first shot and drop him with the second. This one dropped out in the deep snow and was found without much fuss.
We walk to the upper end of the channel, and scare the ducks from the areas that are not safe to hunt due to the proximity of the highway, hoping they will fly to areas we can hunt.
We walk to the complete opposite side of the channel where it meets the main river, blowing two sneaks on the way that I don't really want to talk about. We get to the main river and I have to take a short break, walking all that way in knee-deep fresh snow sitting on top of crusty snow while carrying 5 ducks just takes it out of me.
After our short intermission I go take a peek at the main river, and I can see a big duck on the opposite side of the river. It looks like a mallard drake but I'm not positive. The only problem is he is on the other side of the river and I will have to crawl about 60 yards to get behind a pile of river debris to get a reasonable shot. So I belly crawl through knee deep snow, trying to keep the tip of my gun out of the snow. I get to the pile of drift wood, check my barrel, and find that it is clear. I peek over the pile of wood and see the duck with its head as high as it could get it to see what I was. I figured I did not have much time before it flew. I knew it was a long shot but it was standing on ice which I thought would make it a better shot then if it was sitting lower in the water.
I pulled up and shot. As a second duck flew off from the deep snow, the one I shot stayed put. Then it started to move and Remi caught sight of it and took off across the river for it. Just then I realize that the river had ice and clumps of slush drifting in the current. Remi gets about half way across the river and the duck realizes Remi is coming for it. The duck slides into the water. Remi is trying to swim up river, and seeing the duck swimming faster, she starts to whine and howl at the duck. I run up river while breaking through the ice I was standing on. Luckily for me the water under the ice was only about three inches deep. I get off another shot on the duck to kill it, and it drifts down right to Remi. Then Remi fights the icebergs and slush back across to me.
After I give Remi lots of affection letting her know how good she did getting that duck, we figure out what our next step is. I realize I only have one more duck to get before I get my limit of 7. Then I realize I only have one shell left.
I walk over and look at the Channel again and see one drake sitting and feeding. I take my time and slowly crawl again through the snow to a tree. As I try to arrange to get a shot, I keep breaking branches. Each time I think the duck will fly. But it doesn't fly and I get a shot on it. After I shoot and I see it still in the water with its wing stuck up over its head, I can't help myself but to yell "HELL YA" as Remi goes and retrieves the duck.
Again we have a long walk back to the truck with 7 ducks and the snow is getting deeper and deeper. The snow is falling so hard at this point it is hard to breathe because walking into the wind every time you breathe you breathe in snow flakes. We just put our heads down and follow the fence line to the truck.
The northern has rich orange feet (left) and the local has dull faded orange feet. (right)
When I get back to the truck I notice two of my four mallard drakes were northerns. I can tell the difference between the locals and northerns by the color of their feet and the size of their bodies and heads.
I love hunting in the snow and to shoot my limit of ducks for the first time at this location makes this one of the best days of hunting this year.
