Posted By: Sniper John
Dash's TX CO KS 2014 bird hunting road trip #3 - 10/26/14 07:12 AM
Part three the hunting road trip with my Vizsla Dash Rip Rock. This part is mostly upland hunting Grouse. The entire photo essay starts here. http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/5379960 It's a long one so I broke it up into separate pages.
Starting with Blue Grouse hunting. I typically look for closed logging roads at elevations I think I will find the birds. Blue Grouse start low and work to higher elevations as the season progresses. By hunting off the old roads I know I am not likely to bother the bowhunters if there are no vehicles parked at the gate and I can cover a lot of ground by hiking the road working on and off of it as I go. First Road, no birds, but I saw dog and human tracks so I think someone had walked it just before me.
Dash is also a fur dog. Too bad Squirrels were not in season. He treed a few on this hunt.
Then the next road, and next road, no birds.
Finally by evening after moving to the top of a mountain at a much higher elevation than I expected to find birds, I found lots of them. They were off the road in thick dark timber. Many of the trees dead from beatle damage. I bet I had 30 flushes in a couple hours. Half the birds flushing from up in trees. I got some points out of Dash, but the birds were usually on bare ground deep within the thick trees Birds would flush pretty quick. Over half the birds I heard, but never saw. I shot a few trees as birds flew through them. It was quite fun and Dash did great considering the conditions. Without the tracking collar I would not have known where he was much of the time. It worked beautifully.
Next morning after a relaxing hike in the valley around the cabin, We loaded up and headed North to Routt National Forest near Steamboat Springs. Dash was crashed hard the entire drive.
At the next cabin I met up with Chris/iliketohunt and his Vizsla Blue and hit the mountain above to look for Blue Grouse. Being a travel day, we did not have much time, so no birds were taken.Though I did chase one through the woods in a running battle getting three opportunities to shoot it, I missed or hit a tree every time, so I almost scared it to death. I brought birds with me so we had Blue Grouse Jambalaya for dinner. Friday was a goof off day to scout for the Sage Grouse opener since it was only a two day season. We met up with a local biologist for some tips and went looking.
Starting with Blue Grouse hunting. I typically look for closed logging roads at elevations I think I will find the birds. Blue Grouse start low and work to higher elevations as the season progresses. By hunting off the old roads I know I am not likely to bother the bowhunters if there are no vehicles parked at the gate and I can cover a lot of ground by hiking the road working on and off of it as I go. First Road, no birds, but I saw dog and human tracks so I think someone had walked it just before me.
Dash is also a fur dog. Too bad Squirrels were not in season. He treed a few on this hunt.
Then the next road, and next road, no birds.
Finally by evening after moving to the top of a mountain at a much higher elevation than I expected to find birds, I found lots of them. They were off the road in thick dark timber. Many of the trees dead from beatle damage. I bet I had 30 flushes in a couple hours. Half the birds flushing from up in trees. I got some points out of Dash, but the birds were usually on bare ground deep within the thick trees Birds would flush pretty quick. Over half the birds I heard, but never saw. I shot a few trees as birds flew through them. It was quite fun and Dash did great considering the conditions. Without the tracking collar I would not have known where he was much of the time. It worked beautifully.
Next morning after a relaxing hike in the valley around the cabin, We loaded up and headed North to Routt National Forest near Steamboat Springs. Dash was crashed hard the entire drive.
At the next cabin I met up with Chris/iliketohunt and his Vizsla Blue and hit the mountain above to look for Blue Grouse. Being a travel day, we did not have much time, so no birds were taken.Though I did chase one through the woods in a running battle getting three opportunities to shoot it, I missed or hit a tree every time, so I almost scared it to death. I brought birds with me so we had Blue Grouse Jambalaya for dinner. Friday was a goof off day to scout for the Sage Grouse opener since it was only a two day season. We met up with a local biologist for some tips and went looking.