Arizona Grouse Camp 2008 by Matt Baker
Earlier this month Sean Hahn, Katie O’Connor and myself made a trip to the White Mountains in search of blue grouse. Our trip was planned around a few different objectives. First, we wanted to run our new pups and introduce them to traveling on the road, hanging out in camp, and being part of the team with our older dogs. Second, we wanted to find grouse habitat that would be suitable for good dog work and would allow for more open shooting.
As we began to cover ground I quickly remembered how grouse country can tear up a hunter and his dogs. Within the first few miles all of us and our dogs were scratched up and starting to choose more open paths through the woods. The first hour of our hunt lacked any bird contact and we started to have thoughts of being in the wrong spot, wrong type of cover, etc.
We decided to head back to the truck so we could take a break and let the dogs cool off. As soon as we changed course we ran into our first group of birds. The thundering flush was followed by a volley of shots from our 20 and 28 gauge guns. After the feathers settled we had three birds in the bag. Now we had the motivation we needed to keep pushing on! The dogs instantly went into overdrive and couldn’t wait to find more birds…
After shooting a few more birds the first day, we decided day two would be dedicated to our four month old pups. We chose to let them run with their parents and start to get a feel for how to efficiently cover country. At first, the pups were trying to stay close to their parents so they wouldn’t miss anything. Shortly after their first contact with grouse the pups started to range out on their own. It was so awesome to see the pups in action with their parents and it was evident that these pups have what it takes to make memorable days afield. We managed to shoot a few more birds during the course of the day.
At the end of our two day hunt there was a sense of satisfaction that will not be forgotten any time soon. The fall colors were astounding, and the chance to have a great shoot surrounded by vivid scenery is always a bonus. Grouse Camp 2009 is already on the books, now it’s time to start shooting some quail and continue training the pups!
