The only problem with solo hunts is that you can’t be in the photos. The dogs and I sure enjoyed the grouse hunting this afternoon. The sharp-tails weren’t holding for points, but they were coming up close enough to make for easy shooting. It was great for a close-working flushing lab, but not so good for a big running pointer.
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Max, Allie and I enjoyed our sharp-tailed grouse hunt
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Family Grouse Hunt
We had a great family grouse hunt this weekend. Sharp-tail numbers seem to be doing really well in SE Idaho this year and we have had a ball with them. It’s a great hunt to take the family on because the walking is generally pretty easy. Because of the CRP grass cover, the dogs are usually fairly visible which makes it an enjoyable outing for everyone.
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Chukar Feet
@#$% Chukars! Photo: N. Muckerman
A picture is worth a thousand words, eh?
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Early Season Chukar Hunt
I don’t know what it is about chukars, but, MAN I love to hunt ’em.
There’s just something about getting a chukar in the hand after working so hard for them. Allie (lab) and I had a fun chukar hunt yesterday. I was planning on going after sharp-tailed grouse again, but since it was a cool day I decided to try for chukars. We got into several coveys and got some shooting, despite the fact that they were flushing a little wild for this early in the season. I downed several and Allie made some nice retrieves over some steep rocky slopes. I am kicking myself over three easy shots that I missed due to either poor footing or quick shooting as they were diving over an edge. One bird surprised me by flushing out of a juniper tree like a grouse as I walked through a small stand on my way toward a great outcrop that I was sure held a covey. That one caught me off-guard and I hate to say I missed. I guess that’s why I love hunting chukars, they make you work for every bird.
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Sage-grouse Hunting – Wide open spaces
Sage-grouse hunting
One of the things I love most about hunting sage-grouse is the seemingly endless sagebrush country they inhabit. There is just something about rolling sagebrush hills that go on and on. I love to let my pointer open up and cover the ground. It helps to have an idea of common haunts, springs and wet areas they use year after year, but it mostly pays to just get out and walk. (Something that suits me just fine.)
Next year I would really like to hunt from horseback just to do it. Let the pointers go and ride along and watch them from a top a horse. Anyone want to join me?
Sage-grouse hunting in Idaho
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English Setter – Ruffed Grouse Hunt
We had a couple of awesome ruffed grouse hunts over the weekend with Gauge our English Setter.
Check out the Video
Gauge (English Setter) hunting ruffed grouse
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Forest Grouse Hunt Right Around the Corner
The ruff grouse/dusky grouse hunt is right around the corner and I am gearing up. I have been out in the field hiking and learning new spots and marking locations of broods I found during the summer. I also have several dogs in shape and ready to go for the season. With some of my bigger running setters and pointers I like to run bells on them so I can keep track of them in the thick mountain brush cover. Unlike running birds like desert quail or pheasants, I don’t think the bell negatively affects forest grouse. If anything, they probably hunker down sooner from the noise.
The season starts here in Idaho on August 30th this year. In Utah the season opens September 11th.
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English Setter For Sale
English setter (Gauge) I have been working with this English Setter (Gauge) the past month, force fetching and steadying to wing. He is good bird dog, and a great grouse dog. Gauge is for sale. Contact me by phone (208-254-0243) if you want to know the details.
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Cocker Seminar
Jordy, an English Cocker Spaniel with ears flying, flushes a pigeon in training for an AKC senior hunter test This weekend we had a cocker spaniel hunt test seminar with what I call the No. 1 Ladies Hunt Club. These gals came from southern Utah, the Wasatch front, northern Utah and Wyoming to work their spaniels in the field. To escape the heat we went up into the mountains and found a great hunt test site. We worked 9 cocker spaniels on various aspects of the hunt test, including, introduction to birds, introduction to gunfire, quartering a field, flushing and retrieving birds. With one of the more advanced dogs named Six, who is working on his master hunter, we worked on sit to flush.
Start of the hunt with Luke, an American Cocker 
Rudy, an English Cocker Spaniel flushing for the gun We had a great time and saw some great dog work. The heat, even at 7000′ was an issue and we paused often to water the dogs or take them swimming in the nearby pond. Good luck on your hunt tests this fall!
We had some great bird help by AJ and Susan 
Becky and Rudy after one of his first bird retrieves in the field.
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Dogs and hot weather
photo
We have had record cold temperatures here in Southeastern Idaho so far this spring. We got snow here last week above 6300 feet and we lost our tomatoes for the second time to frost. I heard somewhere that May was the coldest on record for this area. I have tried to take it in stride and enjoy the cool weather.That said, I have enjoyed the cool weather for training and running the dogs. I believe now have hit the hot weather with little time for my internal thermostat to adjust. When talking to some folks in Arizona and Las Vegas, they are already seeing temps in the upper 90’s and even breaking 100.I have started to get things ready for the hot weather by filling the 50 gallon trough and putting shade up for the kennels. Soon I will be wetting the dogs down good before roading them, and will be switching to early mornings for training to take advantage of the cool. Spring was nice while it lasted.While preparing your kennel and dog area for summer, consider the following: make sure your dog has shade accessible from at least 11:00 am to four pm, make sure there is plenty of fresh drinking water available. If you are going to be running the dogs, try to do it in the cool morning or evening. Also, make sure they are watered well. Since dogs don’t sweat (the cool themselves by panting), wet them down thoroughly before running them.
