My Maine Grouse and Woodcock hunt

[fox-admin]

Here a few pictures from last week in Northern Maine. My 1 yr old Lab female Lucy made her first grouse and woodcock flushes and retrieves, the gun is my CSMC XE 20ga.
Look at Lucy's eyes----intense----it's so much fun to watch a young dog turn on after making contact with wild birds---they love the game as much as us.

[MARSHFELLOW]

Yippeee!!!!!!..... looks like a success Craig, cant wait to hear more about the trip.

tjw

[Jim Cloninger]

Great trip, great photos, Craig! I think dogs bread for hunting love hunting wild birds more than us humans do. When does your duck season open this year?
Jim

[Silvers]

Craig, sounds and looks like a great trip! Thanks for taking the time to share with us. Frank

[mc15426378]

Looks as if all, including Lucy, had a great time. Thanks for the nice photos.

BTW, Lucy has the same intense look my wife has when she finds out I bought another gun.

Mike

[fox-admin]

A few more pictures----too bad grouse habitat is so ugly Sorry about wearing the PGCA ball cap

[vaturkey]

I was there myself last week. Think you got into a few more (actually a lot more) birds then we did. We however had fun. I was using my Fox SW 20 gauge ejector. Here's a picture of my pup with one of the birds:

[Magwa45]

That is beautiful country. Where in Maine?

Don

[vaturkey]

That is beautiful country. Where in Maine?

Don

I was hunting in Brooks Maine.

[Jim Cloninger]

Beautiful photo of your dog, VAturkey!

[vaturkey]

Beautiful photo of your dog, VAturkey!

Thanks. She's 4 years old and has really figured this grouse thing out after a pretty slow start. She learns slow but retains well. Not many Goldens in the field these days. I'm glad she is my hunting buddy for sure. Another Pic or two:

[Researcher]

Great pictures guys! Thanks for sharing!!

We have had such a hot and dry summer that I've been reluctant to go out. I like to wait until the Rattlesnakes are down for the winter. Last weekend we had our first bit of rain in a long time. So, I figured it was worth a try. I took Skitso out to Miller Ranch to visit some of her birds yesterday. The regular Washington State Pheasant season opens this coming weekend.



Skitso, my old 1914-vintage A-Grade "meat-in-the-pot" and the first Pheasant for this season.

[mc15426378]

Dave, do you wear snake boots, chaps, etc for keeping the snakes at bay? I encountered a copperhead last weekend, back at the club house after the hunt......and he was pretty aggressive.....till he met
Mr Shovel.


Mike

[MARSHFELLOW]

That poisonous snake stuff aint for me.....I'm not especially afraid of them but I'd be a wreck being concerned about my dog(s). That goes for 'gators too. Dont worry about either up here in the N.E.

[Researcher]

I've never gotten a pair of snake boots. My Father always wore his Gookey snake boots in the spring and summer when we were varmint hunting in the Channeled Scablands of Eastern Washington and I was always supposed to get a pair "when I reached my full growth", but that never seemed to happen, and now I haven't been varmint hunting in probably 45 years. This picture from 1949 is probably before he got them though.



Now most of my spring and summer outdoor time is in Alaska, with no snake issues.