Minnesota Hunt

[Deetsman]

A good morning in Northern Minnesota with my Brittany "Oconee Belle" and my Utica 16 gauge Sterlingworth. What could be better?

[Twice Barrel]

My first real bird dog was a Brittney some 40 years ago given to me as a birthday gift from my Mother. He was out of Cherokee lines which I'm sure are long gone. That dog taught me more about hunting with a dog than I taught him about hunting with a man. I still remember his first point on quail at the age of 6 months and his first retrieve of a nasty old wing tipped pheasant a month later. What a sight that big old cock bird and a 20 pound dog duking it out in the middle of a mowed waterway. I hunted him for 15 seasons and lost him 2 weeks after the last day of the Kansas bird season in 1989. What wonderful days we had together. Your Belle is the spitting image of my little Curncher.

[fn16ga]

Beautiful dog ! Great picture ! ....looks like fun .

[Vernal pike]

Great shooting.
Thanks for posting this awesome picture.

[Vernal pike]

That dog taught me more about hunting with a dog than I taught him about hunting with a man.

Excellent perspective

[Jim Cloninger]

Great hunt and photo! I grew up in Minnesota and the first gamebird I hunted was Ruffed Grouse (partridge) with my dad. What part of Minnesota were you hunting? I want to come back and do some partridge hunting with my Black Lab, Mandy.
Jim

[Stan Hillis]

Nice picture, Deetsman. I'm curious as to how the "Oconee" part of her name came to be. "Oconee" is an old Indian name here, but up there, too?

SRH

[Deetsman]

I was hunting in Itasca County near Lake Winnie. It was just one of those days when a plan comes together. I had a limit of five before I made the turn to head back to the truck. After shooting the fifth bird I unloaded and went in with an empty gun on several more points, pointed at the birds but did not shoot. Belle didn't seem to understand and I got some strange looks. Got back to the truck and decided I had better make a few pictures to remember the day.

Oconee Belle is also the name of a rare flower found around here in the mountains of Georgia and South Carolina. I believe it is also known as Shortia. She got the name because I traveled a few miles into South Carolina to breed her mother to Noland's Last Bullet. Noland' Huffman was running Buddy in a field trial near Sennica, SC (Oconee Conty).

I will be heading back to Lake Winnie this October. Grouse numbers are still down but on the rise. The numbers there are still far better than here in Southern Appalachia. I have added another 16 gauge Fox Sterlingworth to bring along. It is a 1918 Philadelphia Sterlingworth that I have been rescuing from the ravages of time and neglect. Hopefully she will do me as well as the Utica gun.

Thanks for the comments.

[eightbore]

Where in Southern Appalachia?

[Deetsman]

Northeast corner of Georgia in the town of Clayton in Rabun County. We are bordered by North Carolina to the north and South Carolina to the east. I do most of my grouse hunting in North Carolina.

[TOOL MAN]

What a beautiful picture. Thanks for posting. Five "pats" in a morning? In my part of CT that would take five seasons if it could be done at all. I see an awful lot of greenery? I'm assuming that was an early to mid-October snow squall?

[Deetsman]

If I remember it was on Columbus Day which would make it the beginning of the second week in October. It snowed about an inch or two every morning but one during five days of hunting. It was usually gone by noon. The picture was made around 11:00 am.

[fox shooter]

This picture is exciting to look at. My Philly 16 is a week away from a fresh refinish and being put back together, just waiting on a hammer stirrup. Our quail opener is Oct. 3rd and I'll be ready here in the Arizona desert. Hopefully I'll learn how to post my photos by then. Great looking dog, I have English setters, the cactus and heat are hard on them at times.
Chris................AZ

[3birddogs]

What could be better?? Well, you could invite me up for a hunt. I'll bring my SW Deluxe16 or my other Utica 16. It has barrels that were cut to 26.5", but someone put a really nice piece of wood on the buttstock. It is a great shooter. Actually, I will be in the UP the last 2 weeks in October(28th straight year) and cant stop thinking about it--especially after seeing your pic.
Beautiful dog, I have English Setters. I hunt the Appalachian hills of Ohio and West Virginia, and yeah, our grouse population is dismal. My brother lives in Ashville, NC, and I have always wanted to try grouse hunting in the mountains there.
Good luck this year!!

[Deetsman]

Belle and I found the same rock again this year. Both she and the new Philly Sterlingworth were flawless in their performances. The leaves were still on the trees and I did not get a good look at many of the birds. Three grouse in an afternoon is still a great day afield in my book.