I thought I would post a review of our 2009 Grouse (Pa'tridge)season in New England. We hunted 36 days in Coos County New Hampshire, the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont as well as the Berkshires of Massachusetts. Our Llewellin setters, Scout and Boo had a terrific season. Scout is a 4 year old pro but this was Boo's first season.

The dogs:

Scout and Boo our tri-colored team of llewellins warming up on robins in the yard



Pointing New England grouse and woodcock





walking up on a point



My wife took her first grouse in an abandoned Vermont orchard



A crop full of Hawthorns



Nice looking New England coverts











Boo's first grouse in the Berkshires



Gifts from the red gods of the uplands





9 1/2 months until crisp fall days and peak foliage.....

Beautiful.....even if it is my own backyard. Nice pics, thanks.

I will never tire of stomping Coos, and indeed, all over New England, from ocean to mountain. You hunt in Pittsburg, NH area, I assume. Never made it up to Indian Head Stream or any of the other areas that are usually pretty good, but next year for sure. The wife loved hiking up to the firetower on Magalloway up in Pittsburg a couple years ago. My rifle and pack weighed about a ton by the time I was up it, but a great day it was.

I used to hike, camp and hunt in the NEK years and years ago. Does Gallops Mill Road ring a bell?

Great pics, and thanks for sharing!

BTW, whacha' totin' there?

As you both apparently know well, there is no place like New England in the autumn.

We hunted some in Pittsburg but it was very crowded this year; to much press in recent years. The early season was good though. The NEK was terrific this year, but the the areas I hunt in Northern Berkshire county were tough due to last years ice storm. Tough walking but there will be good grouse shooting for years to come as a result.

The shotgun is a Ithaca Flues 20 gauge. Nothing special but weighs about 5 pounds and carries and swings like a dream. I had the chokes opened to skeet/skeet a few years back. I'd be afraid to carry a nice gun in grouse cover due to the beating it would take.

Thanks, Atticus. I still remember enjoying your moose hunt story a few years back. Hope you don't mind me adding a few New England pics.

Beautiful photos Kamo!

Absolutely gorgeous pictures.....Fantastic !!!

Both sets are absolutely lovely pictures.

I spent 1996 living in Boston. Not much money, no car, wife doing grad school back in Australia while I was working there. I really regret I didn't get out of the city much. This post has got me thinking hard I need to get back over to New England some time to see a bit of what i missed out on back then.


cheers,
- stu

Thanks for the pics! A grouse/woodcock hunt in New England is on my bucket list! The habitat and quarry are certainly unique for this Texas quail hunter! And a bit more scenic than what I am used to...

Many thanks to all posters for recalling this old man's memories of what I consider "the King of game birds"! (I really don't brook any arguments on this!) Despite most of a lifetime's hunting for "partridges" as they say in New England (or more accurately as they say up there 'patridges",abbreviated to "pats"), I only hunted them once in Vermont -with my usual rate of success. (I spent a lifetime trying to drop them in NY so I never really thought I was going to do any better elsewhere) It was fun to walk up a slope against some woods with sunlight on the slope , stop -and wait for a "pat" to lose his nerve and fly. It rarely happened and it was usually me who was surprised at the sudden flight. (whether in VT. or my home state of NY). Again, thanks to everyone for the memories of a bird that never made it easy!