Our season has ended here in Massachusetts and while we may get out once or twice more in Vermont, its weather dependent and certainly not guaranteed. I thought I would post a few pictures from October in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and November in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. Grouse numbers were good in Vermont, outstanding in Massachusetts--perfect for training a puppy. Woodcock were OK at best but large flights never really materialized.

There is nothing like New England in the fall.

October in Vermont.

Scout had the honor of the first hunt and pointed a grouse 50 yards into the first cover. Unfortunately she tore her ACL a couple days later and was out for the season.



Early season cover


A rare (and protected) NEK Spruce grouse.



Jem ready to go and picking up the game very quickly







Some spawning brook trout



October beauty







Scout wishing she could get in the game and then telling me where to stop at good looking cover.





Jem getting it done..then recharging the puppy battery





Boo showing some style and recharging his batteries





Jem's first bird



NEK grouse



Next year I should bring my fly rod too:







November in the Berkshires.

Yes, this is Massachusetts!



Coverts in the Berkshires are predominantly abandoned farms.











I love old trees









Lots of apples this year





Old orchard



Off the tar road





If you have to run into a Porkie this isn’t a bad way.



Boo the old pro nailing a grouse along a stone wall



Jem showing some style on a wily Berkshire grouse in an old orchard



The joy of a puppy in the Grouse woods



Seasons over and ready to head home



Until next October

Thanks for sharing. Great pictures and wonderful country. When I lived in southern Ohio I had a few places I could take the dogs out to flush a couple of grouse. The population is in a downward spiral here. I do have a couple of nice woodcock spots though.

Tom

Are those Llewellin Setters? Great Pics!

God Bless, Louis

Beautiful country & dogs! Totally different to the open panorama's here

in Wyoming. Not sure how you could even get a shot off in some of that cover?

Thanks for sharing.

Jim

Thanks guys.

Young outdoors, My three setters are all Llewellins out of little river kennels in Alton, NH.


Jungle boy. The shooting is very quick snap shooting. Most shots are inside 30 yards and a staunch pointing dog or close working flusher is key.

And You get used to missing....

Good stuff man! I agree about fall in NE.

I was hoping for a spruce when I was in Quebec a couple months ago....didn't see any.

Also agree with what you said about a good grouse dog.....my GWP tends to flush them before I can get a shot.

Brings back memories of hunting in upstate NY. Loved the smell of the fall leaves and old apple orchards. Finding white splotches on the leaves and the whir of the timber doodles wings. Grouse rocketing out like jet fighters on alert. Always putting a tree between you and them. Great photos !

.
Gret photographs and great looking Setters !

Thankyou for posting. I really enjoyed looking.

What shotgun are you using and what are the red counters ?


.

Superb photography and a successful season... alway a bit melancholy when we have to settle in and wait for the next year.

Most excellent! That's something I want to do sometime.

quote:

Originally posted by Charlie64:

What shotgun are you using and what are the red counters ?


.

The red counter is a flush counter. I use one to track how many Grouse (G) and Woodcock (W) the dogs and I move each day.

I use a Parker VH 16 gauge and a Ithaca Flues 20 gauge. For me, side by side shotguns and English Setters go hand in hand with New England Grouse shooting!

Glad to hear you had a good season, our bird numbers in Vermont and New Hampshire were up this year but also had more than 30 days afield.
I am sure our paths cross some point during the season, enjoy your memories give the dogs a well earned pat from a fellow bird hunter.

4yr old Fionn on point

I almost have twins to two of your dogs. Gotta love those Llewellins. Sure makes me wanna go.

God Bless, Louis

Zephyr,
Next year we will have to get together. Your Fionn is a beautiful looking Setter. Where is he out of?

quote:

Originally posted by youngoutdoors:
I almost have twins to two of your dogs. Gotta love those Llewellins. Sure makes me wanna go.

God Bless, Louis

I'd love to see them. Post some pics!

Old Hemlock

There is nothing like October in the NEK.
Some of the happiest years of my life were when I lived in VT.

You have reminded me that it has been too long since I have hunted there.
I will fix that next fall.

Thanks for posting.

I love this pictures ,after hunting and guiding a lot of big game i returned to my first love ,upland hunting with my dogs ,nothing compares to it .

Classic New England

.

Again, great photgraphs and great looking Dogs!

Charlie

.

An extremely challenging sport. Nothing is easy about Grouse hunting and the fall days make it the most perfect of all the shooting sports. We can't hunt Grouse in Missouri anymore due to failed hatches and horrible success (or lack of it) with re-populating with imported Grouse. I miss it and so do my Springers. I envy you.

Excellent pics fella's. I consider our Ruffed Grouse one of eastern America's finest game birds. Nothing like hunting them in the woods. Woodcock & Quail too.

One more month... 30 short days and its back to the NEK in Vermont and grouse and woodcock season.

Atticus, our season opens in the morning on both blue and ruffed grouse. I no longer have a bird dog and can barely walk, so will look forward to more posts here once you gentlemen get back into the autumn coverts.

.

I too am very much looking forward to the "2016 Report" ! Loved last autumns pictures and report and looking forward to the next ones !

Wishing you good hunting and great dog work !

Charlie

.

I sure miss Grouse hunting. They were pretty prolific here when I was in my teens, but that was almost 50 years ago :-( I haven't seen one in almost as long. Now Turkeys...that's another matter. We have more Turkey and resident Geese than we can handle. But nothing beats Grouse hunting.

One of our best birds for the table, well, at least the Ruffed Grouse and Quail. Never was much for the Snipe and Timber Doodles but they are great sport

When push comes to shove enjoy Woodcock over others. When cooked pink on the bone Woodcock is as good as filet.