A Partnership For Success

     The autumn woods, alive with kaleidoscopic colors, and the moist earthy smells of composting leaves, religiously draw sportsmen, and their dogs to impenetrable tangles of thorn, and boot swallowing bramble in search of grouse and woodcock every year. Many of them, like myself, are prone to temporary bouts of amnesia, forgetting birthdays, names, and the where-a-bouts of the honey do list, as the humidity of summer passes, and the temperature slowly falls. It's a time of the year when a gundogs place in the family pecking order quickly rises, while shotguns of every imaginable configuration are cleaned, inspected, and cleaned again. Familiar grouse coverts, and tote roads worn with boot traffic bring a sense of relief like no easy chair and tumbler has ever provided during the off season. While the pleasure of watching ones dog course the woods in search of grouse scent is held in higher esteem than a first class upgrade, and the intensity of a bird well pointed holds more excitement than a Stanley Cup over-time game, the end result sometimes fizzles, rather than pops, because no extra hours on the sporting clays course, nor weekends working with dog trainers can take the survival instinct out of the grouse.

     Pointing dogs, being the choice of most grouse hunters, can reveal the location of quite a few grouse in their life time, but making the most of the situation requires more than just a heads up dog, and a keen shooting eye. The Ruffed Grouse's compulsion to run requires dog and handler to form a partnership to put birds before the gun. Countless water-colors depict the lone hunter and his staunch dog, locked onto a grouse flushing straight away from the base of a tree in a long abandoned orchard, but it seldom happens this way. The idea of strolling behind your dog, and sauntering up to his point for a shot may work on plantations lousy with quail, but in the grouse woods, especially when hunting solo, it's better to be proactive. Not only will a little forward thinking put more birds in your bag, but it'll greatly improve the bond between man and dog. Here are a few tips that will help you and your dog to enjoy more grouse hunting success, no matter how you define it.

     Trust your dogs nose- For the most part, the upland hunter uses a dog because it's olfactory system has the ability to detect and decipher the tasty smells of nature. As the scent moves from the dogs nose to it's brain, the dog communicates to us it's excitement through subtle changes in body movement. How we react to that movement can either break or seal a deal. While a dog should hunt for the handler, rather than going where, and doing what it pleases, it should be given some latitude. A dog that lifts it's head, and looks in a direction other than that being traveled might be telling you something, and encouraged to investigate. The same with a dog who, while running a beat, circles back and double checks an area behind you. Grouse are cunning, and will circle around on occasion. Though we'd like to think we're pressuring a bird, and moving it ahead, that's not always the case. A dog that checks it's back trail could well end up pointing a bird behind you.

     Resist stopping the dog- The Whoa command is a great command. It ensures steadiness in a young dog, can re-enforce manners when running multiple dogs, and can be a great safety tool when near roadways. Used too often, it can give a running grouse a head start every time you use it. Once a dog has become grouse wise, and knows not to crowd birds, the whoa command should be used sparingly. Allowing your dog to reposition as the grouse moves on keeps both you, and the dog closer to the bird as it try's to make it's escape. A dog with good grouse sense will expertly handle all the repositioning on it's own, until pinning the bird. To build this grouse sense in your dog you've got trust him. Laying off the whoa command allow this to happen, and strengthens the bond you two share, as well as increase your enjoyment afield together. Refraining from using the command also keeps you from having to walk over and release the dog after it has complied with the command.

     Get Ahead- Hand in hand with allowing your dog to reposition, and probably the biggest piece of the partnership puzzle, is knowing when to get ahead of your dog. I'm not talking about moving in on a point, but hustling well ahead and letting the dog work towards you. Once a dog has become birdy, and it is clear it's working the hot scent of a runner, make a big loop forward so as to end up between 30 to 50 yards ahead of him. Then either start working back towards him slowly, or move back and forth perpendicular to his path, as he herds the running grouse forward. Once the bird realizes it's between the two of you it'll find a hide out, and be pointed. This tactic is easy if you hunting along a tote, or a gated road, as you can get on the road and quickly move ahead. A word of caution, however. This tactic is for the solo hunter. When hunting with others safety is paramount; always know where your shooting partners are. It is best, if hunting with a group, to refrain from having someone circle ahead, but rather have two flankers, designated as shooters, move forward quickly, parallel to the track of the dog. This will cause a grouse to either hold until it can be pointed, or come unglued.

     Silence is golden- keeping voice communications to a minimum will leave the wary grouse guessing as to your where-a-bouts until it's too late. When your dog is pushing a running grouse, your dog represents the imminent threat to the bird, and it's only thinking about escaping the dog. When you begin pushing in on a point, the threat changes, and you become the imminent threat. The bird is now focused of you. Why alert the grouse to your presents before it's absolutely necessary by giving commands, or encouragement? Letting your presence be a surprise might just be the thing needed to force the grouse to make a mistake in choosing it's escape path, putting right in front of your muzzles.

     Know your coverts- Grouse can be predictable. If you are familiar with your cover, you'll have a better understanding of how the grouse move about in that cover. Some smaller covers will allow you to predict with stunning accuracy where, and which direction a grouse will flush. When this happens you can begin to dissect the cover by casting your dog in a direction you know will influence a birds behavior on the ground. By paying attention to the features In coverts you're intimately familiar with, you will begin to see similar feature in new coverts, and can adapt a strategy for you and the dog based experience elsewhere. Speeding up, or slowing down, based on experience elsewhere may well have you and your dog pinning birds quicker and easier.

     Double the dog- Not only is it exciting watching two dogs working in tandem, but it's double the scenting power. Should you be lucky enough to have two pointing dogs this maybe something you want to try. Naturally, the dogs should hunt independently, and have different ranges. The wider, bigger running dog has as much chance of pressuring a bird to move towards you, as it comes around on it's beat, as it does away. When it does, the bird will find itself between the two dogs. You'll find this represents a different kind of threat to the grouse, causing them to hold sooner, ground routes cut off.

     Next time you're in the woods, just you and the dog, think about these tips, and give one, or all of them a try. I think they'll help you get productive points quicker. Your dog works hard for you, and you should work just as hard for him. After all, your relationship is real a partnership, and the success of the solo wingshooter depends on the success of the dog, so help him out. You're game bag will appreciate it.

**This is a piece I wrote back in June and shopped around to some outdoor publications. While I recieved good feed back from editors who liked the idea, none wanted to spend money on it. Seems budgets are tight in the periodical world right now. Anyway, here it is now for your enjoyment.

The Partnership

Typical of winter, I spend lots of time thinking and dreaming about future seasons. I usually try to make an assessment of things I could do better, changes I could make, and dog issues I'd like to resolve. This winter it's different.

Recently I've met a few dog people. These people train dogs, hunt with dogs, and are hunting guides. Though we  all basically find enjoyment in the same thing, hunting Ruffed Grouse, I was a bit surprised at some of the differences in the way we operate in the woods.

Ask anyone who hunts with dog, and they'll tell you it's a partnership. But is it really? I've noticed some people train their dogs to hunt, and then expect them to go right out there and do it, perfectly. They just follow their dog, and enjoy any success they achieve. Others, in a similar fashion, put their focus on the dog. They follow behind, and marvel at the work it's doing, almost not believing it's actually happening. Everything that happens is a spectacle. The dog a performer. I, on the other hand, take a different approach. The partnership I enjoy with my dog isn't one of, he finds birds so I feed him. It's based on my observations that he really loves to hunt, and he loves to make me happy.

Grouse, and Woodcock to a lesser extent, are runners. Before you ever get to take a shot at one on the wing, your dog has to decode the scent, and track the bird for some time. Of course, having a dog you trust, and who understands the behavior of grouse makes this task less risky, and we can help the dog if we're willing.

We can start by learning to trust our dogs. Let your dog relocate, and re-point a bird if it feels in needs to. Remember, he' got the nose, not you. If you "whoa" your dog on every point, you'll quickly get frustrated, and start doubting your dogs ability after walking in on a few unproductive points. I learned a long time ago not to command my setter to "whoa" when hunting grouse. For those unsure of what I mean; whoa, just like with horses means stop, and when told the dog should stop until released. For some reason it is tradition to release your dog with a tap on the head, which is impractical in the grouse woods. Let your dog have some control. When he's got the bird locked down you'll know it.

We can also help our dog by getting out in front. If you start walking in on unproductive points, or see your dog relocating, get and stay 20 yards in front and to one side of the dog. The bird is running ahead, and you'll cut off an escape route this way. If you give the bird a little something extra to worry about it'll lock down sooner. But don't crowd the dog too much. Twenty yards to the side, as well, is about right. Any closer and you run the risk of flushing the bird before it's pointed. Often, when I know we're on a runner I'll try to boogie ahead about 50 yards and slowly work towards the dog as he works the bird between us. Pinching a bird like this can also get it to lock down. While it is the dogs job to point birds for me, we are partners, and there is no reason why I shouldn't help. After all, successfull, productive points are fun for both of us.

So, how are you helping your dog? Other than the guy with the gun, what role do you play in this partnership? Think about it.

Cliche and Contradiction

     The sport of hunting is filled with stereotypes, and cliches. Why wouldn't it be? Life, and everything we do, suffer at the hands of the unimaginative. Just look at the efforts the animal rights/PETA/ anti-hunting crowd go through to smear our image. The image of blood thirsty, half-drunk -on-moonshine redneck may indeed describe someone we've met before. They may even go out and shoot an animal in the woods on occasion, but they are in no way a "hunter". Of course, those who would have us be such, will never openly admit we're not. Within the sportsman community, we too, tend to look upon each other, and presume, with an I-know-something-you-don't-know-attitude, that we've got the other guy figured out. With a glance, the entire story of another hunter can be figured out instantly. We judge your gun, your dog, your footwear, the brand of clothing you wear, your truck, whatever. We stack it all up, using each piece, each clue, to fit you into a shoebox labeled "cliche".

     We've all met the "cliche" before. You know what I'm talking about. The just stepped out of Gray's Sporting Journal sportsman. The first thing you'll notice is the matching Orvis label on his hat, and shirt. Next you're drawn to the $80 leather lanyard around his neck, and it's $6 whistle. "I'll bet he's got a pointer", is what you're thinking, but you quickly forget that thought when you see the beautiful 16 gauge he's been missing all those clays with on the skeet field. But wait, isn't that a Barbour jacket, and an Orvis hat hanging on the hook in the hallway. Why yes it is. That and a few other things I've added to my collection are part of what creates a contradiction in my sporting life. While it's easy to chuckle at the uber-urban sportsman make over, we've got to admit that sometimes it's nice to have good stuff, stuff that works. A WalMart hunting vest is great, for a while, but sooner or later our needs change.

     Contradictions can be fun, but I'm sure they piss people off too. In many ways I'm probably close to being that well-heeled sporting cliche. Except I'm not well-heeled. Maybe some of my sporting contradictions stem from a bit of insecurity about being "that guy", or maybe they stem from the need, like all sportsman, to have a little one up on the next guy. A quick look and you'll see that I fit the mold in an obvious way.  I shoot a 20 gauge double, over an English Setter, at Ruffed Grouse. This alone pays for my club membership, but that I also like fly fishing in the off season too, really seals the deal. Why? It's cliche; This image of the Brahman, blue blood with his double gun, and perfect oil-on-canvas-setter (which, I have).

     It's the contradiction, however, that keep things fresh. Confusion begins at the gun rack. Though I do shoot a nice double, I own both single barrel, and stack barrel guns too. I've got a rather pedestrian appreciation for guns, however.  The gun rack at grouse camp is in no way of museum quality, but I've a fondness for all the guns I've seen there. Perhaps it's a the memories of the many great camps attached to them, or the many Woodcock appetizers they're responsible for. One such gun  is a Browning BPS. This gun is a grouse killing 20 gauge work horse with 24" barrels and a straight stock. I want one, and think the 12 gauge version would make the perfect jump shooting gun. I  doubt this gun gets dreamt about much on Wall Street.

                                                                                   
     When it comes to dogs I've been known to alienate myself too. Not because I train my own dogs, rather than sending them to a trainer, but because I've been rather outspoken about flushing breeds being more suitable for grouse hunting than pointing dogs. And currently I've got a Setter. Pointing dogs are fun to watch, each with their own highlights. A brace of setters coursing through the woods together really is a beautiful sight. Spend enough time shooting grouse though, and eventually you'll end up shooting over a Spaniel or a Lab, and you'll see a different quality to the grouse flush. True, pointers cover more ground, resulting in more finds, but ultimately shooting over a flusher you'll kill more birds. Though many spaniels are capable of maintaining ones state on the social ladder, I seldom see them being walked on Beacon Hill.

     It's probably my inhumane fly fishing practice that ticks people off the most. I'm not talking about keeping my fish; I release, but my obsession with nymphing. Often viewed as not really fly fishing, I view the nymph as the spaniels of the river, while I view the dry fly as the setters of the river. To make matters worse, I use a strike indicator too. A fuzzy version of a bobber. What can I say? I told you I wasn't well-heeled.

     Setting my contradictions aside, the cookie cutter side of me doesn't always struggle with fitting this mold. Socially, hunting is loosing it's popularity, and many areas in the countryside, where I hunt, are being gentrified. The blaze orange hat doesn't always get you a smile and a wave from the farmer hauling hay. Frequently it brings you a sneer from a Volvo driving soccer mom, who doesn't recognize you, and is a gun control nut. If appearing to be something which makes people more comfortable gets me access to the alder grove running along the back of the pasture, then so be it. Once upon a time gentlemen wore ties while hunting, and in some parts of the country(think Massachusetts), this may have to be the norm again, if only to serve as a distraction. I'm also comfortable knowing that should I ever need the services of an attorney, a stock broker, or a podiatrist,  I can no doubt find one who owns a bird dog.
   

Paw Prints, or Rather Impressions, If You Will?

     I've begun looking for a puppy. Of course every dog person is always looking for a puppy, researching breeders, and new lines within each breed, but I don't mean it in that sense. I mean it in the sense of, I've been calling and e-mailing breeders I've researched, and been refered to. Actually looking for a puppy.

     Over the years I've been exposed to many different breeds of bird dogs. I've shot over quite a few different breeds too, and have developed opinions of the differing breeds. Then again, have you ever met a grouse hunter, or even a disciple of any of the other winged game, that didn't have opinionated views of the various breeds. True, most hunters become fanatical about their particular breed. Same with guns, loads, and boots. If we can argue, pointlessly about something, we will. I'm sure some of my hunting buddies will take exeption, but I've come to believe there are only two types of dogs with characteristic suitable to allow them to become grouse dogs. They are the Setter, and the Spaniel.

     The Spaniel may be the best do all, versitile upland dog ever. An English Springer Spaniel is a tough little dog, with energy, and a passion to hunt. Reliable retrievers who take to the water readily, and can penetrate tough cover easily. They look great too. As a grouse hunter I have learned the importance of being fully prepared for each shot, and that isn't easy. Hunting with a spaniel makes this possible. When the dog gets birdy all the hunter need do is position himself to a place where one can easily swing the shotgun and wait for a flush. No walking in on points, trying to kikck a bird out of cover that he may not even be in. With a Spaniel, you may not see as many birds as you would with a pointing dog that covers more ground, but trust me, you'll kill more of the ones you see. Spaniels can also handle occasional waterfowl retrieving duties, so urge to jump shoot Mallards can be accommodated.

     Though I've mentioned the English Springer Spaniel, it is by no means the only spaniel capable of handling grouse. No doubt a Field spaniel could do the job, or even a properly bred Cocker. A Welsh Springer Spaniel, though I've never seen on in the field, I'm inclined to place on this list too. By all accounts, the Welshie, which is more common in the UK has what it takes, though anyone here in the states looking to get one should make sure it's a field bred dog, and not a bench bred dog.

     The Setter is the other breed I feel has the capacity to be a grouse dog. Like Spaniels, Setters differ slightly both between breeds, and their lines within a breed. Though I'm partial to the English Setter, many Gordon Setters have become grouse dogs. I'm sure their Irish red and white, and American Red cousins have what it takes too. My argument for including Setters on this list isn't very good. Tradition. English Setters are just what one uses to hunt grouse. Aside from that, they are damned good looking, and generally have lots of style. What is better than watching a beautiful, feathery Setter coursing through the woods, and staunchly locked up on point? Nothing. Besides that, I've never come across a breed of dog that is more endearing, and tries harder to make people love them. I'd advise anyone looking for an English Setter, for the purpose of hunting grouse, to focus on the Ryman/Old Hemlock type Setters. These lines have been bred to be slower(but not slow), closer workers than other lines.

                                   There are other breeds of dogs out there that I like, and I've been privileged to shoot over. The English pointers come close to making the list. They, of all the pointing breeds, have the most intense point, and seeing the seriousness with which they hunt and point is exciting. This is also what keeps them off my list. Too intense. A dog has to know when to slow down to be a grouse dog.

     Retrievers, too come close to making the list. Labs, Chessies, and Goldens all hunt like Spaniels, flushing for the gun. A hunter with one of these breeds will certainly kill a lot of birds, but they are waterfowl dogs, and that is their first true mission. Fortunately, most guys hunting with retrievers are waterfowlers first, and dabble (no pun intended) with grouse hunting in the same way I hunted grouse first, but only very casually waterfowled with my Springer. Of course shooting over any well mannered dog is a joy, and I've had some absolutely unforgettable experiences shooting over retrievers and pointers.

                                                                                   


     The funny thing is, over time, I, like everyone, will eventually see things differently. My list is always in danger of changing. Having had a Spaniel, and then a Setter, I've been known to say, and I quote "I'll never get a Setter again." Yet my puppy search has had me in contact with some serious Setter people. I've always secretly, and sometimes not so secretly harbored an interest in a wire-haired breed of dog too. That right there is a potential list changer. I have another opinion that's changed too. I decided awhile back that I'd never have more than one dog at a time ever again. I've now decided that I'll never have only one dog at a time ever again. Please don't tell my wife.