Disturbed Forest

Northern New England -- the "Great North Woods"-- is logging country.   What is important to folks like me is that when the loggers come in and cut and remove (i.e. "disturb") parts of the forest, they begin a 'regenerative process' that provides habitat for deer, grouse, rabbits, song birds, small mammals and diverse other wildlife that CANNOT successfully exist in mature, full grown forests.

When some one like me walks through such 'regenerations', he ends up with bruised knees and scraped shins due to the remnants of the logging process--stumps, logs, branches on the ground and saplings galore. He falls from time to time and usually has a "full-body-ache" at the end of the day. Such a pursuit is worth it to K-Lee and I, because we are seeking things that are wild.  We're having our own little adventure with the possibility of harvesting nature's bounty--although, if you've ever tried to take a ruffed grouse "on the wing", you know that there are absolutely no guarantees of success!  To me, that's alright.  If the ideas of grouse and woodcock hunting were about meat alone, it would prefer to visit the local grocer.  It's cheaper, easier, and more dependable than my feeble attempts at shotgunning. 

Today we have a large problem in that  many of our forests are not being managed scientifically.  There are lax "overseers" who opt to do nothing and avoid the sentimental push-back of the ill-informed--a decision which has its own negative effects.  I believe that our society has become so removed from nature and the "elemental things of life" that the unpleasantness of the natural process is considered "ugly" and "bad".  Oh, if only men and women would wake up and not live by sound-bytes!

 

Copy either link into your browser and travel to a recent video from the Ruffed Grouse Society which explains the truth of why we need "disturbed forests":  

https://www.facebook.com/RuffedGrouseSociety/videos/990152764401675

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taFNXt1vAMk

 

THE HIGH COST OF "STUFF"

I've been working on the things in my last (Jan 20th) post.  The pigeon coop idea is still in design phase.  There are lots of plans on the internet, but I haven't seen anything that I wanted to copy per se.  Rather, I'm picking up an idea here and a concept there, hoping to "marry" them all into a "design" of my own.  The pondering goes on.

As far as my future "style" of grouse hunting goes, I'm seeing lots of "pros" who talk about hunting a covert for a few hours and then moving on to another.  That matches up with my now-diminished physical abilities.  For me, it's pretty clear that learning is the key.  As I've been squirreling around, I found a really good "nut".

I recently purchased a "Strategic Grouse Hunting DVD" from Northwind Enterprises.  (Blog note: Northwind is not affiliated with the Pudelpointer Chronicles.)  Owner Ann Jandernoa and Skip Souther have done a great job of digitizing Ann's grouse hunters' workshop.  It is "hands down" the most informative "grouse" DVD that I've ever purchased.  The three DVD set is priced slightly higher than other "how to" DVDs, but after seeing the video, I believe that it's worth every penny.  Warning:  There's so much good information that you'll want to watch it over and over...and over again.

I'm kind of a nerd when it comes to things like this, and I'm learning things that I didn't know and UN-learning things I knew that are not true.  The more I understand, the more I realize that I can still hunt without setting long-distance records.  I think about three to five miles a day should "do it".

Recently, I measured my steps while K-Lee and I walked in the woods.  Not surprisingly, my stride varied between twenty and twenty-four inches.  So let's say (for argument's sake) that my stride is all of twenty-four inches.  If I have only one extra pound of weight in my vest/pack and I move it two feet at a time, in the course of only one mile, I am moving that weight two thousand six hundred and forty times.

That's the "labor equivalent" of moving a little more than one and a quarter tons of one-pound weights two feet--one weight at a time!  Imagine if I were carrying four extra pounds with me or more!

So I thought, "No more 'Navy Seal approach' for me!" and I decided to get rid of some of the gear I was carrying around.  Compass?  Nope, need that.  GPS?  Not letting that go!  Knife and length of "emergency" cord?  No and no.  Map? Uh uh!  Shot shells?  Gotta have those!  As I continued to paw through my hunting vest, I realized that I didn't want to hunt without any of my "stuff".

That left me with only one viable option and I realized the high cost of "stuff":  I need to eliminate some body weight.

(Sigh)....Weight Watchers, here I come.

NEW YEAR MUSINGS

January will soon be a memory.  To avoid freezing, the boxes of medical supplies, clothing and "dog stuff" were taken out of the pickup; and while other folks were still hunting in warmer climates, K-Lee and I became "house-bound".

I'm not sure what goes through her head when she's sleeping in front of the fireplace.  I see leg movement, hear soft yips, then she goes quiet again.  For my part, several things float through my mind--three concern the future:

(1) I've decided to build a pigeon coop (for homing pigeons).  My thoughts have led me to the building a coop on the inside our barn with openings through the wall to the outside...It would keep the birds sheltered and  not create a new structure in the field.  My alternative is a free-standing structure on stilts.  I saw this years ago in Pennsylvania at a Braque Francais breeder's home.  It looked like a children's "play-house".  
New England winters being what they are, I tend to favor one in the barn.

(2) I've decided to hunt "smarter".  The all-day armed assaults and forced marches through blow-downs, spruce "groves", and ankle-twisting terrain are coming to an end.  I'm getting older.  Last fall, my friend commented that we were "outfitted like Navy Seals" to hunt Ruffed Grouse:  Guns, excess amounts of ammo (in case a grouse shoots back I guess), water, GPS, electronics, spare clothing, first aid kit, compass, whistle, snack, camera... the  list goes on.  Generally speaking, in New England, I feel that there's no reason we couldn't do short three to four hour hunts, rest, then go again and be just as productive--perhaps more so.  Learning to target food plots and cover is paramount.  So, more education is on my agenda.  Perhaps I can sit at the feet of author G. N. Allen who is a long-time grouse hunter. (http://gnallen.blogspot.com)    
I think I'll call and seek an audience.


(3) Finally, for medical and hunting reasons, I need to tune up and get healthier.  Carrying "twenty-less-pounds" around would go a long way to a better hunt.

Ambitious? ...I think "practical"--
maybe even "self-preservative"!
       

So "what's in your wallet?"

NO, I'M JUST A ...(expletive)

 A fellow who came across my blog, wanted to know if I was a professional breeder or perhaps an end-all, pontificator of bird hunting.  I discouraged him by saying, "No, I'm just a ... (expletive)."   Compared to most, I'm a neophyte.  The blog is about the dog and my experiences--perhaps even the same sort that he was experiencing.

As a dog handler, I learned that 'our' biggest training problem is...(you guessed it) me.  There have been plenty of dogs in my life, but this time around, a higher standard is sought...hence my membership in the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association.  Getting here (NAVHDA) has been an interesting journey.  When I get myself trained, the dog will be ready.

Nature's Bouquet

Years ago, I hunted deer...back before it became such a 'fashionable' and highly technical sport.  Being young and having much to learn--and also not one to sit still for very long--I would "still hunt" to apple trees and other food sources.  Often, a grouse would flush.  

Then, it finally happened...


Mid-morning in a deer season long ago, I took my shotgun, a model 1100 Remington and went into the woods.  The sun was bright, the air was warm and the leaves were dry.  The sweet intoxicating smell of autumn was in the air.  About a half mile from the house, the smells and grandeur of the day overcame me.  I unloaded the shotgun and found a good bed of leaves under an old oak.  Embracing the unpardonable deer hunting sin, I curled up in a comfortable ball and went to sleep.  Never had anyone slept on a more comfortable mattress.

Gone is the morning sun

I felt a chill and woke to discover that the morning's sun had set. With the arrival of an arctic front, temperatures were plummeting. It didn't take too long for me to cover the distance to home. I 'pondered' why I took a five hour nap and realized that I just didn't care.   

Upon my entering the kitchen, my mother said with her slight Quebec accent, "Did you catch a deer?"  ("Aw mom, you 'kill' a deer, you don't 'catch' one.")  "Well, did you see any?"


I answered, "Nope, nothing.  I didn't  see a thing."  (Certainly the truth.)  Convinced that I had 'little' to 'no'  interest in deer hunting, I thought about the possibilities of hunting wild birds with a dog.    That story unfolded over a long time...and is best told 'later'.

Present Partner and Companion