Bust-Azz Blues Today

[luv2safari]

Getting these two blue grouse, our daily limit, was pretty hard work today, and the 4 1/2 hour round trip adds to the pain a bit, but it sure is a lot more fun than watching overpaid primadonnas doing tribal dances on Astro-turf.

Besides, the Niners played on Thursday, so today was a good day to get off the sofa and take the setter-gang hunting.




TRYING TO SMILE...
I'm sitting on the big rip in the seat of my pants from sliding down the mountain, sitting on my butt for about 40 feet. :blush:

 

[gbran]

Ah, my favorite shotty for flushing birds and most upland game birds.
Double side x side, 2 chokes, 2 triggers.

 

[luv2safari]

It's a well-used and nicked up older French Robust No.4 16gauge.

Up close it looks like everything killed with it these last 30+ years was clubbed to death with the gun.

 

[gbran]

Mine's a cheap Stoeger. It goes on most hunts while more expensive guns stay in the safe.

 

[peacemaker45]

Well, c'mon, pics of the setters, too! They helped, didn't they?

 

[luv2safari]

They were too pooped out when I got back home. I had forgotten to bring a camera along on the hunt.

Here's young Jenny and her mother, Cookie (Stumpy, as she's affectionately known). This was from the hunt the same spot two weeks ago.

 

[luv2safari]

The "Spot" is up this way and to the right. The mountain goes almost straight up over to the right; that's where the birds, berries, aspens, and chokecherries are. It's too tough for the road hunters, and not many people out here hunt blues. They pop a few when out on a deer hunt, but the pressure is light.

I take 4-8 birds a season from the spot, depending on the population a given year.




We go up the ridge to the right and up into quakies like these all over the slope. There is a lot of feed all over in decent years...lots of rose hips, red currents, chokecherries and other essential feed. Springs scattered over the slopes, too.



This is a good bet usually.

 

[sixgunner455]

Wow. We don't have a lot of blues, and I don't remember the last time I saw one.

Nice dogs.

 

[Davek1977]

Never shot a blue grouse, but took 2/3s of a limit of sharptails a week ago Saturday, and hope to collect a few more this upcoming wkend

 

[peacemaker45]

When you said setters, I was picturing Irish redheads. Those are a couple of pretty pale faces, though.

 

[luv2safari]

Llewellins...

Mine are very white with some orange. They sure love this!!

My wife kids me that I look like an old sheep herder when I have all five Llewellins out hunting.

 

[skoro]

Love your photos! Looks like a heckuva nice place to spend a day with the dogs and gamebirds.

I'm sitting on the big rip in the seat of my pants from sliding down the mountain, sitting on my butt for about 40 feet. :blush:

Looking at those sneakers, it's no wonder you came down the hard way.

 

[luv2safari]

Actually, they grip exceedingly well on the rocky slopes and are more agile.

I went to them after trying them out a bit for early season hunting. I rolled a boulder under me that was loose, and only a parachute would have been of any help!

First skiff of snow, and it's back to lightweight boots, however.

 

[luv2safari]

"Never shot a blue grouse, but took 2/3s of a limit of sharptails a week ago Saturday, and hope to collect a few more this upcoming wkend"

I envy you the sharptails. I like dark-meated birds and am a frustrated sharptail hunter. We have none in NV anymore. I'll be out to see you next weekend!

 

[Davek1977]

Still lots of sharptails and prairie chickens here in SD! This year, it appears, there aren't an abundance of them....but on average we ususally hold pretty decent numbers. The family ranch is in south central SD, but we are kind of towards the western edge of SD's famous pheasant habitat, and tend to hold more sharpies than ringnecks. As with all hunting though, its a game of chance. My nehew and I saw saw a few birds the day we went out, but some family friends went out the very next day and didnt see a single bird....