Check Out This Pic: Now That’s Cold!
(Pheasants Forever photo.)
One reason we like the Pheasants Forever guys so much is because they are Serious bird hunters. And in a recent PF column about hunting in snow shoes – we love it! – was the above photo with this caption:
A few drops of blood from a downed rooster instantly froze to John Maile’s gun as he put the bird in his game vest.
Dang! Don’t think we’ve been out when it’s actually been that cold, though it sure has felt that way.
Also, if you’re thinking about hunting in snowshoes, here’s an important tip from PF’s Anthony Hauck:
Plan on taking shots only in front of you. If a bird erupts behind you, it’s unlikely you’ll have time to pivot on snowshoes and have a makeable shot.
We are now itching to try this. We enjoy snowshoeing, live for hunting, gotta make them connect.
(Pheasants Forever photo.)
Category: Pheasants, Pheasants Forever, Winter
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We hunted grouse this last Decmber in 8-10 inches of snow with occasional depths up to 14 inches. Early season snow is often is wet and sets up firm enough that the grouse can’t burrow into it. Also, they routinely escape by running and often flush out of trees. If we get the dry fluffy snow the grouse burrow iinto it. If found on the ground they don’t attempt to escape by running.
When the snow is deep enough and soft enough to allow the grouse to burrow under it you almost have to step on them to get them up. Without a dog it is like searching for a needle in a haystack. We train/excersize our dogs during the winter if the snow isn’t too deep and hasn’t crystalized. Crystalized snow can cut up a dog. On one occason one of our dogs pointed a grouse that was under a snow covered Jack Pine branch. My hunting partner and I were about 3 foot apart with his E. Setter pointing at the snow between us. When the bird came out it flew right up into my partners face hitting his pants with it’s wings. Mike excitedly anounced, after the bird departed, that he could have caught the bird in his hands.
You don’t have to hunt with guns all the time to enjoy grouse hunting especially if you own a good hunting dog and live in grouse country.